The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) reports that employment for historians is expected to grow about faster than the average (6 percent) for all occupations from 2023 through 2033. Historians who are employed by policy and research, historical consulting, and historic preservation firms, as well as at historical societies, will have the best employment opportunities in the next decade (as long as public funding remains strong). Job opportunities at federal agencies (which employ 23 percent of all historians) are expected to grow by only 0.1 percent through 2028. State agencies are also another major employer of historians (employing 23 percent of workers in the field). Job opportunities at state agencies are expected to only grow by 2.7 percent through 2033. The OOH predicts that "those with practical skills or hands-on work experience in a specialized field such as collections, fund-raising, or exhibit design" and those with a master’s degree or Ph.D. will have more favorable prospects.
Competition for college faculty positions is so keen that many historians with doctorates have to accept part-time positions or find work in other occupations. Historians holding only master's degrees will also face much competition. Employment for history professors is expected to grow by 1 percent (more slowly than the average for all careers) through 2033, according to the OOH.
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