Editorial composite showing hospital equipment, server racks and solar panels in separate photographs; Jonathan Borba and Brett Sayles/Pexels, hpgruesen/CC0.

Five growth markets shaped by aging populations and infrastructure needs

Published: 13:11, October 13, 2026

US employment projections through 2035 point to expanding demand for care, specialist healthcare and computing services. Alongside energy investment and Europe’s building-renovation needs, they identify five markets with reasons to grow beyond the next economic cycle.

These are selected areas of opportunity, not an international ranking of the fastest-growing industries. Most detailed job forecasts come from the United States, and employment growth is not a forecast of profits or investment returns.

What is an advanced economy?

The International Monetary Fund classifies economies using factors including income per person, export diversification and links to the global financial system. There is no single income threshold.

The United States, Japan and the United Kingdom are examples. The classification describes economic development, not how quickly a country is growing. Emerging market and developing economies form the IMF’s other broad group.

1. Care for older people

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest industry table projects 22.3% employment growth in services for older people and people with disabilities between 2025 and 2035, adding about 625,400 jobs.

Home healthcare employment is projected to grow 18.6%. Growing care needs create demand for visiting services, equipment and home adaptations as well as residential facilities.

Staffing can limit expansion. The OECD’s 2025 assessment found an average of five long-term care workers per 100 people aged 65 and over in 31 countries with available data. That ratio stayed broadly unchanged between 2013 and 2023 despite rising demand.

More customers do not automatically cover higher recruitment costs. Public funding, household affordability and working conditions affect how much care providers can deliver.

2. Specialist healthcare and rehabilitation

BLS projects employment growth of 27.6% in non-physician mental health practitioners’ offices and 25.4% in offices of physical, occupational and speech therapists and audiologists through 2035.

Both exceed its 3.5% forecast for total US employment. Outpatient businesses can serve patients outside hospitals, but require qualified staff and payment arrangements that cover treatment costs.

A waiting list indicates demand. Whether that demand becomes revenue depends on insurance, government reimbursement or patients’ ability to pay.

3. Computing infrastructure and software services

Employment among computing infrastructure, data-processing and web-hosting providers is projected to rise 25.1%, adding around 120,400 US jobs by 2035.

The market extends beyond developers of AI models. Businesses need providers that can install, secure and maintain the systems on which their operations depend.

Physical capacity carries its own expense. We recently reported on investment in data-center power equipment, illustrating how computing growth also creates a market for electrical suppliers.

4. Electricity generation and networks

BLS projects 152.9% employment growth in US solar electricity generation through 2035. Its small starting workforce means that amounts to approximately 26,200 additional jobs.

The wider electricity business also needs network equipment, installation and maintenance. The International Energy Agency warns that skilled-worker shortages and an aging workforce constrain energy projects. Orders are of limited benefit when suppliers cannot recruit the people needed to complete them.

5. Building renovation

The European Commission estimates that roughly 75% of EU buildings have poor energy performance, while only around 1% undergo energy renovation annually.

Insulation, windows, heating systems and electrical upgrades offer work for specialist contractors. Financing and the availability of installers influence how quickly owners can proceed.

The opportunity in all five markets depends on serving a specific need at a price customers or public budgets can afford. Demographic and infrastructure pressures can create years of demand while individual businesses still struggle with staffing, borrowing costs and competition.

Christian Nordqvist Avatar

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