Looking for a job? These 10 careers are expected to thrive in the next decade

Trying to guess which jobs will survive the next decade is tough. The good news? New government data is giving insights into the careers that are actually going to thrive.

By the numbers:

The U.S. economy is projected to add 5.9 million jobs, expanding total employment from 170.3 million to 176.2 million (+3.5% overall growth), according to the latest 2025–2035 Employment Projections report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While overall job growth is pacing more moderately than in the previous decade, structural shifts driven by AI infrastructure, clean energy expansion, and an aging population are rapidly reshaping the top career paths.

Top 10 fastest-growing occupations

What we know:

These are the 10 occupations projected to experience the highest percentage employment growth between 2025 and 2035:

1. Nurse practitioners: Projected to grow by 41%, resulting in an addition of 137,800 jobs.
2. Solar photovoltaic installers: Projected to grow by 36.5%, resulting in an addition of 11,300 jobs.
3. Data scientists: Projected to grow by 34.6%, resulting in an addition of 95,400 jobs.
4. Wind turbine service technicians: Projected to grow by 29.5%, resulting in an addition of 3,500 jobs.
5. Medical and health services managers: Projected to grow by 24.2%, resulting in an addition of 155,100 jobs.
6. Physical therapist assistants: Projected to grow by 23%, resulting in an addition of 26,200 jobs.
7. Psychiatric technicians: Projected to grow by 22.3%, resulting in an addition of 36,000 jobs.
8. Computer and information research scientists: Projected to grow by 21.8%, resulting in an addition of 8,400 jobs.
9. Occupational therapy assistants: Projected to grow by 21.5%, resulting in an addition of 11,200 jobs.
10. Ophthalmic medical technicians: Projected to grow by 21.4%, resulting in an addition of 15,500 jobs.

Job market trends

Dig deeper:

So, what is actually pushing these specific careers to the top of the list? It comes down to three major trends.

1. Healthcare & senior services

Six of the top ten fastest-growing occupations belong to healthcare and social support services. As the U.S. population continues to age, the demand to diagnose, treat, and manage chronic conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, and behavioral health issues) is escalating.

• Nurse practitioners top the entire list with a massive +41% projected increase.
• Specialized care support roles, such as physical therapist assistants (+23.0%), psychiatric technicians (+22.3%), and occupational therapy assistants (+21.5%)—are expanding rapidly.

2. Clean energy & high electricity demand

The shift toward renewable energy combined with massive new electricity demands, partly fueled by AI data centers, is creating strong demand for clean energy technicians.

• Solar photovoltaic installers (+36.5%) and wind turbine service technicians (+29.5%) rank as the No. 2 and No. 4 fastest-growing jobs nationwide.

While these two roles are growing at high percentage rates, their workforce sizes remain relatively small, together adding under 15,000 new workers by 2035.

3. Artificial intelligence & data boom

While AI is disrupting routine tasks, it is simultaneously creating a demand for technical specialists who build, scale, and analyze data infrastructure.

• Data scientists (+34.6%) are projected to add 95,400 jobs as companies leverage AI systems to optimize business operations.
• Computer and information research scientists (+21.8%) will lead fundamental advancements in technology, machine learning, and algorithmic research.

Shrinking jobs

The other side:

The report's projections highlight that AI and automated software will also reduce employment in several major occupational categories:

• Office and administrative support occupations are projected to experience the largest decline, shrinking by -4.0% and shedding 752,100 jobs due to generative AI and workflow automation.
• Sales and related roles (-1.4%) and production roles (-0.4%) will contract as e-commerce integration and advanced automated manufacturing reduce human labor requirements.
• Federal government employment (-3.4%) and retail trade (-0.2%) are also expected to see net job losses over the projected decade.