Project Management Specialists
Also called: Fiber Project Manager, Implementation Project Manager, Project Management ConsultantAnalyze and coordinate the schedule, timeline, procurement, staffing, and budget of a product or service on a per project basis. Lead and guide the work of technical staff. May serve as a point of contact for the client or customer.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 20 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 6.7% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 2.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 40% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $100,820 | $78,010 to $132,500 | 3,190 |
| Alaska | $99,580 | $74,330 to $126,110 | 1,950 |
| Arizona | $99,050 | $75,870 to $129,750 | 22,920 |
| Arkansas | $77,170 | $57,630 to $103,670 | 5,510 |
| California | $120,910 | $85,620 to $155,850 | 114,380 |
| Colorado | $110,050 | $85,010 to $136,990 | 32,390 |
| Connecticut | $105,240 | $81,490 to $135,100 | 8,410 |
| Delaware | $122,190 | $97,130 to $136,510 | 1,770 |
| District of Columbia | $104,900 | $79,340 to $143,440 | 5,170 |
| Florida | $98,070 | $75,820 to $128,640 | 76,370 |
| Georgia | $102,140 | $77,470 to $132,550 | 28,900 |
| Guam | $67,370 | $54,910 to $90,790 | 400 |
| Hawaii | $78,000 | $62,460 to $104,990 | 1,560 |
| Idaho | $95,630 | $71,410 to $128,780 | 5,750 |
| Illinois | $103,470 | $81,000 to $132,360 | 27,180 |
| Indiana | $95,020 | $72,690 to $122,260 | 11,970 |
| Iowa | $96,540 | $77,360 to $130,170 | 6,720 |
| Kansas | $100,010 | $75,990 to $128,780 | 6,030 |
| Kentucky | $81,700 | $64,130 to $104,860 | 10,250 |
| Louisiana | $84,850 | $66,800 to $121,500 | 8,050 |
| Maine | $101,830 | $80,060 to $126,020 | 2,620 |
| Maryland | $104,040 | $80,010 to $134,630 | 30,530 |
| Massachusetts | $114,190 | $87,290 to $144,990 | 21,960 |
| Michigan | $100,970 | $78,290 to $129,310 | 25,330 |
| Minnesota | $97,860 | $79,000 to $123,080 | 18,850 |
| Mississippi | $78,870 | $63,020 to $103,650 | 4,320 |
| Missouri | $94,660 | $71,270 to $124,980 | 21,460 |
| Montana | $87,890 | $70,830 to $121,160 | 2,940 |
| Nebraska | $80,150 | $62,390 to $102,820 | 3,190 |
| Nevada | $99,940 | $77,460 to $130,010 | 8,290 |
| New Hampshire | $90,890 | $74,010 to $116,500 | 3,840 |
| New Jersey | $122,980 | $92,850 to $155,490 | 28,300 |
| New Mexico | $106,970 | $79,460 to $155,990 | 4,330 |
| New York | $121,040 | $91,660 to $160,220 | 68,020 |
| North Carolina | $100,820 | $77,970 to $130,690 | 36,200 |
| North Dakota | $96,160 | $77,010 to $119,630 | 2,020 |
| Ohio | $95,770 | $74,420 to $126,570 | 34,260 |
| Oklahoma | $86,240 | $66,810 to $116,520 | 11,220 |
| Oregon | $105,480 | $81,260 to $134,270 | 19,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $100,150 | $78,370 to $128,640 | 36,150 |
| Puerto Rico | $65,800 | $47,330 to $95,390 | 2,330 |
| Rhode Island | $104,680 | $79,890 to $132,750 | 3,880 |
| South Carolina | $95,040 | $72,960 to $125,480 | 17,040 |
| South Dakota | $82,250 | $67,630 to $104,180 | 1,310 |
| Tennessee | $85,890 | $70,220 to $112,350 | 20,780 |
| Texas | $98,440 | $74,810 to $129,370 | 138,960 |
| Utah | $96,720 | $74,840 to $127,160 | 16,450 |
| Vermont | $80,800 | $66,830 to $101,620 | 1,190 |
| Virgin Islands | $75,240 | $64,990 to $104,960 | 90 |
| Virginia | $120,840 | $85,550 to $158,050 | 43,860 |
| Washington | $124,160 | $92,830 to $162,490 | 36,240 |
| West Virginia | $91,780 | $65,370 to $125,050 | 2,520 |
| Wisconsin | $97,580 | $76,720 to $123,850 | 21,610 |
| Wyoming | $94,080 | $71,830 to $120,090 | 1,180 |
Nationally: $102,320. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 20 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Communicate with key stakeholders to determine project requirements and objectives. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify project needs such as resources, staff, or finances by reviewing project objectives and schedules. | Not published |
| AI + software | Submit project deliverables to clients, ensuring adherence to quality standards. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Confer with project personnel to identify and resolve problems. | Not published |
| AI + software | Plan, schedule, or coordinate project activities to meet deadlines. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Request and review project updates to ensure deadlines are met. | under 0.01% |
See all 20 tasks
| AI + software | Monitor project milestones and deliverables. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Assign duties or responsibilities to project personnel. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Create project status presentations for delivery to customers or project personnel. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Produce and distribute project documents. | 0.02% |
