• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipHuman Capital

These Are the 25 Best Jobs for 2016

Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
Claire Zillman
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
Editor, Leadership
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 19, 2016, 11:59 PM ET

Late last year, Glassdoor estimated that approximately 45% of Americans with a job or looking for one planned to launch a job hunt in 2016. Now, the job site—whose company reviews are generated from employee feedback—has published a list of occupations that those job seekers would be well advised to pursue.

Based on three factors—the number of job openings, earnings potential as measured by median base salary, and the rating of the career opportunity—Glassdoor compiled a list of the “best” jobs in America this year. (It only considered jobs titles that received at least 75 salary reviews and 75 career opportunity reviews.) Here are the top 25:

The most sought-after position among the top 25 is No. 9, software engineer, for which there are 49,270 current openings on Glassdoor. It should come as a surprise to no one that the list is heavy on tech jobs—data scientist, solutions architect, mobile developer. But it’s not just tech companies that are hiring for those positions; they’re in demand across various industries, according to Glassdoor. And there are several non-tech standouts, namely, finance-focused jobs like tax manager, audit manager, and finance manager.

Job seekers who manage to land these desirable gigs will be paid in kind. Their base salaries fall in the $69,548 to $135,000 range—which far surpasses what the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates as the annual mean wage—$47,230.

About the Author
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

FARLEY
SuccessCareers
Ford CEO says his Gen Z son is choosing hands-on work: ‘He feels like that’s more fulfilling than doing summer school at some fancy college’
By Nick LichtenbergMay 7, 2026
2 hours ago
eBay bans GameStop CEO’s account after he started listing store signs and old carpets to fund his $56 billion offer to buy the marketplace
C-SuiteGameStop
eBay bans GameStop CEO’s account after he started listing store signs and old carpets to fund his $56 billion offer to buy the marketplace
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 7, 2026
6 hours ago
keynes
AIdisruption
The AI job apocalypse is ‘unhelpful marketing, bad economics and worse history,’ a16z says
By Nick LichtenbergMay 7, 2026
7 hours ago
Airbnb cofounder and CEO Brian Chesky
SuccessJobs
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky warns two types of people won’t survive the AI era: ‘pure people managers’ and workers who resist change
By Emma BurleighMay 7, 2026
9 hours ago
Addiction, emotional distress, dread of dull tasks: AI models ‘seem to increasingly behave’ as though they’re sentient, worrying study shows
AIScience
Addiction, emotional distress, dread of dull tasks: AI models ‘seem to increasingly behave’ as though they’re sentient, worrying study shows
By Catherina GioinoMay 7, 2026
11 hours ago
trump
CommentaryMedicare
Auto-enrollment in Medicare Advantage isn’t a nudge. It’s a trap
By Brian KeyserMay 7, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

U.S. Treasury will have to borrow $2 trillion this year just to continue functioning—more than $166 billion every month
Economy
U.S. Treasury will have to borrow $2 trillion this year just to continue functioning—more than $166 billion every month
By Eleanor PringleMay 7, 2026
14 hours ago
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
Magazine
A Michigan farm town voted down plans for a giant OpenAI-Oracle data center. Weeks later, construction began
By Sharon GoldmanMay 6, 2026
2 days ago
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
Success
Tokyo is throwing out its strict office dress code and asking workers to wear shorts amid the war in Iran energy crisis
By Emma BurleighMay 5, 2026
2 days ago
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
Success
Mark Zuckerberg once gave a Facebook engineer startup advice at 2 a.m. while 'hanging out with all the interns'—she quit and raised millions after
By Orianna Rosa RoyleMay 6, 2026
1 day ago
The IRS may owe COVID-era refunds to tens of millions of taxpayers. Here’s who could qualify
Personal Finance
The IRS may owe COVID-era refunds to tens of millions of taxpayers. Here’s who could qualify
By Sydney LakeMay 6, 2026
1 day ago
The 'PayPal Mafia' built a $1.5 billion fintech pioneer. The company they left behind is on life support
Startups & Venture
The 'PayPal Mafia' built a $1.5 billion fintech pioneer. The company they left behind is on life support
By Eva RoytburgMay 6, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.