Computer Network Administrators

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) projects that employment of network and computer systems administrators will decline by 3 percent from 2023 to 2033. The DOL says that network and computer systems administrators "will continue to be needed throughout the economy to maintain and upgrade computer networks. However, some of their tasks are increasingly being done by software developers focused on DevOps (development operations), and some tasks are being outsourced to companies who provide Networks-as-a-Service. Additionally, systems administrators are increasingly automating routine tasks."

Despite the overall expected employment decline, the field is large and many positions will become available as administrators retire or leave the field for other reasons. Demand will be strong for network administrators in the following sectors:

• computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services: +19.5 percent
• software publishers: +7.8 percent
• computer systems design and related services: +6.0 percent
• securities, commodity contracts, fund, trusts, and other financial investments and vehicles and related activities: +5.9 percent
• web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services: +5.4 percent

Cybersecurity is another growth area for administrators. Companies are seeking administrators to assist in protecting computer systems from hacking and other computer attacks.

Job opportunities should be best for those with a bachelor's degree, certification, and up-to-date training.