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

Trendingnow

1

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

2

Tech billionaires and executives like Evan Spiegel and Peter Thiel are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich

3

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’

1

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

2

Tech billionaires and executives like Evan Spiegel and Peter Thiel are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich

3

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’

The 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill Right Now

By
Jeremy Quittner
Jeremy Quittner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jeremy Quittner
Jeremy Quittner
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 2, 2017, 6:00 AM ET
Business partners in discussion in startup office
Business partners in discussion in startup officeThomas Barwick—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Data scientists earn $128,000 as a median salary. Financial advisors make $89,000. Registered nurses bring in about $68,000. While these are above-average salaries, there aren’t enough workers to meet demand for these jobs.

That’s according to an annual report released Thursday by job search portal CareerCast. Using recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and related industry sources, CareerCast tracks 200 jobs and pulls out the 10 most in-demand fields.

In its 2017 report, trucker and information security analyst displaced marketing managers and electrical engineers in the top 10 list. They now join home health aides, physical therapists, and software engineers, where demand for workers is expected to grow in the double digits over the next seven years.

screen-shot-2017-02-01-at-11-57-59-pm

So why the gap between supply and demand? Essentially there aren’t enough qualified workers for the more skilled professions, says Kyle Kensing, online content editor for CareerCast. For example, even though data scientist and information security analyst are essentially new professions, colleges and universities aren’t churning out enough graduates with the necessary skills to keep pace with openings, he says. Similarly, home health aides and registered nurses are in an ever-expanding field because the Baby Boom generation, the largest after millennials, is moving into old age and has growing health care needs. Nursing for example has the single most openings of all careers, and is expected to need an additional 440,000 workers by 2024, according to Careercast.

By contrast, trucking, which does not require an advanced education, is suffering from the lingering effects of the financial crisis, when the transportation industry took a hit. According to Kensing, people in the field left for other types of work, leaving a worker gap as the economy improved. The industry will need an additional 100,000 workers in the next seven years, he says.

And we can expect a continuation of many of these trends going forward.

“IT and healthcare will be the backbones of the workforce,” Kensing says.

About the Author
By Jeremy Quittner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in


Most Popular

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
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in


    Most Popular

    © 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.