Teaching jobs in New Hampshire are projected to shrink by the end of next year.
The Concord Monitor reports that the education industry is expected to contract by 508 jobs between 2016 and 2018 even as the state sees an overall growth in employment.
That's according to short-term employment predictions released this month by the labor bureau.
The education industry includes teachers and assistants and employs more than 67,000 people in New Hampshire.
The bureau's market analyst says the projected drop results from the state's aging population and declining public school enrollment.
But the demographic shift has increased the demand for health care workers like registered nurses, nursing assistants and personal care aides.
Such careers compromise nearly 10 percent of the total new jobs.
