The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released a report projecting how the U.S. workforce will grow from 2025 to 2035 and which professions will see the largest increases in employment as the economy evolves. The BLS publishes such employment projections on a regular basis, and they are widely used by policymakers, educators, and career planners to anticipate where labor demand is heading.

The BLS employment projections estimate that the U.S. economy will add a total of 5.9 million jobs between 2025 and 2035, lifting total employment from 170.3 million to 176.2 million over that period. That equates to a 3.5% growth rate, slower than the 10.9% growth recorded from 2015 to 2025, a deceleration the BLS has linked in part to slower expected growth of the labor force itself.

The report also identifies the 10 occupations projected to grow the fastest from 2025 to 2035. The list is dominated by roles in the healthcare industry, along with several positions in the energy sector.

"Because the likelihood of experiencing health complications increases with age, the aging population is expected to boost demand for a wide variety of healthcare and social services, including home health and personal care services," the BLS wrote.

Nurse practitioners top the list, with employment in the profession expected to grow 41% over the 2025–2035 period. That growth rate represents an estimated gain of about 137,800 nurse practitioner jobs.

The second-fastest growing occupation in the report is solar photovoltaic panel installer, a role expected to grow 36.5%, or about 11,300 jobs added through 2035. The BLS noted that demand for electricity "is expected to grow significantly" over that period, boosting demand for roles like solar panel installers as well as another role ranked further down the list.

Data scientists rank third, with employment projected to grow 34.6%, or 95,400 jobs, while wind turbine technicians are projected as the fourth-fastest growing role, with a growth rate of 29.5%, or 3,500 jobs, in the 2025–2035 period.

Medical and health services manager roles are projected to grow 24.2%, representing the largest nominal employment gain on the list at 155,100 jobs added during that time.

Physical therapist assistants are the sixth-fastest growing role in the BLS report, with projected growth of 23%, or 26,200 jobs, through 2035.

Continuing the trend of healthcare roles dominating the top 10, psychiatric technicians rank seventh, with a 22.3% growth rate and 36,000 jobs expected to be added over the next decade.

The three roles rounding out the list of the 10 fastest-growing occupations from 2025 to 2035 are:

• Computer and information research scientists: growth of 21.8%, or 8,400 jobs
• Occupational therapy assistants: growth of 21.5%, or 11,200 jobs
• Ophthalmic medical technicians: growth of 21.4%, or 15,500 jobs

The BLS notes that these projections reflect expected long-term structural trends rather than short-term fluctuations, and the agency updates its projections as economic conditions and demographic data evolve.