Aiming to pursue the American Dream? It’s wise to plan ahead. While career opportunities in the States of US are wide-ranging, some roles are more in-demand than others. To help, we set out the most needed jobs in the USA.
In the past few years, job vacancies in America have grown to levels not seen since records began. With around 12 million positions currently open, it is a great time to look at a career in the country. What’s more, many roles are expected to become even more needed over the next few years. We explore all of this below, in our guide to the most in-demand jobs in the USA countary.
What job roles have the most vacancies in the USA?
Official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the job category with the most openings in the USA is healthcare and social assistance. In July 2023, there were around 1.71 million vacancies in this area, which accounts for nearly one in five of all job openings in the country.
One area in which demand is particularly high is home healthcare. Around 784,000 openings for home healthcare and personal aides are expected each year until 2032, when the total number of positions in the role is projected to be 805,000 higher than in 2022. This is the largest expected growth of any occupation in the USA, and reflects a trend towards healthcare being provided in home and community settings, rather than a clinical one.
Another role that holds great opportunity is that of nurse. Registered nurse jobs are projected to grow by 178,000 between 2022 and 2032, which is the fifth-largest expected growth of all occupations in US. Similarly, the related role of nurse practitioner is expected to undergo the second-fastest growth in that ten-year period. An additional 119,000 jobs are expected in the role by 2032, creating a total of 386,000.
Jobs in the category include both specialist medical roles and those that support them, often in an administrative capacity. This means everything from doctors to dentists and surgeons to speech therapists is covered, as well as secretaries, managers and transcribers.
What job roles are growing in the USA?
There are several more occupations for which job numbers are projected to grow considerably in the coming few years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks these in terms of speed (percentage increase) and volume (overall increase). The top five on both measures can be seen in the tables shown below.
The jobs with the greatest growth in the USA
JobProjected number of new jobs, 2022-32Projected job numbers, 2032Home health and personal care aide804,6004,520,200Software developer410,4002,004,900Restaurant cook277,6001,638,900Stocker/order filler178,6003,030,400Registered nurse177,4003,349,900
The fastest-growing jobs in the USA
JobProjected growth rate, 2022-32 (per cent)Projected job numbers, 2032Wind turbine service technician4516,500Nurse practitioner45384,900Data scientist35229,200Statistician3243,900Information security analyst32222,300As this shows, the most in-demand jobs in the USA will continue to be diverse. However, it is also clear that several of those listed above are best suited to students of science,engineering or mathematics technology, . To discover even more jobs along these lines, read our list of top careers for STEM graduates.
What jobs can help you get a USA visa?
Unlike some countries, the USA does not have an official list of jobs that can give extra support to visa applications. However, it does reserve some of the 140,000 employment-based visas it issues each year for people with certain qualifications, skills and experience.
Specifically, it offers 28.6 per cent of these visas (approximately 40,000) to applicants in each of the following three categories:
EB-2: Professionals Holding Advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability
EB-3: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Unskilled Workers (Other Workers)
EB-1: Priority Workers and Persons of Extraordinary Ability
This is separate to the process for graduate work permits. If you intend to stay in the country after completing your education there, see our guide to applying for a post-study visa in the USA.
Keen to learn more about working in the USA post-education? Read our guides to the top graduate jobs and finding a graduate career in the country. Or, if you are already thinking about the part of the country in which you’d like to work, explore the cities with the best job markets in the USA.