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5 out of 20 fastest-growing industries from 2019 to 2029 are in healthcare and social assistance
September 04, 2020
Employment is projected to grow from 162.8 million to 168.8 million over the 2019–29 decade, an increase of 6.0 million jobs. This reflects an annual growth rate of 0.4 percent, slower than the 2009–19 annual growth rate of 1.3 percent.
Five out of the 20 industries projected to grow the fastest from 2019 to 2029 are in healthcare and social assistance, the fastest growing industry in the economy. Factors that are expected to contribute to the large increase include increased demand from caring for the aging baby-boom population, longer life expectancies, and continued growth in the number of patients with chronic conditions.
Newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers
-4.0
-99,200
199,300
Information
Cable and other subscription programming
-4.8
-20,700
32,300
Information
Tobacco manufacturing
-5.2
-4,700
6,700
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is projected to lose 444,800 jobs from 2019 to 2029, more than any other industry. Manufacturing contains 12 of the 20 industries projected to have the most rapid employment declines. Factors contributing to the loss of manufacturing jobs include the adoption of new productivity-enhancing technologies, such as robotics and international competition.
Healthcare occupations and those associated with healthcare (including mental health) account for most of the 20 fastest growing occupations from 2019 to 2029. Nurse practitioners, occupational therapy assistants, and physician assistants, are projected to increase by at least 30 percent over that period, as team-based healthcare models are increasingly used to deliver healthcare services.
Net and percent change in employment for fastest growing and declining occupations, projected 2019 to 2029
Occupation
Percent change
Net change
2029 employment
Wind turbine service technicians
60.7%
4,300
11,300
Nurse practitioners
52.4
110,700
322,000
Solar photovoltaic installers
50.5
6,100
18,100
Occupational therapy assistants
34.6
16,300
63,500
Statisticians
34.6
14,800
57,500
Home health and personal care aides
33.7
1,159,500
4,599,200
Physical therapist assistants
32.6
32,200
130,900
Medical and health services managers
31.5
133,200
555,500
Physician assistants
31.3
39,300
164,800
Information security analysts
31.2
40,900
171,900
Data scientists and mathematical science occupations, all other
30.9
10,300
43,400
Derrick operators, oil and gas
30.5
3,700
15,700
Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
26.9
5,600
26,600
Roustabouts, oil and gas
25.1
14,700
73,100
Speech-language pathologists
24.9
40,500
203,100
Operations research analysts
24.8
26,100
131,300
Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors
24.7
79,000
398,400
Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
24.3
500
2,800
Cooks, restaurant
23.1
327,300
1,744,600
Animal caretakers
22.9
68,800
369,500
Grinding and polishing workers, hand
-19.5
-5,600
23,400
Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers
-20.0
-14,600
58,300
Floral designers
-20.1
-10,400
41,400
Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
-20.4
-121,100
472,400
Prepress technicians and workers
-20.7
-6,300
24,000
Forging machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
-21.1
-3,500
13,000
Postmasters and mail superintendents
-21.9
-2,900
10,500
Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
-22.1
-38,000
133,800
Manufactured building and mobile home installers
-22.3
-600
2,200
Timing device assemblers and adjusters
-22.3
-300
1,000
Switchboard operators, including answering service
-22.5
-15,700
54,100
Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles
-23.2
-2,400
8,000
Data entry keyers
-24.6
-42,400
130,000
Travel agents
-25.9
-21,300
60,800
Telephone operators
-27.9
-1,400
3,600
Cutters and trimmers, hand
-29.9
-2,900
6,900
Watch and clock repairers
-32.3
-1,000
2,100
Nuclear power reactor operators
-35.7
-1,900
3,400
Parking enforcement workers
-36.2
-2,900
5,200
Word processors and typists
-36.4
-19,200
33,500
Computer occupations, such as information security analysts, are expected to see fast job growth. This is due to new product development associated with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Technological changes facilitating automation and e-commerce are expected to result in declining employment for office and administrative support occupations, such as word processors and typists (−36.4 percent), data entry keyers (−24.6 percent), and legal secretaries and administrative assistants (−22.1 percent).
United States Department of Labor
