Defining the Job Outlook in the 2025 Market

Key Takeaways:

• Job outlook uses real-world data to inform you if a certain career is growing or declining over a period of time.
• Job outlook is important because it ensures there’s job sustainability and provides insight into the future demand of a specific career field.
• The fastest-growing jobs from 2023 to 2033 include wind turbine technicians, solar installers, nurse practitioners, data scientists, information security analysts, medical and health services managers, physician assistants, computer and information research scientists, physical therapist assistants, and operations research analysts.

Have you ever thought about checking the job outlook for your dream career? This is actually an aspect of career planning that many students often overlook. Job outlook statistics will use real data to predict whether the demand for a career is increasing or decreasing. And if you haven’t looked into it, now is the time to start. In this guide, we’ll cover the definition of job outlook, why it’s important, and how to look at the data to help you make choices about your future.

What Does Job Outlook Mean?

The definition of job outlook is simple—it tells you the projected growth or decline of a particular career field over a set period of time. These statistics are usually issued every two years by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook. The BLS typically predicts the projected growth for all jobs over a standard 10-year period.

Why Is It Important?

Why is it important to know your dream job’s projected growth? Because it gives you valuable insight into how easy it will be for you to get employed in that particular occupation.

Let’s say you already know what career you want to pursue. You’ll most likely need to complete at least four years of undergrad study—if not more—to earn your degree. You also know you might graduate with student loan debt. But how do you determine if the time, money, and effort you invest in it is worth it? And will you be able to land that job easily after you graduate?

An easy way to find out is by checking the job outlook for that career. If a career has a high projected growth rate, it means that jobs in this occupation are on the rise. An increase in demand for a certain job could lead to more employment opportunities for you.

The projected growth rate is usually indicated in percentages. Here’s what you need to know about them:

• A projected growth rate of 14% or more indicates that that job is growing faster than average. Thumbs up—this is great news for you!
• Projected growth rates between 9% and 13% also indicate an increase in job opportunities but at a slightly slower rate.
• Projected growth rates between 2% and 8% indicate an even slower growth rate. This means job opportunities are on the rise, although the rate of increase is rather slow.
• Projected growth rates that are any lower than 2% or show a decline are bad news. You may find it difficult to get employed in any job that has a low or negative projected growth rate.

What Factors Affect Job Outlook?

There are certain factors that may impact a job’s outlook—for better or for worse. These may include:

• Economic Conditions: In times when inflation is high or the country is going through a recession, there may be fewer job openings and less demand for non-essential positions. However, when there is more economic growth, the job market tends to see more positive impacts like wage increases, more job opportunities, and job stability.
• Industry Trends: New technology, the way people spend their money, and market demand are all industry trends that can lead to new job roles, transformed job roles, or certain jobs disappearing entirely. For example, industries like healthcare, digital marketing, and the tech sphere continue to grow, which means new jobs are constantly being created. Meanwhile, other industries, like newspaper publishers, may decline because of how people consume media now.
• Skill Shortages: If employers are looking for very specific skills (that not many people have), you may see more jobs become available because of the high demand. This can also often come with a nice paycheck if you meet the qualifications! On the other hand, skill shortages can cause challenges for businesses. It can cause delays in their hiring process, which could lead to decreased productivity and missed business opportunities. Ultimately, it could slow their overall growth.

How Job Outlook Is Measured

To give you an accurate job outlook for each career, the BLS projects future employment trends using a six-step process. These aren’t just guesses, either. This process is what makes the BLS one of the most reliable sources for career planning. Here’s how they do it:

1. Labor Force: The BLS looks at the trends happening in the population’s growth to get an estimate of how many people may be working in the future.
2. Aggregate Economy: Using all the factors that can affect a job’s outlook, the BLS predicts the economic growth that will take place.
3. Final Demand: This step predicts which industries will grow by looking at how people, businesses, and the government spend money.
4. Industry Output: Using an input-output model, the BLS estimates how much each industry needs to produce to meet the demand of its consumers.
5. Industry Employment: The BLS uses government surveys to look at employment data to see how many jobs each industry will need.
6. Occupational Employment: To determine which jobs will grow or decline over the decade, the BLS uses a product called the National Employment Matrix.

