The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, December 19, 2013
USDL-13-2393
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EMPLOYMENT PROJECTIONS — 2012-2022
Occupations and industries related to healthcare are projected to add the most new jobs between 2012
and 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. Total employment is projected to
increase 10.8 percent, or 15.6 million, during the decade.
In addition to projecting employment for each detailed occupation, BLS depicts the education, related
work experience, and on-the-job training typically needed for occupations. Occupations that typically
require postsecondary education for entry are expected, on average, to grow faster than occupations that
require a high school diploma or less.
This news release focuses on several areas of projections data: labor force and the aggregate economy,
industry employment, occupation employment, education and training, and replacement needs.
Labor force and the aggregate economy
Projections of the labor force and the aggregate economy serve as the basis for employment projections.
Slower projected growth in the civilian noninstitutional population and declining labor force
participation rates limit growth in the labor force, which in turn limits economic growth.
The labor force is projected to grow 0.5 percent per year from 2012 to 2022, compared with an
annual growth rate of 0.7 percent during the 2002-12 decade. Due to the aging baby-boom
generation, workers ages 55 and older are expected to make up over one-quarter of the labor
force in 2022. (See table 1.)
Projected declines in the labor force participation rates for both men and women are expected to
slow labor force growth. The overall labor force participation rate is projected to decline from
63.7 percent in 2012 to 61.6 percent in 2022, continuing the trend from the past decade. (See
table 2.)
Slower lab