According to O*Net, The Occupational Information Network, Bright Outlook occupations are professions that are expected to grow rapidly in the next several years, or will have large numbers of job openings, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016-2026 employment projections.

Every Bright Outlook occupation matches at least one of the following criteria:

Projected to grow faster than average (employment increase of 10% or more) over the period 2016-2026
Projected to have 100,000 or more job openings over the period 2016-2026

The national wages and employment trends for direct-entry midwifery are as follows:

Median wages (2016) = $23.47 hourly, $48,820 annual
Employment (2016) = 40,000 employees
Projected growth (2016-2026) = Faster than average (10% to 14%)
Projected job openings (2016-2026) = 2,600

The job placement rate of FSTM graduates is currently 87.5%.