Thirty fastest growing occupations projected to account for 19 percent of new jobs from 2016 to 2026

From 2016 to 2026, employment is projected to increase by 11.5 million, or 7.4 percent. Employment in the 30 fastest growing occupations is projected to increase by 2.2 million, accounting for 19 percent of all new jobs. The occupation solar photovoltaic installers is projected to add 11,800 new jobs, or an increase of 104.9 percent, largest among all occupations.

Following solar photovoltaic installers, employment among wind turbine service technicians is expected to grow by 5,600 over the 2016–26 period, an increase of 96.3 percent. Combined, home health aides and personal care aides are projected to add 1.2 million jobs, for growth rates of 47.3 percent and 38.6 percent, respectively. Overall, health care industries and their associated occupations are expected to account for a large share of new jobs in the projection period, as the aging population continues to drive demand for health care services.

Of the 30 fastest growing occupations in the 2016–26 period, in terms of employment, four had a median annual wage of over $100,000 in 2016. All four of those occupations—physician assistants; nurse practitioners; software developers, applications; and mathematicians—are also among the top 10 fastest growing occupations. 

These data are from the BLS Employment Projections and Occupational Employment Statistics programs. For more information, see the Monthly Labor Review article, "Projections overview and highlights, 2016–26," by T. Alan Lacey, Mitra Toossi, Kevin S. Dubina, and Andrea B. Gensler, October 2017. Additional information about these and many other occupations may be found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook or "Employment Projections — 2016–26" (HTML) (PDF).