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(NewsNation) — Hiring has slowed across much of the economy, but health care roles are expected to stay in high demand for years to come.
According to new forecasts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the health care and social assistance sectors are expected to account for nearly 40% of job growth over the next ten years, bringing close to 2 million additional workers into these fields.
That momentum is already clear: Health care and social assistance roles have driven nearly 90% of all private-sector job gains so far this year.
The primary drivers for this trend are an aging population and the increasing frequency of chronic illnesses, which are contributing to the rapid expansion of roles such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physical therapist assistants, positioning these as some of the careers with the fastest growth rates.
The professional, scientific, and technical services sector is also anticipated to exceed average growth rates, spurred by the burgeoning amount of data and the advancements in artificial intelligence technologies. There will be a particularly high demand for data scientists and information security analysts.
Roles in renewable energy, such as wind turbine technicians and solar panel installers, are predicted to experience the fastest growth of any job category, although they are expected to comprise only about 20,000 new positions collectively.
Overall, the U.S. economy is forecasted to expand by adding 5.2 million jobs between 2024 and 2034, based on the latest estimates from the BLS. This represents a 3% growth in total employment, a significant drop from the 13% increase experienced from 2014 to 2024.
These are the 10 jobs the Labor Department says will grow fastest over the next decade.
Median annual wage data is the most recent available, May 2024.
1 – Wind turbine service technicians
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 50%
- Projected increase: 6,800 jobs
- Median annual wage: $62,580
2 – Solar photovoltaic installers
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 42%
- Projected increase: 12,000 jobs
- Median annual wage: $51,860
3 – Nurse practitioners
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 40%
- Projected increase: 128,400 jobs
- Median annual wage: $129,210
4 – Data scientists
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 34%
- Projected increase: 82,500 jobs
- Median annual wage: $112,590
5 – Information security analysts
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 29%
- Projected increase: 52,100 jobs
- Median annual wage: $124,910
6 – Medical and health service managers
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 23%
- Projected increase: 142,900 jobs
- Median annual wage: $117,960
7 – Physical therapist assistants
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 22%
- Projected increase: 24,500 jobs
- Median annual wage: $65,510
8 – Actuaries
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 22%
- Projected increase: 7,300 jobs
- Median annual wage: $125,770
9 – Operations research analysts
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 21%
- Projected increase: 24,100 jobs
- Median annual wage: $91,290
10 – Physician assistants
- Projected growth rate (2024-2034): 20%
- Projected increase: 33,200 jobs
- Median annual wage: $133,260
