New and Emerging Jobs in Oregon: The Latest Trends
March 5, 2025The Oregon Employment Department’s occupational employment projections through the year 2033 include the latest trends in new and emerging jobs in Oregon. Projections provide the expected growth rate and annual openings for more than 700 different occupations from 2023 to 2033. Occupations generally include numerous job titles, from the old and, to new job titles that may not even exist yet in our occupational framework yet. In many cases, new and emerging jobs are reflected within the fastest growing occupations.
This projections cycle accounts for recovery from low employment levels in 2020 due to the COVID-19 recession, which has shifted the occupational pattern some, showing more job opportunity in fields that lost a lot of jobs during the pandemic. While total payroll employment had already recovered from the pandemic recession as of 2023, industries such as leisure and hospitality still have room to recover. Some of the fastest growing occupations in these 2023 to 2033 projections are those that lost a lot of jobs in the pandemic recession in 2020. These jobs don’t fit the description of “new and emerging” but are among the largest occupations in the state. Thus, any occupation that dropped more jobs in 2020 than the 6% average across the economy has been removed from the dataset considered here. Occupations with fewer than 500 jobs in 2023 are also excluded.
Some fast-growing jobs are in health care as the sector adapts to new technology, new ways of providing health care, and an aging population. New and emerging jobs are also creating fast growth in occupations related to data analysis, cybersecurity, and high tech. These trends are consistent with expectations from prior to the pandemic. Investing in health care and STEM education and technical skills is a solid bet in today’s economy – these jobs will continue to be in demand.
The fastest growing occupations in health care are:
- Nurse practitioners: 52% growth; 276 average annual job openings
- Physician assistants: 36% growth; 144 annual openings
- Physical therapist assistants: 33% growth; 149 annual openings
- Medical and health services managers: 32% growth; 783 annual openings
- Veterinarians: 25% growth; 97 annual openings
- Ophthalmic medical technicians: 21% growth; 138 annual openings
- Substance abuse, behavioral disorder, and mental health counselors: 20% growth; 801 annual job openings
Data analysis, cybersecurity, and high tech are also among the fastest growing occupations:
- Data scientists: 34% growth; 271 average annual job openings
- Information security analysts: 33% growth; 151 annual openings
- Software developers: 29% growth; 1,942 annual openings
- Statisticians: 27% growth; 57 annual openings
- Computer and information research scientists: 27% growth; 74 annual openings
- Software quality assurance analysts and testers: 21%; 184 annual openings
Almost all the jobs in the fast-growth health care, data science, cybersecurity, and technology fields require at least some postsecondary training beyond high school, and many require bachelor’s and advanced degrees. But there are several occupations growing very quickly that offer opportunity for those with a high school education. During the pandemic we began to depend more on some of these jobs, and a portion of those structural changes will persist long after the pandemic. The fastest growing of these high-school trained occupations are:
- Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers: 26% growth; 562 annual openings
- Floor layers: 25% growth; 62 annual openings
- Electricians: 20% growth; 1,162 annual openings
- Industrial machinery mechanics: 20% growth; 665 annual openings
- Couriers and messengers: 17% growth; 437 annual openings
- Coaches and scouts: 17% growth; 641 annual openings
Visit the Occupation Profiles for wage information, current job openings, and training requirements for any of these fast-growing jobs, among many others. An overview of projected industry and occupation employment through 2033 is available at www.QualityInfo.org/projections.