Buyers and Purchasing Agents - Employment & Outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

Employment

Major employers:

Merchant wholesalers
Manufacturing
Retail trade

Outlook

Demand will grow faster than average for this career. Agents will be needed to help businesses get the goods and services they need. They will also be important for managing complex supply chains and making deals and contracts with suppliers. However, companies will likely continue to use automation for easier purchasing tasks. In addition, some organizations are beginning to outsource some tasks such as market research.

Job prospects are best for people with a bachelor's degree in business. This is a very large career and most job openings will result from current workers leaving this career or retiring.

Buyers and Purchasing Agents (CIS 100263)

Location	Employment	&	Growth		>>>>	Annual openings
			This occupation	All occupations
Illinois	17,925 Very large	&	-8.4%	2.7%	>>>>	1,395 High
Champaign Area	324 Large	&	-7.7%	1.9%	>>>>	26 Few
Charleston-Effingham-Centralia Area	348 Large	&	-8.6%	-1.2%	>>>>	27 Few
Cook County	7,072 Very large	&	-8.6%	3.0%	>>>>	549 High
Decatur Area	174 Medium	&	-9.2%	0.1%	>>>>	13 Very few
DeKalb-Elgin-Aurora Area	897 Large	&	-6.5%	4.0%	>>>>	72 Moderate
Du Page County	2,331 Very large	&	-8.4%	3.7%	>>>>	181 Moderate
Edwardsville Area	277 Large	&	-4.3%	4.4%	>>>>	23 Few
Jacksonville-Carlinville-Litchfield Area	107 Medium	&	-10.3%	-2.2%	>>>>	8 Very few
Kankakee-Morris-Pontiac Area	227 Large	&	-10.1%	-0.1%	>>>>	17 Few
Lake County	1,382 Very large	&	-9.0%	2.6%	>>>>	107 Moderate
McHenry County	318 Large	&	-4.7%	6.1%	>>>>	26 Few
Mt Vernon-Marion-Carbondale Area	230 Medium	&	-11.3%	0.2%	>>>>	17 Very few
Northwest Illinois Area	371 Large	&	-3.8%	5.1%	>>>>	32 Few
Peoria-Bloomington Area	925 Large	&	-8.3%	1.3%	>>>>	72 Moderate
Quincy-Macomb-Galesburg Area	245 Large	&	-13.9%	-1.6%	>>>>	17 Few
Rock Island-Moline Area	491 Large	&	-9.4%	1.8%	>>>>	37 Moderate
Rockford Area	542 Large	&	-8.5%	2.4%	>>>>	42 Few
Shawnee National Forest Area	84 Small	&	-13.1%	-0.3%	>>>>	6 Very few
Springfield Area	325 Large	&	-11.1%	-0.8%	>>>>	23 Few
St Louis-Belleville Area	441 Large	&	-12.9%	0.2%	>>>>	31 Few
Vermilion County	80 Medium	&	-21.3%	-5.1%	>>>>	5 Very few
Will County	718 Large	&	-6.3%	5.4%	>>>>	59 Few
United States	522,200 Very large	&	5.8%	3.1%	>>>>	52,200 High