The Bureau of Labor Statistics published its updated 10-year employment projections and revised Occupational Outlook Handbook, providing the federal government’s definitive forecast of which jobs will grow and decline through 2035, on Aug. 27.
The projections are the primary source used by colleges, workforce training programs and policymakers to direct education investments and career counseling for millions of Americans. The update is the first major revision since artificial intelligence emerged as a transformative force in the labor market.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook, which profiles hundreds of occupations with data on pay, education requirements, job outlook and working conditions, is one of the most widely consulted career planning resources in the country. Students, guidance counselors and workforce development agencies use it to make decisions that shape careers and training investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
The AI dimension makes this cycle’s projections particularly consequential. Previous editions of the handbook did not account for the rapid deployment of generative AI tools that are now reshaping white-collar occupations in legal services, software development, customer service, content creation and financial analysis.
For workers in occupations projected to decline, the data provides early warning to seek retraining or transition to growing fields. For students choosing college majors and career paths, the projections offer a data-driven guide to where job opportunities are expected to be strongest over the next decade.
The projections will also influence immigration policy debates by identifying which skills the U.S. labor market is expected to need. Occupations with projected shortages of domestic workers often drive demand for H-1B visas and other skilled immigration pathways.
BLS employment projections have historically performed reasonably well in identifying broad occupational trends, though they cannot account for unforeseen technological disruptions or economic shocks.
The full projections and updated handbook are available on the BLS website.