Career Trends: Bill and Account Collectors

Bill and account collectors try to recover payment on overdue bills. They negotiate repayment plans with debtors and help them find solutions to make paying their overdue bills easier.

Many bill and account collectors work in a call center for a third-party collection agency rather than the original creditor. Most work full time, and some have flexible schedules.

Collectors usually must have a high school diploma. A few months of on-the-job training is common.

Employment of bill and account collectors is projected to decline 6 percent from 2014 to 2024. Consolidation in the collections industry should continue to limit employment growth for these workers.

This occupation supported 397,400 jobs in 2012 and 350,400 jobs in 2014, reflecting a decline of 11.8%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 14.6% in 2022 to 455,600 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 409,000, compared with an observed value of 350,400, 14.3% lower than expected. This indicates current employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to decrease by 4.9% in 2024 to 330,900 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 467,200 jobs for 2024, 41.2% higher than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much worse than the 2012 trend within this occupation.