Even though the demand for paper products is increasing, employment at pulp, paper, and paperboard mills is expected to decline by nearly 19 percent annually through 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Perhaps the most important reason for the decreasing number of jobs is the trend toward computerization. As the industry has increasingly used technology to run the pulp and papermaking process, the need for workers has decreased.
Fortunately, however, this factor has been offset somewhat by an increase in the amount of paper products the United States is exporting to foreign markets. Because of the growing foreign market, as well as more relaxed international trade regulations, U.S. paper exports have grown substantially in the last decade.
Employment prospects in this industry are better for college-educated individuals with scientific or technical backgrounds. Most of the jobs lost in the mechanization of the industry have been those that require semiskilled or skilled laborers. Opportunities in marketing may also be good, due to the expansion of the international paper market and the push for new product development. Finally, the growing demand for recycled paper products is creating job opportunities in recycling collection and recycled paper distribution.
- 3-D Printing Specialists
- Advanced Manufacturing Engineers
- Advanced Manufacturing Technicians
- Apparel Industry Workers
- Arborists
- Automation Engineers
- Automotive Industry Workers
- Bindery Workers
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Biotechnology Production Workers
- Boilermakers and Mechanics
- Business Managers
- Ceramics Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Computer-Aided Design Drafters and Technicians
- Continuous Improvement Managers
- Coremakers
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Cost Estimators
- Drafters
- Drone Manufacturing Workers
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Electroplating Workers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Engineers
- Ethical Sourcing Officer
- Forest Fire Prevention Specialists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Forge Shop Workers
- Furniture Designers
- Furniture Manufacturing Workers
- Futurists
- Glass Manufacturing Workers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Grounds Managers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Heat Treaters
- Industrial Chemicals Workers
- Industrial Designers
- Industrial Ecologists
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Industrial Machinery Mechanics
- Industrial Radiographers
- Industrial Safety and Health Technicians
- Industrial Traffic Managers
- Instrumentation Technicians
- Internet of Things Developers
- Job and Die Setters
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landscapers
- Laser Technicians
- Layout Workers
- Leather Tanning and Finishing Workers
- Logging Industry Workers
- Logistics Analysts
- Logistics Engineers
- Manufacturing Engineering Technologists
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Manufacturing Production Technicians
- Manufacturing Supervisors
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineering Technicians
- Mechanical Engineers
- Metallurgical Engineers
- Metallurgical Technicians
- Microelectronics Technicians
- Millwrights
- Molders
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Numerical Control Tool Programmers
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Optical Engineers
- Optics Technicians
- Packaging Engineers
- Packaging Machinery Technicians
- Pharmaceutical Industry Workers
- Plastics Products Manufacturing Workers
- Precision Machinists
- Precision Metalworkers
- Prepress Workers
- Product Designers
- Product Development Directors
- Product Management Directors
- Product Managers
- Quality Control Engineers
- Quality Control Technicians
- Radio Frequency Engineers
- Remote Health Care Engineers
- Rewilders
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Integrators
- Robotics Technicians
- Rubber Goods Production Workers
- Sales Managers
- Sales Representatives
- Semiconductor Technicians
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Silverware Artisans and Workers
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Sporting Goods Production Workers
- Steel Industry Workers
- Supply Chain Managers
- Textile Manufacturing Workers
- Tobacco Products Industry Workers
- Toy Industry Workers
- Traffic Managers
- Welders and Welding Technicians
- Wildland Firefighters
- Wood Science and Technology Workers