Job Market Outlook (Projected Growth)

How It Works

The BLS Employment Projections program forecasts job growth for every occupation over a 10-year period. Growth is categorized as: "much faster than average" (8%+ growth), "faster than average" (5-8%), "as fast as average" (2-5%), "slower than average" (0-2%), and "decline" (negative growth). For the 2022-2032 projection period, the fastest-growing occupations include nurse practitioners (+45%), data scientists (+35%), information security analysts (+32%), and software developers (+25%). Declining occupations include data entry keyers (-30%), word processors (-33%), and watch repairers (-18%). Growth projections affect career planning because they indicate future demand for your skills. High-growth occupations tend to have upward wage pressure (employers compete for scarce talent), while declining occupations face downward pressure. However, even "declining" occupations may offer good careers if the total workforce is large — a -10% decline in a 500,000-person occupation still leaves 450,000 jobs. BLS projections are based on economic modeling and have historically been reasonably accurate at the macro level, though individual occupation forecasts can miss due to unexpected technological or policy shifts.

Related Terms

• Career Growth (Salary Trajectory) — The pattern of earnings increases over a career — typically steepest in the first 10 years, plateauing in the mid-40s for most occupations, with significant variation by industry and role.
• Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code — A federal system that categorizes every U.S. job into one of 867 detailed occupations — used by BLS, DOL, and Census Bureau to track wages, employment, and labor market trends.
• BLS OEWS (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics) — The Bureau of Labor Statistics survey that produces the salary data used by SalaryTruth — covering 800+ occupations across all U.S. metro areas, with data from 1.1 million business establishments.