Job Outlook to 2026 by Educational Requirement The first blog in our series on the 2016 to 2026 employment outlook focused on how an aging population is expected to constrain job growth . The second focused on how the occupational job structure is expected to continue to gradually shift . Those shifts have implications for the educational requirements of the labor force, which is the focus of this blog. Performance and educational requirements differ from one occupation to another. Some jobs require little experience or education, others extensive experience or education, with a whole range in between. So as the mix of jobs changes, the educational requirements of the labor force also change. Additionally, the requirements to successfully perform the functions of most occupations changes over time as technology and work practices evolve, and other factors impact the way the functions of a job are performed. About 77 percent of jobs in Maine are in occupations that have a