Predicting the future has always been a tricky thing to do. In a world that can evolve so quickly, industries can see sudden changes in fortune. So some economists’ views of which sectors will boom and which will bust may often be quite wide of the mark.

For a number of these experts, this leads them to be quite conservative in outlook. But, despite the gloomy predictions that are sometimes made, there certainly seem to be a number of industries that are set to thrive in the near future.

As we’ll see, these tend to be the sectors that are catering for the changing habits and needs of society, as far as they can be predicted. And, for anyone weighing up their options about which sector to go into as a career, they could do worse than considering any of these.

Healthcare

The healthcare sector has always offered a wide range of opportunities in the past and this is set to continue and expand. It’s estimated that by 2029 there will be a 22.6% increase in the number of opportunities available.

The nature of the jobs is also set to be more wide-ranging than ever before with the need for more nurse practitioners to carry out many procedures, statisticians to help with planning of healthcare provision and mental health workers to operate in an area whose importance is finally gaining the recognition it needs and deserves.

The aging population of the US will also create more pressures on the healthcare system, along with more opportunities for employment.

Renewable Energy

No-one can have missed picking up the message that the world urgently needs to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels if a climate catastrophe is to be avoided. Already, this has led to the exponential growth of the renewable energy sector, a trend that is sure to continue.

This broad area will impact on a huge number of industries from producers of wind turbines and solar panels to car manufacturers struggling to keep up with the global demand for electric vehicles.

Some estimates believe that this will lead to 30 million people globally being employed in the sector as a whole by 2030.

Law

The legal industry has always been an attractive option for anyone looking for a highly-paid, if not always highly-respected, profession. It seems that opportunities are set to continue with an increase of over 5% of the jobs available by 2029.

As with healthcare, the trend is for a wider range of openings to arise with a particular emphasis on paralegals employed to complete less complex tasks. Another area of growth is likely to be in the area of intellectual property rights which is being made ever more complicated in the digital world, particularly with the rise of online assets like non-fungible tokens and possible issues concerning authenticity and ownership.

Casinos and online gambling

There was a time when gambling in the US was largely confined to Las Vegas, Atlantic City and the many Native American casinos across the country. But since the Supreme Court’s historic 2018 decision to legalize sports betting a more general acceptance of the activity has emerged.

As well as betting on their favorite sports, many more people are playing online casino games, a trend that is set to continue. As more States legalize the activity, job opportunities are set to increase. So the current figure of around 750,000 people who are employed in the sector is also expected rise.

Hospitality

In an age when many of the more fortunate in society have had little trouble in satisfying all of their material needs, there’s been a switch to looking for experiences instead. This is going to be very good news for the hospitality industry in general, particularly hotels.

Overall, the sector may be looking at an increase in the number of employees of more than 50% in the next few years to cope with the demand. Other businesses including restaurants, bars and even theme parks may well see a similar level of growth.

Personal Care and Service

Another phenomenon that has been emerging over recent times has been the cash-rich but time-poor individual. This is giving rise to all kinds of support industries ranging from dog-walking services to agents who will find new homes for their clients and manage every stage of the purchase.

It’s anticipated that this personal service sector will increase by over 7% by 2029 as more and more people realise that it’s more cost-effective, and less stressful, to delegate many of life’s tasks to other people.

Construction

Last, but not least, there’s the construction industry. The current low mortgage rates as well as a general desire for larger homes means that the residential construction sector is thriving and should continue to do so. The projected rise in the size of the industry of 3.1% in 2022 will be limited by supply hold-ups and a lack of skilled labor.

But efforts to address these issues will mean that future growth should be even higher. Also instrumental in driving the growth in the sector will be President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure program which will touch on many areas.

Naturally, these are all best-case predictions. But the evidence certainly seems to exist that the majority of them will come to pass, positively affecting the lives of many millions of American citizens and their families.