
Get hired this year: 2021's fastest-growing jobs, and the skills you need to get them Published on Jan 12, 2021
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter
The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed the jobs landscape so understanding what comes next is top of mind for employers and job seekers alike as the global labor market begins to recover. Today, following our joint commitment with Microsoft to help get 25 million people back to work, LinkedIn announced new insights that shed light on what's next as we enter the new year.
To help support the millions of people trying to get back into the workforce, we looked at the fastest-growing jobs of the past year and at courses and other tools that can help job seekers take the next step.
There is demand for workers from every background As we do at the start of each year, we're taking a look at the most in-demand jobs in the U.S. But this year, we're also looking at how things have changed over the past year.
Here are the top five fastest-growing job trends based on LinkedIn data over the past year, each reflecting a collection of closely-related roles where demand is expanding quickly. Read more about these and 10 additional trends from LinkedIn editor, Andrew Seaman.
This is based on an analysis of jobs data by YoY growth and quantity from April-October 2020.
These are the top 5 Jobs on the Rise right now 1. Professionals on the frontlines of e-commerce
As many sheltered in place this year, retailers and logistics companies onboarded thousands of e-commerce workers to help get products from the store into the hands of customers. Hiring for these roles grew 73% year-over-year - and that demand continues with over 400,000 open jobs right now.
Top Job Titles: Driver, Supply Chain Associate, Package Handler, Personal Shopper | Skills: Time Management, Customer Service, Leadership | Top Locations Hiring: Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C. | Education: 70% of hires have an Associates Degree or higher | Salary Range: $42,000 - $56,000 | Remote job availability: Low
2. Loan and mortgage experts
The combination of historically low interest rates and the rollout of the Paycheck Protection Program loans has kept loan experts busy this year - and sent many companies on the hunt for even more. Hiring for these jobs in 2020 increased nearly 59% from 2019. For people looking to work from home, roughly a quarter of loan officer job postings mention remote work options.
Top job titles: Underwriter, Mortgage Loan Officer, Escrow Officer, Loan Closer | Skills: Risk Management, Customer Service, Credit Analysis | Top Locations Hiring: New York City, Dallas, Chicago | Education: 67% of hires have an Associates Degree or higher | Median Salary: $43,700 - $60,000 | Remote job availability: High
3. Health care supporting staff
The coronavirus pandemic caused a sudden and sustained need for doctors and nurses, but it also created the same demand for the people who support health care professionals. These people help usher patients through the health care system, keep records in order for doctors and much more. Since 2019, hiring for these positions has increased more than 34%. (25 titles)
Top job titles: Health Care Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, Home Health Aide | Skills: Patient Education, Data Entry, Physician Relations | Top Locations Hiring: New York City, Boston, Chicago | Education: 82% of hires have an Associates Degree or higher | Median Salary: $65,300 - $106,000 | Remote job availability: Low
4. Business development and sales professionals
Businesses were tasked with quickly adapting to an uncertain world and economy. While some jobs were lost, others that could help bottom lines and help businesses navigate through the pandemic were added. Hiring for these roles grew more than 45% between 2020 and 2019.
Top job titles: Sales Consultant, Sales Operations Assistant, Inbound Sales Specialist, Strategic Advisor | Skills: Customer Retention, Sales Process, Team Building | Top Locations Hiring: New York City, Denver, Atlanta | Education: 79% of hires have an Associates Degree or higher | Median Salary: $43,300 - $105,000 | Remote job availability: Low
5. Experts in workplace diversity
Protests sparked by the police-involved shootings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor caused organizations around the world to reckon with systemic racism and a lack of diversity in positions of power. Companies - large and small - turned to diversity experts who could help them bring new voices into their organizations. Hiring for these roles increased more than 90% since 2019.
Top job titles: Diversity Manager, Diversity Officer, Head of Diversity, Diversity Coordinator | Skills: Community Outreach, Teaching, Organizational Development | Top Locations Hiring: New York City, San Francisco, Chicago | Education: 91% of hires have an Associates Degree or higher | Median Salary: $72,900 - $97,000 | Remote job availability: Low
The courses helping professionals get hired now Skills can be the boost you need to get your next job. Of the millions of professionals who got hired last year, these are the top five hard and soft skill courses they watched before landing that new role. Many corresponded to in demand and fastest-growing jobs, and the courses to learn them are available for free right now. Listing these skills will also make you more discoverable to hiring managers.
Top five hard skills (and free courses to learn them)
Software development
Python for Data Science Essential Training
Programming Foundations: Object-Oriented Design
Programming Foundations: Algorithms
Project management
Cert Prep: Scrum Master
Cert Prep: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
Data analysis
SQL Essential Training (2019)
Data Science & Analytics Career Paths & Certifications: First Steps
Six Sigma: Green Be
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
11/11/2026
Hornets Sports & Entertainment (HSE) and Spectrum have installed WiFi 7 as part of Spectrum's Managed WiFi solution within Charlotte's recently renovate...
11/11/2026
As 4K displays normalize in living rooms and economy flights, aging minor league...
11/11/2026
Northwestern University has deployed Grass Valley production switching and camera technology at its new Ryan Field stadium in Evanston, Illinois. The installati...
11/11/2026
Central Christian Church has transformed communication across its live productio...
