After Everything: Projections of Jobs, Education, and Training Requirements through 2031. National Report

Over the past century, the United States workforce has undergone a massive structural shift. Technological change has moved the economy toward skilled labor and away from unskilled labor--a phenomenon known as skill-biased technical change. This structural shift has increased the relative demand for educated and skilled labor, leading to commensurate increases in the relative wages of skilled workers, and changes in the nature of work itself. The authors project that the United States will have 171 million jobs in 2031, compared to 155 million in 2021. This total is even more impressive when compared to the low of 138 million jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report shows: (1) A breakdown of job projections by 13 major industries; and (2) A breakdown of job projections by nine major occupational clusters and 22 total occupational groups. All of the industry and occupational sections include projections for jobs through 2031 by needed level of educational attainment. This report also accounts for the increasing role of technology in American society, particularly in the world of work. The authors find that the nature of work has changed dramatically to incorporate technology not only as a complement to human labor but also as a substitute for tasks within jobs and sometimes even workers. This report includes a national overview of job projections and their educational requirements across industries, occupational clusters, and detailed occupational groups.