Employment of buyers and purchasing agents is projected to grow 2 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations.
These workers will continue to be needed to buy goods and services for business operations or for resale to customers. In addition, buyers and purchasing agents often play an important role in controlling costs for an organization.
However, growth may be negatively affected due to more outsourcing of less complex procurement functions like processing purchase orders or making one-time purchases of items. Some organizations also may rely on third parties to handle other tasks, such as performing market research or supplier risk assessments. Organizations may outsource these functions in order to focus on more complex or core procurement tasks and to reduce costs.
In the public sector, employment demand may be negatively impacted by the increasing use of cooperative purchasing agreements. These agreements allow state, local, and municipal governments to share resources in order to buy supplies and make other general purchases. Because the same standard contracts can be used multiple times by multiple government agencies, the rise of purchasing cooperatives may limit the need to hire additional procurement officers.
The projected decline in the manufacturing industry may also limit the demand for buyers and purchasing agents employed within this industry.
Job Prospects
Job prospects for those interested in becoming a buyer or purchasing agent should be good. Candidates with a bachelor's degree, in addition to strong negotiating, communication, and interpersonal skills, are likely to have the best prospects.
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
Percent change in employment, projected 2014-24
Total, all occupations
7%
Business operations specialists
7%
Buyers and purchasing agents
2%
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program