Sales

Employment growth in sales tends to be consistent with the growth of the overall economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 1 percent growth for wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives, and little or no change in employment for retail sales workers through 2033.

When the economy is growing, businesses perceive more opportunities to sell their goods and services and therefore hire more sales workers. Because many sales workers' income is at least partially derived from commissions, they also tend to earn more as the economy expands. But the reverse is also true: When the economy experiences a downturn, the jobs and earnings of sales workers tend to suffer. Not all sales jobs are equally sensitive to these ups and downs because some kinds of purchases are necessary at all times.

In addition, different kinds of economic crises can affect sales in different industries. For example, the collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 hurt real estate sales for years. During the early 2020s, the coronavirus pandemic affected sales across most industries. With the closures and re-openings of businesses across the U.S. and around the world, there was a rise in unemployment and a subsequent economic slowdown. Retailing, restaurants, and manufacturing were hit especially hard. As the 2020s progressed, skyrocketing interest rates and inflation presented challenges for businesses in many industries.

Revenues in the U.S. telemarketing and call centers industry increased 2.8 in 2024 and had experienced compound annual growth of 3.1 percent since 2019, according to market researcher IBISWorld. A growing number of businesses were switching call center operations offshore in response to challenging economic conditions. However, IBISWorld forecast growth for the telemarketing sector through 2029 as revenues benefited from more stable economic conditions.

Following difficult conditions earlier in the decade, including a 7.8 percent contraction in 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, conditions improved in the U.S. wholesale trade industry. IBISWorld indicated that revenues had increased at a compound annual rate of 1.5 percent between 2019 and 2024, reaching $11.2 trillion. The researcher expected that the sector would continue to grow through 2029.

In general, the sales jobs most sensitive to the state of the economy are probably those in business-to-business (B2B) sales that involve capital goods: equipment used in manufacturing and in other production processes. When the economy is contracting, manufacturers can't find buyers for their current level of output. They will still purchase supplies, such as raw materials, that they will need to maintain some amount of output, but they will not add to their production capacity by purchasing more capital goods.

In B2B sales of scientific and technical goods and services, sales workers can gain credibility with customers by acquiring expertise in a specific industry, and it is easier to acquire specialized knowledge and skills for a relatively small business field. On the other hand, specialization can limit a sales worker's horizons: The narrower the targeted industry is, the smaller the market is.

Outside sales workers' jobs depend on face-to-face interactions with customers, so these jobs are not likely to be lost to overseas workers. Nor are computers likely to substitute for the personal relationships that human sales workers create. Mail-order catalogues did not eliminate the need for sales workers, and neither will new technology, although electronic marketplaces are growing rapidly. Customers for technical and scientific goods often need creative problem-solving skills that only humans can provide.

For sales representatives of wholesale and manufactured goods, the outlook across employers in all industry is for slower than average employment growth through 2033. For those selling services, the BLS projects faster-than-average growth for insurance sales agents, with employment increasing 6 percent through 2033. Sales agents in securities, commodities and financial services also will experience faster-than-average employment growth (7 percent) during that same timeframe.

The BLS projects 6 percent growth for sales managers through 2033. The jobs tend to be more secure than many other kinds of managerial work. Capable managers will be needed to direct the efforts of brick-and-mortar retailers to improve customer service as competition from online sellers intensifies.