Career Trends: Job Roles and Industries on the Rise
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As this year goes by, many of the projected 2024 trends are becoming a reality. Even though some of these were foresight years before, their effects will be more tangible during the following months, especially in their impact on many careers.
In contrast to other decades, the future of work evolves at a faster pace due to technological advancements, global events —such as the Covid-19 pandemic—, or the ever-shifting economic landscape. As a result of this outlook, many industries are reshaping and setting new job and career trends.
What is the future of work?
Most certainly, you’ve heard this concept before, and as paradoxical as it may seem, it refers to a condition more than a definition. As it’s implied, it relates to the evolving nature of the job market and how labor changes across industries. Of course, each business and company has its own specific ups and downs, but some conditions stay the same for all.
To identify these conditions and explore what the future of work looks like for the forthcoming, you have to analyze and answer the following questions.
- Who does the work?
- How is the work done?
- When and where is the work done?
Weighing in on these queries will allow you to be more prepared for the unpredictable future of work and adapt to any ongoing and upcoming trends in your industry. This will be a major game changer for your career plans, whether you’re looking forward to growth on your current path or starting from scratch in a new role.
Job market trends reshaping careers and job roles
The labor market changes and conditions set career trends, and the questions above help you identify these. For example, if you take the query “How is the work done,” you can tell that nowadays, many companies lean toward workplace automation.
On the other hand, by looking at “When and where is the work done,” you can conclude that the last couple of years have been the peak for working remote and fluid work schedules. To explore further, here are the key career trends that have redrawn the landscape and raised a few trending jobs and industries for time to come.
Remote work
As mentioned above, working from home has been the reigning trend since the pandemic. Globalization has set the ground for people working abroad, and the desire for a healthier work-life balance has increased the demand for industries and job roles that grant this perk.
Technological advancements
This has been the most significant career trendsetter so far in the 21st century. As technology continues to evolve and revolutionize the job market, the tech industry has peaked and promoted an interest from other industries, such as legal, for tech specialists who can modernize their workplaces and processes.
Gig economy and entrepreneurial mindset
In the current era, many people are leaning toward starting a business. Freelancing and the gig economy also encourage people to start a side hustle or part-time job to increase their earnings. Industries such as recruitment or insurance have become trendier as they allow people to run their own desk backed up by a company’s infrastructure and processes.
Cultural awareness
Workplace diversity has enriched company culture as both employers and employees are developing the ability to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and encouraging workplace transparency. Another silver lining of this job market trend is that it enhances upskilling among your workforce as coworkers learn new abilities from each other.
Health and well-being
As the line between work and personal life becomes more blurred due to remote work, the focus on maintaining mental and physical health is turning vital. This outlook has turned jobs that bet on employee wellness and prevent burnout trending, as well as a sign of a thriving workplace.
The boom of soft skills
Soft skills are a must for many job roles. The belief that teamwork makes the dream work has risen as a trend across many careers as employers seek to strengthen collaboration to get more innovation. Therefore, candidates with social and conflict resolution skills are more valued by hiring managers for these trending job roles.
Trending job roles and emerging careers
Career trends have strengthened some industries already dominating the labor market and set the spotlight for other historically discreet sectors. If you’re a job seeker pursuing better-paid and more relevant roles, here are a few trending jobs from emerging industries to consider for your next career move.
Data science and analytics
As the age of big data remains, professionals with matching skills for these types of roles play a pivotal role not just for the tech industry but for all the other sectors whose objective is to extract valuable insight from data to make more informed decisions.
Mathematics, programming, and domain-specific skills and expertise are the keys to a well-rewarded career, with many years to come on the peak. Here are a few specific trending jobs to consider:
- Information security analyst
- Information systems manager
- Statistician
- Data scientist
- Management analyst
Artificial intelligence and machine learning
AI and machine learning are two emerging careers for job seekers. These kinds of specializations are at the forefront of innovation and systems development. They can optimize and automate processes across various sectors by creating algorithms and neural networks. These are some of the trending jobs in this area:
- Computer and information systems manager
- Computer system analyst
- Software quality assurance analyst and tester
- Software developer
Digital Marketing
Marketing is a career trend that has stayed long enough in the job market. As the digital environment continues to grow, companies keep prioritizing their online presence; therefore, digital marketing jobs have become more trending. Brand promotion, customer service, and e-commerce strategies are the main tasks of the following job roles that also require a mix of creativity and analysis.
- Marketing managers
- Market research analysts and marketing specialists
- Web developer
Healthcare
This mixes an emerging career and an old reliable one that remains trending. With the arrival of tech advancements in the healthcare industry, there has been a rise in job roles in specializations such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, telehealth services, and even healthcare administration.
The ongoing tech evolution has resulted in some of the following trending jobs dedicated to improving healthcare outcomes:
- Mental health counselors
- Physical therapists
- Medical and health service managers
- Registered nurses and nurse practitioners
- Home health aid
- Phlebotomist
- Physician assistants
Sustainability and environmental careers
Lastly, the growing ecological concerns are another career trend that has risen in the last few years. The approach to improving and increasing sustainable practices, renewable energy, and environmental conservation has led to the creation of trending jobs with a wealthy outlook in areas like green energy, conservation, and ecological consulting.
- Solar installer
- Grounds maintenance worker
- Wind turbine technician
- Electrician
Because of the current job market and its career trends, candidates need to stay adaptive and resilient to the changes and coming opportunities.
If your industry is evolving as the ones mentioned above, you will be experiencing the benefits of a thriving path, whether it’s in your current role or a new one; if that’s not the case, then you should evaluate your transferable skills and start looking for trending jobs that offer you more room for growth.
Contributed by Luis Arellano
