Future Employment Trends

Employment in the Piedmont Triad is projected to increase from 915,000 in 2010 to 1.1 million people in 2030. The majority of this employment growth will continue to be in Forsyth and Guilford Counties according to projections. Overall, job numbers in Forsyth County are projected to increase from 229,000 to 295,000 between 2010 and 2030, with service-sector jobs increasing and manufacturing jobs decreasing.

Locally, the transition from a goods-producing employment base to a knowledge-intensive, service-oriented economy continues to be challenging. Many of the traditional jobs that paid a family-sustaining wage in the Triad including textiles, cigarette and furniture manufacturing no longer exist or have left the Piedmont Triad region.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics projections for the year 2018, employment in the United States is expected to increase in the service or knowledge-based sectors, especially in professional and business services, health care, entertainment, recreation and social assistance while jobs in the industrial and goods-producing sector are projected to remain static.