Example of Career Projections For Aerospace Engineers

When looking at a specific occupation in the Occupational Outlook Handbook, you’ll find employment projections under the “Job Outlook” tab. For example, here’s what it says for Aerospace Engineers:

• The Growth Rate (%): “Employment of aerospace engineers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033.”
• The Predicted Job Openings: “About 4,200 openings for aerospace engineers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
• Replacement Needs: “Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.”
• Employment Outlook Description: “Aircraft are being redesigned for less noise pollution and better fuel efficiency, which should help drive demand for aerospace engineers. Technological advancements have reduced the cost of launching satellites. Demand for aerospace engineers is expected to increase as space becomes more accessible, especially with developments in small satellites that have greater commercial viability. In addition, continued interest in drones for certain uses, such as forest fire detection, may help to drive employment growth for these engineers.”

 To create each job outlook, the BLS uses reliable sources like:

• The Current Population Survey (CPS) and Current Employment Statistics (CES) for industry and occupational employment projections.
• The U.S. Census Bureau to determine how many people will be working in the future.
• National Income and Product Accounts (NIPAs) and Industry Economic Accounts (IEAs) to estimate how industries will grow.

What’s the Difference Between Job Growth and Job Openings?

While job growth and job openings might sound the same, they actually measure different aspects of a career. Job growth refers solely to newly created positions in an industry because of how much it is expanding. Job openings, on the other hand, include both new jobs and existing positions that need to be filled because of people leaving that specific industry.

Why Job Outlook Matters in Career Planning

Looking at a job’s outlook when you’re thinking about a career can be extremely helpful. While a certain career might seem exciting, you’ll need to consider if it is actually sustainable in the long run. A job’s outlook can help you determine how fast that position is growing and if it will still be in demand in a few years once you graduate.

For example, let’s say you want to become an interior designer. You dream of designing spaces for people, but what if the job opportunities are scarce or the projected salaries don’t meet your expectations? Checking the Occupational Outlook Handbook can give you a realistic perspective.

Interior designers are expected to see 4% job growth, with about 8,800 openings per year (this is good news!). And if you’re torn between careers, you can always compare data across similar occupations so you feel more confident in your decision. This way, you’re not just following your dream, but you’re also being realistic about your future.

What To Do if Your Dream Job Has Low Growth

If your dream industry isn’t projected to grow, don’t get discouraged! There still may be plenty of jobs available. Let’s look at high school teachers for example. Even though employment growth is projected to decline by 1% in the next decade, there are still 64,000 job openings a year because of retirements or career changes.

If your career choice has low growth, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t get a job or be successful. Work on building a network of professionals to help open doors and develop skills that will set you apart. You may even start to consider that your dream job may have better opportunities if you choose to relocate.

Where Things Stand in the Current Job Market

Here is an overview of the 10 fastest-growing occupations from 2023 to 2033 and their number of job opportunities available:

Discovering the Projected Growth Rate of Your Dream Job

Looking at a job’s outlook can give you valuable insight into your future. This shouldn’t be the only factor in your career decision, but it can give you helpful information. Remember, low job growth doesn’t mean no opportunity—and high job growth doesn’t guarantee your success. If you’re truly passionate about a career, go for it. The people who succeed are often the ones who are determined to make it work.

One of the most efficient ways to determine your future job’s projected growth is by using College Raptor’s Career Finder—just type in your dream job (or any job you’re curious about) in the search bar that pops up. This will take you to a page that includes all the information you need to know about your dream job. In addition to projected job growth, you will also find information on median wages, ideal majors, necessary skills, and more.