What BLS projects
The topline: employment reaches 176.2 million by 2035, up 5.9 million from 2025. That 3.5 percent climb trails the 10.9 percent increase posted from 2015 to 2025.
BLS is also adding AI exposure categories that compare occupations by how much artificial intelligence might touch their work in theory and in practice. More information is available at www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm.
Sectors set to gain or slip
Utilities leads on percentage growth at 9.8 percent through 2035, though that translates to just 58,800 additional jobs given the sector's small base. Nearly all of the increase ties back to electric power generation, transmission, and distribution as electricity use rises, including AI power needs.
Private healthcare and social assistance is set to expand 9.5 percent, adding over 2.2 million jobs; that tally represents roughly 37.0 percent of all new positions and places the sector second in growth among the majors. Drivers include an older population and a greater incidence of illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Professional, scientific, and technical services is projected to grow 8.6 percent with 926,700 additional jobs - the second-biggest increase - powered by rising needs for AI-based systems, R&D, and associated consulting.
Two major sectors slip. Federal government employment is projected to fall 3.4 percent from 2025 to 2035. Retail trade dips 0.2 percent, or about 27,500 jobs, as e-commerce continues to restrain staffing at brick-and-mortar outlets. The growth in online purchases, and therefore shipments and deliveries, supports transportation and warehousing, which is projected to rise 3.1 percent.
Leading the pack are electric power producers using solar, wind, and geothermal sources, buoyed by AI uptake and supporting infrastructure like data centers. Still, adding these to the other electric power generation industry yields only about 35,800 jobs in total, reflecting the small initial base.
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AI is also boosting the sector that includes firms running computing infrastructure as well as data processing and web-hosting services; this industry is expected to expand by 25.1 percent, adding 120,400 jobs. Another bright spot is other electrical equipment and component manufacturing, up 25.9 percent, propelled by battery output for energy storage and EVs and by growing need for fiber optic cables deployed throughout AI and telecom networks.
Healthcare's reach is broad: four of the ten fastest growing detailed industries are tied to private healthcare and social assistance. Within that, the category serving the elderly and individuals with disabilities is forecast to add 625,400 jobs - the biggest gain of any detailed industry - backed by increased in-home care needs.
Occupations to watch
Three occupational groups tied to healthcare and social services are among the five fastest growing from 2025 to 2035. Leading the pack are two groups: healthcare support, plus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations, rising 13.3 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively; together they are on track to account for nearly one-third of all new roles. Demand is fueled by an aging populace and by widespread chronic diseases and behavioral health conditions, including needs in home health and personal care.
Community and social service occupations rank as the fourth-fastest growing group at 7.4 percent. One title stands above the rest: nurse practitioners, projected to grow 41.0 percent.
Science and tech advance as well. Jobs in the life, physical, and social sciences are expected to expand 7.5 percent - more than twice the 3.5 percent pace for all occupations - on the back of research and development demand across biotechnology, manufacturing, and AI. Computer and mathematical occupations should increase 7.3 percent; in that cohort, data scientists are expected to grow by 34.6 percent, with computer and information research scientists up 21.8 percent.
Electricity demand also shows up in job titles. Jobs for solar photovoltaic installers are forecast to jump 36.5 percent, while wind turbine service technicians are set to rise 29.5 percent. Even at those rapid rates, the two jobs combined are expected to add fewer than 15,000 positions by 2035, reflecting the small base, with work focused on installing panels and maintaining turbines.
Why it matters for your portfolio
The bottom line: overall growth slows, but it concentrates where demand compounds - care delivery, electricity, and AI infrastructure. Utilities see hiring tied to electric power generation and distribution as usage rises, including AI-driven needs. Healthcare adds the most jobs, shaped by demographics and chronic conditions.
And AI-adjacent industries, from computing infrastructure to components like batteries and fiber optics, scale their workforces. On the other side, retail's slight dip reflects ongoing e-commerce pressure on stores, while federal employment is projected to contract. If you track labor as a leading clue, this points to where revenue and capital spending could cluster over the decade.
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