| AI + software | Report project status, such as budget, resources, technical issues, or customer satisfaction, to managers. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Develop or update project plans including information such as objectives, technologies, schedules, funding, and staffing. | 0.10% |
| AI + software | Propose, review, or approve modifications to project plans. | 0.04% |
| Not much | Monitor the performance of project team members to provide performance feedback. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Identify, review, or select vendors or consultants to meet project needs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Schedule or facilitate project meetings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Negotiate with project stakeholders or suppliers to obtain resources or materials. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor costs incurred by project staff to identify budget issues. | Not published |
| Not much | Recruit or hire project personnel. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 11 of the 20 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 20 tasks fall under 18 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #20 Present research or technical information
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
- and 1 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan work activities | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Direct scientific or technical activities | |||
| Perform recruiting or hiring activities | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Present research or technical information | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Gather data about operational or development activities |
Show all 18 activities
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Monitor financial data or activities | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities | |||
| Prepare financial documents, reports, or budgets | |||
| Develop organizational policies, systems, or processes | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies | |||
| Assign work to others | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Direct construction or extraction activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A plan or strategy37%
- A document or report25%
- Data or a spreadsheet9%
- An email or message4%
- A presentation or slides4%
How they worked with Claude
61% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for project management specialists specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,552,086 moves out
- 1 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 6%
- 2 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 6%
- 3 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 3%
- 5 Sales Managers High +4.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 4,110,721 moves in
- 1 General and Operations Managers High +5.0% 4%
- 2 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
- 3 Software Developers, Applications (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 4 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 3%
- 5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 2%
The resume data uses 2010 occupation codes. This occupation comes from “Managers, All Other”, “Business Operations Specialists, All Other” and “Computer Occupations, All Other”, which today also include “Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling”, “Personal Service Managers, All Other”, the occupation still called “Managers, All Other”, the occupation still called “Business Operations Specialists, All Other”, “Database Architects”, “Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers”, “Web and Digital Interface Designers” and the occupation still called “Computer Occupations, All Other”, so these figures cover those too. Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 8% high school
- 12% some college
- 7% associate's
- 45% bachelor's
- 23% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 2% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 10,429 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
6 programs, such as Information Technology Project Management, Business/Commerce, General and Business Administration and Management, General.
See all
- Information Technology Project Management
- Business/Commerce, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Project Management
- Science/Technology Management
- Construction Project Management
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
45.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 4.2% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 13.4% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (Project Manager). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Project Management Specialists” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/13-1082.00