There can be no overstating the value of opportunity when it comes to the job market. The most in-demand careers offer not only a good forecast for finding work, but also help shape the economic landscape.
The CareerCast.com Jobs Rated reports use opportunity vis a vis growth outlook as one of the primary factors in determining best and worst jobs. It’s no coincidence that the fields ranked among the 10 best of 2017, as well as most leading the way in our full 200 jobs report, have favorable outlooks for the coming decade.
It’s not a coincidence that many of the most in-demand jobs are in healthcare, an industry well-represented in the CareerCast.com Best Jobs of 2017. In fact, the four most in-demand jobs are in or very closely associated to the healthcare industry.
But of these careers, the high demand for some may come as a surprise.
For example, the most in-demand field tracked in the Jobs Rated report, per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics metrics, is Home Health Aide. Its outlook percentage ranks second among 2017 jobs, but with anticipated need for 348,400 new professionals by 2024, the need for boots-on-the-ground healthcare professions in the coming years is evident.
An aging Baby Boomer generation drives some of this high demand. Similarly, Physical Therapist ranks as the No. 6 most in-demand job, with a growth rate of 34% and an estimated 71,800 new positions expected by 2024. Demand for physical therapists is also on the rise commensurate with patients seeking more preventative and restorative healthcare options.
Other high-demand healthcare fields include Nurse Practitioner, with a projected growth of 53,400 new jobs; Physician’s Assistant, with 28,700 new jobs; Diagnostic Medical Sonographer at 27,600 new jobs; and Optician, at 17,800 new jobs.
Demand for some of the most in-demand careers translates to opportunities in the growing freelance economy, too. Of the most widely listed positions in the CareerCast.com jobs database is Web Developer with 19,441 current listings.
The BLS estimates 39,500 new Web Developer positions by 2024, but the high demand reflected in our current listings speaks to the ongoing groundswell of temporary and project positions employers seek.
To see healthcare and IT represented among in-demand jobs shouldn’t surprise anyone. But they are not the only industries represented – and the most in-demand business job just might come as a surprise.
Operations Research Analyst is a still-burgeoning field, only added to the Jobs Rated report this year. But with an estimated 27,600 job openings expected through 2024, it’s a career you can expect to hear plenty more about in the near future. Among the most in-demand jobs of 2017, there are 7,684 listings for Operations Research Analysts in the CareerCast.com database: 7,684 positions. For those looking to use their analytic and technical skills in the business world, this flourishing career might be your gateway.
The following are CareerCast.com’s 10 most in-demand jobs for 2017, as determined by both growth percentage forecasts, and total number of new positions projected.