The latest U.S. employment projections reveal where employers will continue needing workers and where job seekers may find opportunities over the next decade.
Where will millions of Americans find their next jobs over the coming decade? The answer includes some career fields you may already have experience in. The latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show approximately 17.5 million job openings across the economy each year through 2035 when new positions and openings created by workers leaving occupations are considered. From customer service and sales to manufacturing, skilled trades, logistics, management and healthcare, the opportunities span a surprisingly wide range of skills, education levels and experience.
So, here’s seven career fields where you can expect to find opportunities through 2035.
1. Customer Service and People-Facing Roles
Customer service skills continue to open doors across a wide range of industries. BLS projects approximately 289,500 openings for customer service representatives each year through 2035, with employers continually needing people who can communicate clearly, solve problems and help customers.
Those skills can also take a job seeker well beyond positions with “customer service” in the title. Communication, relationship management, problem-solving and the ability to work effectively with people are valuable in healthcare, financial services, sales, hospitality, transportation and many other industries.
“Customer service experience can be much more transferable than people realize. If you know how to listen, solve problems and communicate with people, those skills can be valuable to employers in almost any industry,” says Jeff Naugle, Co-Founder of Catalyst Career Group.
If you’ve spent years working directly with customers, consider looking beyond your current job title. The better question may be, “What other employers need the people skills I’ve already developed?”
2. Sales
If you know how to build relationships, understand what customers need and connect them with the right solution, your experience can travel surprisingly well from one industry to another. BLS projects approximately 1.7 million openings in sales occupations each year through 2035.
Sales professionals are needed across healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, insurance, professional services and many other industries. That creates possibilities for experienced salespeople who may be ready for a new employer or even an entirely different industry.
“One of the advantages of having a strong sales background is that you’re not necessarily tied to one industry. The product or service may change, but knowing how to build relationships and understand what a customer needs is valuable in a lot of different businesses,” says Jeff Straub, Co-Founder of Catalyst Career Group.
Instead of limiting your search to the products or services you’ve sold before, consider the underlying abilities you’ve developed. Relationship building, prospecting, presenting, negotiating and generating revenue can all be highly transferable skills.
3. Manufacturing and Production
Manufacturing continues to provide a significant number of opportunities for American workers. BLS projects approximately 867,700 openings in production occupations each year over the coming decade as employers hire workers to fill available positions.
Manufacturing careers also extend well beyond the production line. Modern manufacturers need employees working in production, quality, maintenance, operations, logistics, engineering, supervision and management. Experience gained in one part of a manufacturing organization may create pathways into several others.
“When we work with manufacturing employers, they’re often looking for people across several parts of the organization. Job seekers shouldn’t assume that manufacturing means one particular type of job,” says Naugle.
Job seekers with manufacturing backgrounds should therefore consider the entire operation when looking for their next position. Your knowledge of processes, equipment, safety, quality or production environments may be valuable in more roles than your current job title suggests.
4. Skilled Trades, Maintenance and Repair
For people who prefer hands-on work, the projections offer plenty to consider. Installation, maintenance and repair occupations are projected to grow 5.4% through 2035, while construction and extraction occupations are projected to grow 5.1%, both faster than the 3.5% projected growth rate for employment overall.
Buildings, equipment, infrastructure and increasingly sophisticated machinery all need people who know how to install, maintain, troubleshoot and repair them. These careers can also provide pathways that don’t necessarily require a traditional four-year college degree. Depending on the occupation, vocational training, certifications or apprenticeships may provide another route into the field.
These skills can be especially valuable in industries such as manufacturing, where employers need people capable of keeping increasingly complex equipment and operations running.
5. Transportation, Warehousing and Logistics
Nearly everything consumers and businesses buy has to get from somewhere to somewhere, creating an enormous network of jobs behind the scenes. Transportation and material-moving occupations are projected to grow 4.3% through 2035, adding approximately 601,000 jobs. BLS also projects approximately 1.6 million openings each year across these occupations.
The field extends far beyond truck driving. Warehousing, distribution, inventory, delivery, transportation coordination, fulfillment, operations and management all play a role in moving products through the supply chain.
“Sometimes candidates get very focused on searching for the exact job title they’ve held before. Staying open to adjacent roles or industries can introduce you to opportunities you might never have found through a narrow search,” says Straub.
This can create crossover opportunities for people coming from manufacturing, customer service, operations and management. Rather than searching only for the same job title you’ve held before, consider whether your experience could translate into another part of the supply chain.
6. Management and Business Operations
Experienced professionals may already possess many of the skills employers will need over the coming decade. Management occupations are projected to grow 6.2%, adding approximately 844,000 jobs through 2035. Business and financial operations occupations are projected to grow 5.5%, adding approximately another 629,000 jobs.
These categories encompass experience in operations, project management, finance, human resources, administration, consulting and leadership. Better yet, those skills aren’t tied to one particular industry. Manufacturers need managers. Logistics companies need managers. Healthcare organizations need managers. Service businesses need managers.
For an experienced professional, the next opportunity may therefore come from taking the skills you’ve already developed into a different industry rather than beginning an entirely new career.
7. Healthcare
Healthcare stands out as one of the strongest areas of projected employment growth through 2035. Healthcare support occupations are projected to grow 13.3%, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations are projected to grow 8%. Together, the two groups are expected to account for nearly one-third of all new jobs created over the decade.
But don’t see the word “healthcare” and assume your only options are becoming a doctor or nurse. Hospitals, medical practices, rehabilitation facilities and other healthcare organizations also need people working in administration, patient services, billing, operations, customer service, sales, management and other support functions.
“A growing industry needs more than the roles people immediately associate with it. It also needs people in sales, customer service, operations, administration and management, which can create opportunities for candidates coming from completely different industries,” says Naugle.
That makes healthcare worth exploring even for people who have spent their careers elsewhere. Someone with customer service, sales, operations, administrative or management experience may already possess skills that a healthcare employer needs.
Ready to See Who’s Hiring?
Career projections can help you decide where to look. Connecting directly with employers can help you discover what’s available right now. Catalyst Career Group hosts virtual and in-person job fairs nationwide, connecting job seekers with recruiters across multiple professions and industries. Candidates can learn about available positions, meet employers and explore opportunities that may not have been part of their original job search. Catalyst has helped organizations connect with talent through job fairs and other recruiting services since 2008.
“A job fair gives you the chance to have conversations you might never have through an online application. You may walk in thinking you’re interested in one type of position and leave having discovered an employer or career path you hadn’t considered before,” says Naugle.
Explore Catalyst Career Group’s Employer Recruiting Options
Contact Catalyst Career Group at (815) 308-5426 or use the form at https://catalystcareergroup.com/contact/.