Utility, healthcare and tech sectors set to dominate U.S. job growth through 2035

A recent BLS report forecasts that U.S. employment will climb to 176.2 million by 2035, an overall increase of 3.5% or 5.9 million jobs over the decade. Utility companies are slated to experience the fastest growth at 9.8%, as AI-driven data centers boost demand for power generation, transmission and distribution. Within utilities, solar and wind generation are projected to rise sharply, by 153% and 62% respectively, adding about 58,800 jobs.

The healthcare and social assistance sector will add the most jobs overall—approximately 2.2 million—accounting for 37% of new hires, fueled by an aging population and chronic disease prevalence. Nurse practitioners are expected to grow 41%, and medical and health services managers 24%. The professional, scientific and technical services sector will grow 8.6%, contributing around 926,700 positions, with data scientists and computer research scientists seeing increases of 34.6% and 21.8% respectively. Meanwhile, office and administrative support roles are projected to decline by 4%, reflecting AI-driven productivity gains.