Market and other Factors for Graduates 2025 through 2030

The job openings forecasts in this report are based on market conditions at the time the forecasts were developed — 2024 and early 2025. Some of the market and other factors that might affect the employment of college graduates between 2025 and 2030 include:

  • Delayed or enhanced openings due to anticipated retirements;
  • Initiatives to reduce the size of the federal government workforce;
  • Expected decline in high school graduates across many regions of the United States, resulting in an overall reduction in the number of students pursuing college degrees;
  • Continued growth and acceptance of non-degree credentials such as certificates, certifications, micro-credentials, apprenticeships and boot camps as qualifying graduates for entry-level roles;
  • Changes in production and availability of food, feed, renewable natural resources and other biomaterials due to shifting weather patterns and events;
  • Global market shifts in population, income, food and energy;
  • Continued changes and evolution of consumer preferences for foods and biomaterials;
  • Personal lifestyle and community demand on outdoor and recreational spaces;
  • Public and trade policy choices affecting food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment;
  • Technological advancements in agriculture and biomaterials, particularly the role of robotics, automation and data science;
  • Adoption of artificial intelligence throughout the food, agriculture, renewable natural resources and the environment industries; and
  • The net effect of all of the above on the broader FARNRE sector and firms within the sector.

Report Series

The report, Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in Food, Agriculture, Renewable Natural  Resources and the Environment, United States, 2025-2030 is the tenth in a series of five-year projections initiated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1980. The original methodological structure for these studies was developed by Kyle Jane Coulter, PhD, and Marge Stanton, PhD, who conducted the first study and authored the 1980 report, Employment Opportunities for College Graduates in the Food and Agricultural Sciences, 1980-1985 — Agriculture, Natural Resources, Veterinary Medicine. The current study modifies the original approach to enhance the quality of the projections but utilizes the original data sources and methods wherever possible.