With inflation fever heating up, we’re all looking for ways to boost our earnings. Taking a second or third job is an option but on the flip side, it costs you time and energy. Instead, you may be thinking of moving to a new job with better pay.
Luckily, as revealed by the Labor Department, the US job market is proving resilient. In December 2022, the US economy added 223,000 jobs, far exceeding market expectations. So, what are the best opportunities up for grabs?
We look at 9.2 million jobs in our database and present you with the hottest jobs to apply for in 2023:
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Roles with fastest rising salaries
This year, Loan Officer roles are rising fastest up the pay rankings, with a +102% year-on-year change in average advertised salary. This position may not traditionally be a popular career path, but in the current economic climate and with the cost of living crisis driving debt and loans, it’s becoming a popular and more lucrative choice.
Taking up the second spot is Delivery Driver, with advertised salaries averaging $78,093 in Dec 2022 – an +84% increase from $42,557 in Nov 2021. Mental Health Social Worker, Construction Site Manager, and English Tutor are also featured within the top five jobs with the most increased salary, with an +80%, +64%, and +57% increase.
| Rank | Job Title | Change in average advertised salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loan Officer | +101.7% |
| 2 | Delivery Driver | +83.5% |
| 3 | Mental Health Social Worker | +80.0% |
| 4 | Site Manager | +63.9% |
| 5 | English Tutor | +56.7% |
| 6 | Lawyer | +42.4% |
| 7 | Instructor | +38.4% |
| 8 | Insurance Agency Manager | +38.2% |
| 9 | Tanker Driver | +38.1% |
| 10 | Shop Manager | +35.6% |
| 11 | Machinist | +35.4% |
| 12 | ICU Nurse | +34.1% |
| 13 | Advisor | +34.0% |
| 14 | Mover | +32.7% |
| 15 | Repair Technician | +32.3% |
| 16 | Agent | +31.2% |
| 17 | Social Care Worker | +30.2% |
| 18 | Service Technician | +28.1% |
| 19 | Design Engineer | +28.0% |
| 20 | Training Manager | +25.6% |
| 21 | Receptionist | +25.5% |
| 22 | Mechanical Engineer | +24.7% |
| 23 | Installer | +23.4% |
| 24 | Property Manager | +23.3% |
| 25 | Product Quality Inspector | +22.7% |
| 26 | Audit Senior | +20.7% |
| 27 | Litigation Solicitor | +20.5% |
| 28 | Pest Control Technician | +20.1% |
| 29 | Optometrist | +19.9% |
| 30 | Sports Instructor | +19.2% |
Jobs with the most advertised openings
We also looked at the hottest jobs in terms of the roles with the highest number of open vacancies.
Nurse is the job with the largest number of postings, with an advertised 399,785 vacancies in December 2022 and very high levels of live open roles available now. Behind these high openings is a sector in difficulty. Burnout, challenging working conditions, and now the ‘tripledemic’ have led to several nurses strikes within the sector, with employees campaigning for wage increases and better work-life balance.
Average advertised salaries for Nurses had slipped -10% year on year to $115,078 but with the current conditions, Nurses could see spikes in pay soon. A similar role in the medical field Nursing Assistant has high levels of openings as well, with an advertised 133,715 vacancies.
Looking beyond healthcare, the demand for professionals who can drive and deliver packages to customers is high. Delivery Driver has taken the second seat again in the ranking, with 222,369 open roles in December 2022. Meanwhile, Delivery Trucker is ranked 5th, with 151,230 jobs up for grabs.
The role of Sales Support Assistant has 216,161 openings, which is a +55% increase in job postings from November ‘21 to December ‘22. However, average advertised salaries have slipped over that period, with a -15% decrease in salary. Other sales positions have seen the same trend, such as Shift manager with 106,563 openings (up +92%) and a -4% decrease in earnings, Cashier with 75,572 openings (up +12%) and a -4% decrease in earnings, and Sales Executive with 67,794 vacancies (up +31%) and a -6% decrease in advertised pay.
We also spotted a similar trend in the catering industry, including Cook with 67,766 openings (a +47% increase) and a -2% decrease in earnings, Waiter/Waitress with 43,714 openings (a +35% increase) and a -4% decrease in earnings, Restaurant Manager with 39,935 openings (a +95% increase) and a -7% decrease in earnings. The only exception is Barista, with +173.4% increase in advertised vacancies and +2% rise in salary.
For roles requiring technical skills, job titles with the biggest vacancies include Software Developer, for which there are 127,782 open positions, and Engineer with 83,448 opportunities available.
Trending jobs right now
Kitchen Porter and Territory Sales Executive are the trending jobs of 2023. There’s a +6,278% increase in job openings for aspiring Kitchen Porters, and they can expect a minor 1% advertised pay increase. In the meantime, there is a +3,648% increase for the role of Territory Sales Executive, and they can expect a 20% surge in average advertised salaries.
With air travel returning to pre-pandemic levels, jobs in the travel sector are also flying up. There has been a +3,220% increase for the role of Flight Attendant, and advertised vacancies for Airport Baggage Handler and Air Traffic Controller roles have increased +297% and +189% respectively.
| Rank | Job Title | Change in advertised vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kitchen Porter | +6,277.6% |
| 2 | Territory Sales Executive | +3,648.0% |
| 3 | Flight Attendant | +3,219.6% |
| 4 | Payroll Consultant | +556.7% |
| 5 | ICU Nurse | +508.0% |
| 6 | Digital Marketing Analyst | +493.0% |
| 7 | Quality Coordinator | +429.6% |
| 8 | Technical Communicator | +387.1% |
| 9 | Building Inspector | +382.9% |
| 10 | Classroom Teacher | +369.3% |
| 11 | Energy Engineer | +354.7% |
| 12 | Audiologist | +342.6% |
| 13 | Membership Manager | +341.6% |
| 14 | Finance Business Partner | +333.1% |
| 15 | Bridge Design Engineer | +329.0% |
| 16 | Sign Language Interpreter | +301.6% |
| 17 | Personal Trainer | +297.6% |
| 18 | Airport Baggage Handler | +297.1% |
| 19 | Social Care Worker | +279.3% |
| 20 | Bioinformatics Scientist | +245.6% |
| 21 | Head Of Department | +245.2% |
| 22 | Lead Mechanical Engineer | +234.3% |
| 23 | Tax Senior | +226.0% |
| 24 | Database Integrator | +210.7% |
| 25 | Homes Sales Advisor | +194.7% |
| 26 | Football Coach | +189.4% |
| 27 | Air Traffic Controller | +189.2% |
| 28 | Environmental Scientist | +186.0% |
| 29 | Investment Manager | +178.7% |
| 30 | Barista | +173.4% |
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