2011 Top Jobs

Information technology positions have risen to the top when it comes to ranking the best jobs for the new year. Job search website CareerCast rated 200 jobs based on income, work environment, stress, physical demands and job outlook using career experts and data from the Labor Department and U.S. Census.

In 2011, technical positions involving computers are among the top-rated, in part because of the popularity of smartphone applications and cloud-based software, CareerCast found. Software engineering took the top spot thanks to its midlevel income of $87,140 as well as a positive work environment, lower stress levels and positive hiring outlook going into 2011. Other IT jobs, such as computer systems analyst, technical writer and computer programmer, also ranked within the top 30 positions, and Web developer took the number 44 spot.

Where does your public sector career fit in? Does the 2011 jobs outlook, combined with the lack of an across-the-board pay raise for federal workers over the next two years, change or influence your career plans?