1998–2008 Economic and Employment Projections — 1999-11-30

New projections for the American work force from 1998 to 2008 were released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, providing information on where future job growth is expected by industry and occupation and what the makeup of the work force pursuing those jobs is likely to be. These 10-year projections of employment by industry and occupation, labor force, and economic growth are widely used in career guidance, in planning education and training programs, and in studying long-range employment trends. Over the 1998-2008 period, total employment is projected to increase by 14 percent. This growth rate is slower than during the previous 10-year period, 1988-1998, when growth was 17 percent. (The definition of employment used in these projections differs from those used in other BLS programs. See table 1.) * Service-producing industries will account for virtually all of the job growth. Only construction will add jobs in the goods-producing sector, offsetting declines in manufacturing and mining.