Employment Projections

Employment projections can be used to identify long-term trends in employment and provide an idea of what the future workforce may look like. This information can be helpful for employers, job seekers, and policymakers. Use the interactive data dashboards below to explore short and long term employment projections for occupations and industries.  

As of March 2026, short‑term employment projections are available at the county level. Beginning in summer 2026, long‑term employment projections will also be provided by county rather than by Workforce Development Area (WDA). In addition to regional data, all projections will continue to be available at the statewide level. 

For caveats and more information on how employment projections are produced, see Definitions and Methodology.  

Dashboard Navigation

• Timing: Use the Projections drop-down menu to select short-term projections (2-year outlook) or long-term projections (10-year outlook).  
• Occupational Group: Use the Occupation drop down menu to select a major occupational group or select “All Occupations.” When any level of occupational grouping is selected in the dashboard, through the drop-down or by clicking, its sub-groups are included at the bottom of the dashboard. Users can search for specific occupations by clicking the “search” tab at the top of the dashboard. A full list of SOC groups and occupations can be found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. For more information on occupations, see Definitions and Methodology.
• Geography: The dashboard defaults to statewide data for Massachusetts. Use the Region drop‑down menu to view data for a specific region. As of March 2026, short‑term employment projections are available at the county level. Beginning in summer 2026, long‑term employment projections will also be provided by county rather than by Workforce Development Area (WDA). In addition to regional data, all projections will continue to be available at the statewide level.

How to use the Occupational Employment Projections Explorer

The occupational employment projections explorer dashboard can be used to examine projected change of various occupational groups and sub-groups.

• Select an occupation or occupational group to view base and projected employment, net change (# and %), and median annual wages. View and sort sub-groups of the selected occupation or occupational group using the bottom half of the dashboard.
• Use the scatter plot on the left of the dashboard to compare projected change and typical wages across occupations for a specific geography, or across geographies for a specific occupation or occupational group.
• Use the map on the right of the dashboard to compare projected change between geographies.
• Hovering your cursor over dashboard elements will reveal additional information.
• Click the concepts tab (or see Definitions and Methodology) for definitions and links to download data. 

Dashboard Navigation

• Timing: Use the Projections drop down menu to select short-term projections (2-year outlook) or long-term projections (10-year outlook). 
• Industry: Use the “type” and “sector” drop down menu to filter and/or select an industry sector. You can also select a sector or sub-sector by clicking it.  Use the sliding level bar to adjust the level of aggregation displayed in the bottom half of the dashboard.  A full list of economic sectors and sub-sectors can be found on the US Census Bureau’s website. For more information on industries, see Definitions and Methodology.
• Geography: The dashboard defaults to state-wide data for Massachusetts. Use the Region drop down menu to view data for a specific region. As of March 2026, short‑term employment projections are available by county. Long-term employment projections data will be provided by county instead of Workforce Development Area (WDA) starting in summer of 2026. In addition to regional data, all projections will remain available at the statewide level.

How to use the Industry Employment Projections Explorer

The Industry Employment Projections Explorer Dashboard can be used to examine projected change in employment of various industries.

• Select an industry sector or sub-sector using the drop down or by clicking to view base and projected employment and net change (# and %).
• Use the map on the right of the dashboard to compare projected change of the selected industry sector or sub-sector between geographies. 
• Hovering your cursor over dashboard elements will reveal additional information.
• Click the concepts tab (or see Definitions and Methodology) for definitions and links to download data. 

Definitions

• Base Employment: How many jobs existed in that occupational group during the year that projections are calculated from.
• Projected Employment: How many jobs are projected to exist in that occupational group during the year that projections are modeled for.
• Net Change: The projected change in employment between the base year and projection year.
• Percent Change: The projected change in employment between the base year and projection year expressed as a portion of the base year employment. The reported annual growth rate reflects a linear trend assumed between the base year and the projection horizon. While year-to-year growth may fluctuate, the average growth rate over the full period is expected to align with this rate, all else being equal.
• Median Annual Wage: The middle value for annual wages in an occupational group, adjusted for full-time equivalency.

Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System

The above dashboard organizes groups and sub-groups of occupations according to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The 2018 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system is a federal statistical standard used by federal agencies to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. All workers are classified into one of 867 detailed occupations according to their occupational definition." 

Major groups are broken down into minor groups, which are further divided into broad occupations and, at the most detailed level, detailed occupations. The dashboard above includes data at the major and minor group levels. Due to the suppression of certain values, the sum of employment across minor groups may not equal the total for the corresponding major group.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)

Industry employment projections use the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). According to the US Census Bureau, “The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy." A firm may have multiple establishments with multiple NAICS codes - for example, a firm that has a warehouse and a retail location.

Economic sectors are broken down into subsectors, which are further divided into industry groups and NAICS industries. The Industry Employment Projections Explorer provides data at the subsector level. Due to the suppression of certain values, the sum of employment across subsectors may not equal the total for the corresponding sector.

Economic sectors are sometimes grouped together into two categories: Goods-Producing Industries and Service-Providing Industries. You can select between these two categories using the drop-down at the top of the Industry Employment Projections Explorer dashboard. 

Employment Projection Methodology

Timing & Geographies

Short-term employment projections cover a 2-year look ahead window and are available by county as of March 2026. 

Long-term employment projections cover a 10-year look ahead and will be provided by county instead of Workforce Development Area (WDA) starting in summer of 2026.  

In addition to regional data, all projections will remain available at the statewide level. 

Projection Process

The employment projections process consists of two major stages: industry projections and occupational projections. Industry projections are developed using internal modeling techniques and then combined with occupational data inputs in standardized software distributed by the Projections Management Partnership (PMP), which automates most of the occupational projections process. This process produces estimates for occupational base‑year and projected‑year employment levels. In addition, it generates separations data, including the base and projected occupational job openings, transfers, and exits.  

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Data (OEWS) and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wage (QCEW) Data are key inputs in the occupational and industry employment projections process. These data collection programs include only workers who are covered by unemployment insurance. Workers on unpaid leave, owners or partners of unincorporated businesses (such as LLCs), students in work‑study programs, and similar categories are not included.  

Limitations & Caveats

These projections do not automatically incorporate major economic events that occur after the model’s sample period (such as changes in Federal Reserve interest rates, stock market, etc.). In some instances, manual adjustments (based on verified employment changes) are applied. 

Long-term projections are subject to greater uncertainty than short-term projections due to a smaller sample size and a longer forecast horizon. This limitation is mitigated through an annual re-forecasting process. Users are advised to revisit projection data annually to ensure alignment with the most current information.

The below projections data sets are available to download from DER for select geographies.