11/11/2026
Monumental Sports & Entertainment developed the new Cisco Command Center for all of the building's technology
Prior to the start of the busy October schedu...
11/11/2026
The new Manhattan set is the latest addition to a network of studios, home setup...
11/11/2026
With a remodeled set, an expanded camera package, and a Steve Aoki performance, MLB Network's production team raises the bar again at The Chelsea...
11/11/2026
Third collaboration with Grammy-winning composer & conductor
Spitfire Audio have announced the release of Eternity, the third sample library to be created a...
11/11/2026
Eurorack experts launch vinyl-inspired plug-in
When praised Eurorackers Modbap revealed their first software effect recently, they stated it was the first r...
11/11/2026
New York, NY - November 10, 2026 - Neptune BidCo US Inc. (the Issuer or the C...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
New partnership strengthens local access to Hitomi s precision timing solutions, with MatchBox, MatchBox Glass and Spectra on show at Inter BEE 2026
Hitomi Br...
11/11/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the worlds leading streaming television channels, and OpenGlass, the first SSP built for advanced CTV advertising, today an...
11/11/2026
Operative today announced the appointment of Brian Beirne as Senior Vice President, Commercial Growth. Beirne returns to Operative at a pivotal moment, as its U...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
11/11/2026
Flanders Scientific (FSI), an Atomos company, has introduced seven new QD-OLED reference monitors across two new series, the VP and V. Designed for professional...
11/11/2026
Pliant Technologies' highly anticipated CrewCom Flex product line is now shipping in the United States. As the industry's first frameless matrix interc...
11/11/2026
Desert Palms Captured with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 10, 2026
0 Comments
Director Tristan Seniuk premieres immersive short ...
11/11/2026
Avid launches Ready to Play, putting new AI creative capabilities into editors...
11/11/2026
Adobe Powers a New Era of Creativity, Bringing Agents and Tools to Creatives Whe...
11/11/2026
Fraud detection and removal tools play an important role in defending advertising budgets against invalid traffic. A robust fraud tool, independently accredited...
11/11/2026
RT lyric fm is partnering with the Department of Climate, Energy, and the Envir...
11/11/2026
RT TODAY show has announced the eight finalists for its festive amateur cook competition Christmas Home Cook'.
Following the success of TODAY TV Home C...
10/11/2026
ENCO provided live stage captioning, multilingual translation and new audio pass-through services at NAB Show New York, held Oct. 21-22 at the Javits Center, an...
10/11/2026
Vizrt has built a proof-of-concept integration with the Story Object Model (SOM), shown at IBC 2026 in Amsterdam as part of the Smart Stories Accelerator projec...
10/11/2026
Gravity Media's Creative and Managed Services team produced a dedicated live 9:16 vertical broadcast workflow for Meta Connect 2026. Meta asked for more tha...
10/11/2026
Blue Stream Fiber has standardized its OTT streaming services on Ateme's end-to-end video platform for its high value linear channels, providing more effici...
10/11/2026
Haivision has opened the survey for its 2027 Broadcast Transformation Report, inviting broadcast, media, and production professionals worldwide to share their p...
10/11/2026
The League of Live Stream Theater (LOLST), the nonprofit organization partnering...
10/11/2026
USA Sports and The Horse Racing League (HRL) has announced a partnership to air ...
10/11/2026
Matrox Video has launched The Sync, a new video podcast series bringing together Matrox Video experts, customers, and partners to explore the technical and busi...
10/11/2026
The CW Network and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) have announced a new multi-yea...
10/11/2026
There is a certain irony that Chip Adams was turned down when he first looked in...
10/11/2026
Pliant Technologies' CrewCom Flex product line is now shipping in the United States. As a frameless matrix intercom system and complete matrix IP-based inte...
10/11/2026
PARK CITY, Utah (November 10, 2026) The Sundance Institute today announced the appointment of Allison Graff-Weisner as its new Chief Development Officer (CDO)...
10/11/2026
New tool humanises orchestral MIDI parts
Described as a session musician inside your DAW, VSL's latest plug-in aims to make quick work of making program...
10/11/2026
Free EQ launched alongside four major updates
PSPaudioware have just launched their latest free plug-in, along with a set of updates that bring modern OS co...
10/11/2026
Save 25% throughout November 2026
Following the recent release of Cubase 16, regular SOS contributor John Walden has announced that he will be running a 25%...
10/11/2026
Set to launch in early 2027
The latest version of Ableton's DAW software has just been unveiled, and will be making an official appearance in early 2027...
10/11/2026
IoT devices use a wide range of frequency bands below 6 GHz, from Sub-GHz LPWAN sensors to 5G and Wi-Fi systems. Lower frequencies such as 433 MHz, 868 MHz, 915...
10/11/2026
A ceramic patch GPS antenna may fit mechanically but still perform poorly if it is too small, incorrectly orientated, placed near noisy electronics or installed...
10/11/2026
A GPS antenna ground plane provides the conductive RF reference a ceramic GPS/GNSS patch needs, but that does not always mean the product PCB must provide it. T...
10/11/2026
An external GPS antenna is usually the better option when the product enclosure ...
10/11/2026
New R&S FNH combines spectrum analysis, vector network analysis and power meteri...