—NUTSHELL:
For over 50 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has developed projections of occupational employment, industry employment, and the labor force. The Bureau’s projections contain considerable detail about the structure of the economy, the demographic makeup of the labor force, and changes in employment in more than 500 occupations and 260 industries.

—SNIPPET:
The charts in this issue of the Quarterly are presented in five sections. An introductory section includes charts showing total employment. Each of the remaining sections focuses on one of four primary components of the projections: Occupational employment, industry employment, economic growth, or labor force.

The Bureau’s employment projections are developed in a series of steps. First, the Bureau generates a view of the economy, incorporating projections of the labor force and assumptions about the level of unemployment, exports and imports, consumer spending, and other economic variables. Next, a model is used to project the overall demand for goods and services—the gross domestic product (GDP). Finally, the GDP is translated into industry and occupational employment projections, using models that incorporate assumptions about changes in technology and in employers’ staffing patterns and business practices.

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