The employment prospects for economists are excellent according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Economic analysts are employed in a wide variety of businesses and private institutions. Economists in private sector jobs are involved in such activities as analyzing the impact of national and international economic activity on a business, forecasting cost and demand environment, advising on financial and capital investments, employment and collective bargaining policy, and analyzing the market for new products. The internationalization of business activities has and will continue to create a vigorous demand for economists with international expertise. Also, financial institutions and health service institutions traditionally have a strong need for economic analysts.

Government at all levels employs about a fourth of all economists. In public sector jobs, economists are concerned with economic development planning, monetary and fiscal policy, employment and labor force policy, tax and public spending policy at all levels of government, and urban and regional planning. In addition to familiar Federal agencies such as the Federal Reserve Board and Department of Agriculture, other public policy agencies hire economists in a myriad of other areas such as urban and regional planning, health administration, state and local government fiscal analysis, economic development planning, and environmental impact analysis.

Finally, demand for economists by educational institutions is projected to remain strong. Economics is also an excellent background for the study of law.

Please note that this page does not list employment opportunities. When available, these are disseminated via email or posted in the Economics page on UNO’s Black Board.