Bringing up puppy

‘We can’t afford kids’

The New York job market may soon be more ruff on teachers than dog walkers, a new study claims.

By the year 2025, the amount of money people spend on education will grow only 2 percent, while pet-related industries will spike 8 percent, according to a projected consumer report from the New York-based Conference Board.

Most 20-somethings aren’t popping out babies at the rate they once did — and many Big Apple millennials simply prefer dogs over tots, they told The Post.

“Dogs never learn to talk so that makes them more enjoyable company,” said Sam Shaughnessy, 29, who works at a nonprofit in Midtown. “Overall it’s a more mutually beneficial relationship.”

Mary Clapp, 30, a West Village resident, added: “Dogs are the millennial baby.”

Other young people are still recovering from late job-market entry caused by the Great Recession of 2009, when fertility rates plunged, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the study.

“A baby! I can’t even afford rent, are you serious? I look at some of my friends who are starting to have babies — and all of them have trust funds,” said Jen Winikoff, 33, a Chelsea-based art-gallery worker.

Sara Levenson, 28, of Hoboken, NJ, added: “My focus is on a promotion — not marriage or a baby.”

Baby boomers with empty-nest syndrome — many of whom shower their pets with toys and treats — will also contribute to the uptick in pet-related jobs, according to the study.

The number of students between the ages of 5 and 24 won’t grow much over the next decade, contributing to the plunge in education spending, the study notes.

Overall, consumers will spend the most money on health-related industries, which will soar 14 percent by 2025. They’ll fork over the second-highest amount of cash on reading, which will soar 12 percent, according to the study.

Spending on home repairs and new cars were also at the top of the list.

A “reshuffling of the overall consumer mind-set” is set to strike in the next 10 years, according to the study’s co-author, Brian Anderson.

For the study, the projected spending increases are based on demographics and population growth.