The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects total U.S. employment will grow by 18.6 million jobs from 1996-2006. This translates to about 1.3 percent growth per year.
Most job growth is projected to occur in nonfarm, wage and salary jobs.
Agricultural jobs are projected to decline overall. Mining is expected to decline by 131,000 wage and salary jobs in the nation during the 1996-2006 time period because of productivity increases, international competition and global price pressures. More than half of that decline will be in the crude petroleum, natural gas and gas liquids industry, and the oil and gas field services industry. The coal mining industry is projected to decline by 44,000 jobs. The metal mining industry is projected to decline by 14,000 jobs, and the nonmetalic mining industry by 7,000.