15 Highest Demand Jobs in the Next 5 Years–and What Could Happen by 2030?

Last week, we spoke about the lessons we can draw from our experience in job search during the past two generations. This week, we are focusing on the next 5 to 10 years. First, we’ll look at the 15 top jobs, according to a major job board’s blog. Then, we’ll talk about some trends that could impact the job market and our careers in the next decade.

Why should we care?

Some of us are using the Pandemic pause as an opportunity to reassess and set goals for the next few years. Of course, others need a new job right now to pay our bills. Evidence of future employment trends should be helpful regardless of which group you are in. You may want to think of the job you need now as a “day job” while you search for your “dream job,” or long-term career.

Trends are especially important to consider for those that are attending school now. Young students could spend 50 years or more in the workforce. That may mean being unhappy with a poor career choice for many years.

Indeed.com, a major job board, published a list of the “most in-demand” careers on July 7, 2020. These in-demand careers have “the most anticipated growth rates for the next five years.” We have resorted their list from highest to lowest annual average salary below.

Rank	Job Title	National Average Annual Salary
1	Software developer	$105,090
2	Statistician	$83,291
3	Information Security Analyst	$81,555
4	Physical Therapist	$74,672
5	Health Services Administrator	$70,147
6	Web Developer	$72,040
7	Registered Nurse	$70,366
8	Financial Advisor	$66,083
9	Operations Research Analyst	$61,457
10	Medical Technologist	$56,368
11	Truck Drivers	$57,616
12	Physical Therapy Aide	$33,238
13	Construction Worker	$31,616
14	Nursing Assistant	$28,454
15	Home Health Aide	$24,918

Medical and technology skills will be in high demand.

The most sought-after skills, according to this analysis, will be healthcare, IT and data science expertise. We noted that seven of the 15 job categories or nearly 47% are in healthcare. Software development, information security, and web design account for three of the six highest-paying jobs on the list. Data science related careers including statistician and operations research analyst are also on the list of most sought-after job categories.

You are not out of luck if you prefer to work outdoors, work with your hands, and do not have a college degree. Truck driving and construction work are also among the top 15. These are jobs that cannot be outsourced to workers in other countries. You have to be present to do them, at least with current technology. (Companies in the US and abroad are working on self-driving trucks, but they are not here yet.)

The only sales occupation on the list is Financial Advisor. It’s also a technical job requiring some facility with mathematics, statistics, and analytical software tools.

Will only STEM graduates get jobs?

This does not mean that only those with degrees in fields such as math, science, and IT will get jobs while the rest of us work in construction or drive trucks. An experienced recruiter told me he does not search by college major when he recruits experienced professionals because many people work in fields they did not study in school. In fact, this week I worked with an IT business analyst that majored in journalism and communications! You should have an aptitude for the job, and like the work, though, if you are going to succeed.

Average national salaries do not tell the whole story.

Averages and national numbers can be deceptive. Statisticians will tell you that averages are strongly influenced by a few very high or very low numbers. Also, salaries vary by locality. In other words, relatively few superstar software developers in San Jose, CA—the highest paying city in the US during 2019, according to one report, would pull up the average national number. Always remember that “your results may vary.”

AI and other technologies will change the job market even further by 2030.

Most of our careers will continue into future decades, so it is important to think about where the job market could be in ten years. PwC’s Workforce of the Future report suggests that artificial and augmented intelligence technologies will take over many jobs by that time. Ride-share services are already largely automated using GPS and other technologies. Even the cars could drive themselves in the next decade. How often do we call or text customer service lines today and find ourselves talking to a “bot?”

Increasingly, AI is impacting job search, too. Recruiters have told me that LinkedIn’s AI-based search tools help them source talent instead of using resumes. The PwC report indicates AI will search the web for talent, rather than waiting for people to apply for jobs in 2030. The end of the resume has been predicted for many years now, but it has not happened yet, so plan on having one for the time being.

The report suggests that an increasing number of jobs will be taken over by automation, and that only 9% of us will find work with large corporations. That does not mean most of us will not have jobs. It means the jobs will be in leading and directing businesses of all sizes. I would also expect that there will be plenty of work for those of us with the talent to build and maintain AI. Software developers, start your (coding) engines.

Use predictions cautiously and make your own decisions.

You should consider statistics such as high demand jobs, salaries, and job market change forecasts in the context of a total career plan. Other factors we have mentioned in pervious posts include your experience, interests and aptitudes. No career coach, career advisor, interest and aptitude test, or resume writer can tell you what job you should pursue—it’s your choice.

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