The clean energy transition is expected to drive fast growth in the solar electric power generation, geothermal electric power generation, and wind electric power generation industries, which are each projected to grow by around 60% or more by 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Demand for renewable energy will also translate to strong demand for the occupations tied to their operation, primarily wind turbine service technicians (+44.9%) and solar photovoltaic installers (+23%). Both are predicted to be among the 15th fastest growing U.S. occupations over the next nine years.
Solar electric power generation (+60.7%), geothermal electric power generation (+60.5%) and wind electric power generation (+60.4%) are projected to be the three fastest growing industries in the economy. The fast growth rates for these industries are partially due to their small size right now. Combined, they are expected to add about 12,200 new jobs over the decade.
In terms of sheer number of jobs, the healthcare support occupational group will add the most positions by 2032, according to the article, Industry and Occupational Employment Projections Overview and Highlights 2023-32 published in the BLS’ Monthly Labor Review. The aging U.S. population and growing prevalence of chronic conditions were identified as the main drivers of this projected job growth.
In fact, the healthcare and social assistance sector is projected to account for 2.1 million out of the 4.7 million total (or 45%) of all new jobs created by 2032. Together with the healthcare practitioners and related technical occupations, these two healthcare groups are expected to account for two of every five new jobs created by 2032.
The projected percent change in nurse practitioners (+44.5%) was identified as the second fastest among all occupations, just behind wind turbine technicians (+44.9%).
The professional, scientific, and technical services sector will account for another 21% of all new jobs. The employment growth of this sector will be largely driven by the growing demand for information technology (IT) products and services, the BLS said.
The growth of the digital economy is expected to support solid job growth across the information and transportation and warehousing sectors, both of which rank among the top five fastest growing sectors. The transportation and warehousing sector alone is expected to add 570,000 jobs (+8.6%) by 2032. At the same time, the continued growth of e-commerce is expected to constrain retail trade employment, which is the sector projected to lose the most jobs (3.4%) over the 2022–32 decade.
Employment in the manufacturing sector is likewise expected to decline slightly (-0.9%) because of the continued adoption of automation technologies. However, some industries, such as those engaged in battery and semiconductor production (+8.0%), are expected to add jobs between 2022 and 2032.
Overall, the total economy is projected to add about 4.7 million jobs over the next decade, with employment reaching a level of 169.1 million in 2032.
