Occupational projections overview, 2021–31

The Employment Projections program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics develops information about the labor market for the nation as a whole for 10 years in the future. This article provides an overview of each occupational group, including projected employment change from 2021 to 2031, information about factors contributing to projected employment change, information on median annual wage, and typical education or on-the-job-training requirements needed for occupational entry. The Employment Projections (EP) program of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics annually projects employment over a 10-year period for over 800 detailed occupations and nearly 300 industries. Employment in the United States is projected to increase 5.3 percent during the 2021–31 decade, adding about 8.3 million new jobs.1 These projections form the basis for data and outlook information in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).2 The EP data and the OOH are used by a wide variety of people, including jobseekers, career counselors, education and training officials, and researchers.