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Employment Projections

Fastest declining occupations

Other available formats: (XLSX)

Table 1.5 Fastest declining occupations, 2021 and projected 2031
(Numbers in thousands)

2021 National Employment Matrix title

2021 National Employment Matrix code

Employment, 2021

Employment, 2031

Employment change, 2021–31

Percent employment change, 2021–31

Median annual wage, 2021(1)

Total, all occupations

00-0000

158,134.7

166,452.1

8,317.4

5.3

$45,760

Word processors and typists

43-9022

46.1

28.5

-17.6

-38.2

$44,030

Parking enforcement workers

33-3041

8.6

5.4

-3.2

-37.1

$46,590

Cutters and trimmers, hand

51-9031

8.2

5.9

-2.3

-28.4

$30,230

Nuclear power reactor operators

51-8011

4.8

3.5

-1.3

-26.8

$104,260

Print binding and finishing workers

51-5113

42.2

31.8

-10.5

-24.8

$36,590

Watch and clock repairers

49-9064

2.2

1.7

-0.5

-24.7

$44,250

Data entry keyers

43-9021

155.9

117.4

-38.5

-24.7

$35,630

Telephone operators

43-2021

4.0

3.0

-1.0

-24.5

$37,630

Switchboard operators, including answering service

43-2011

49.0

37.2

-11.8

-24.0

$30,150

Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles

49-2096

9.2

7.1

-2.2

-23.4

$40,670

Prepress technicians and workers

51-5111

26.0

20.1

-5.9

-22.7

$42,610

Roof bolters, mining

47-5043

1.9

1.5

-0.4

-21.5

$59,770

Floral designers

27-1023

44.4

35.1

-9.3

-21.0

$29,880

Manufactured building and mobile home installers

49-9095

3.9

3.1

-0.8

-20.3

$36,360

Refractory materials repairers, except brickmasons

49-9045

0.7

0.5

-0.1

-20.2

$54,250

Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

43-6011

508.0

405.4

-102.6

-20.2

$62,060

Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers

51-2011

34.3

27.7

-6.6

-19.4

$49,480

Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

43-6012

157.8

127.5

-30.4

-19.2

$47,710

Grinding and polishing workers, hand

51-9022

16.1

13.1

-3.0

-18.7

$35,670

Drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4032

6.9

5.6

-1.3

-18.6

$38,580

Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4022

11.8

9.6

-2.2

-18.3

$44,520

Timing device assemblers and adjusters

51-2061

0.6

0.5

-0.1

-18.3

$37,780

Telemarketers

41-9041

115.7

94.7

-21.0

-18.2

$28,910

Coil winders, tapers, and finishers

51-2021

11.4

9.3

-2.0

-17.9

$38,360

Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining

47-5044

4.5

3.7

-0.8

-17.8

$57,900

Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

51-4035

15.2

12.5

-2.7

-17.7

$46,850

Order clerks

43-4151

143.9

119.7

-24.2

-16.8

$37,920

Nuclear technicians

19-4051

5.4

4.5

-0.9

-16.6

$99,340

Structural metal fabricators and fitters

51-2041

63.6

53.6

-10.1

-15.8

$45,480

Power plant operators

51-8013

29.2

24.7

-4.5

-15.5

$80,850

Footnotes:
(1) Data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage data cover non-farm wage and salary workers and do not cover the self-employed, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, or household workers.
Note: Data is unavailable for values denoted with a "—".
Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Last Modified Date: September 8, 2022