Imagine that! Creative careers with large projected job growth, 2024–34

Whether in a kitchen, a boardroom, an art studio, or a recreation facility, there are many career options for putting your creative skills to work. To celebrate Creativity Day, May 30, here’s a look at 10 occupations with large projected job growth for which creativity and innovation skills are particularly important.

Unsurprisingly, 4 of the 10 creative occupations projected to add the most jobs from 2024 to 2034 are in arts and design, entertainment and sports, or media and communication. But there is also substantial projected growth in less traditional creative fields, including chefs and head cooks (14,000 new jobs), recreation workers (13,400), and chief executives (13,300).

Among the ten selected occupations, entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling is expected to have the fastest job growth from 2024 to 2034, with a projected growth rate of 7.7 percent. These managers rely on their creativity skills when planning a variety of leisure activities. Chefs and head cooks, meanwhile, display their creativity through recipes, menus, and food presentation. Employment in this occupation is projected to grow by 7.1 percent between 2024 and 2034.

Four of the 10 creative occupations with the most projected job growth had annual mean wages above $100,000 in May 2025. Chief executives topped the list with an annual mean wage of $269,630, making it one of the highest paying occupations in the economy. Chief executives must think creatively to develop innovative solutions that help drive the success of their organization.

Most of these selected occupations typically require a bachelor’s degree for entry. The exceptions are chefs and head cooks and recreation workers, who typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent, and audio and video technicians, who typically need a postsecondary nondegree award. About half of these occupations typically need work experience in a related occupation for entry, while 3 of the 10 usually need an internship or short-term on-the-job training for competency.

This article is based on skills data and typical education and training requirements from the Employment Projections program and shows occupations with the largest projected job growth for which creativity and innovation skills are "very important" or "extremely important." Wage estimates are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. For more information, check out our video on Using Skills Information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

You can also learn more about these and hundreds of other occupations in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.