The Top Job Trends to Watch in 2019

With 2018 winding down, we thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the biggest career trends coming up in the New Year. For all the job seekers, career changers, and everybody else who wants to know more about what to expect from 2019, here is a breakdown of some of the top industry trends and high-demand jobs to watch in the coming year.

Five of the Top Jobs for 2019

Predicting job growth isn’t an exact science. Keep in mind that each company or resource that releases a list of the fastest growing jobs is often using their own data. A human resources firm or recruitment agency identifies trends based on the applicants and companies who work with them. LinkedIn pulls numbers from its users. This isn’t to say that any of the results are inaccurate, but it does account for some of the differences you might see.

For our purposes, we examined several different sources to identify some common threads that indicate industry-wide trends.* These jobs are not listed in order

1. Software Engineer. LinkedIn’s 2018 U.S. Emerging Jobs Report lists software engineer as the job with the highest demand for the upcoming year, with more than 80,000 job openings in the U.S. market. Software engineers require a plethora of technical skills, including software development and advanced coding.
2. Web Developer. Forbes reported this year on predictions for 2019 by the human resources consulting firm Robert Half, which lists web developer as next year’s fourth most in-demand job.The aforementioned LinkedIn report lists web development as one of the 10 biggest skills gaps in the market, indicating that workers who possess these skills will be in high demand.
3. Account Manager/Executive. Account manager and account executive also top LinkedIn’s list, with 16,000 and 17,000 job openings, respectively. Professionals tasked with managing account relationships work in various capacities, with a thorough knowledge of sales operations, customer relations, and marketing being essential to these roles.
4. Data Scientist. Both LinkedIn and Robert Half report that data scientists are also going to be in high demand for 2019, as companies continue to place an increasing emphasis on harnessing the full potential of their data, diving deep into customer behavior and industry trends.
5. Financial planning and analysis manager. Always in demand are professionals with advanced analysis and management skills when it comes to assessing and maintaining a company or individual’s financial health. Financial services professionals can work in a wide variety of different settings.

Top Job Market Trends for 2019

Anybody keeping a finger on the pulse of the job market for 2019 should take into account, not just specific jobs, but general trends in the market as well. These broader trends imply changes in the ways companies are hiring, the skills they are looking for, and the shape of your competition. Learning how to navigate industry trends can give you an advantage when you apply for jobs. Here are some trends to keep an eye on in 2019:

1. Machine learning will make for a more dynamic job search. The online job search is evolving as new advances in AI (artificial intelligence) and data mining are allowing job boards or sites like LinkedIn to do more than just aggregate job postings. Machine learning technology will enable these resources to leverage insights from your experience and behavior to surface far relevant job postings that are a good fit for your skills and better tailored to your search.
2. Soft skills and a variety of expertise will move to the forefront of hiring practices. The 2000’s have thus far seen a massive boon in the number of startups and tech companies, and these companies have placed a heavy emphasis on hiring people with a suite of technical skills—software engineers, data scientists, web developers. These positions will no doubt always be in demand, but many companies are shifting their focus to hire people with the skills necessary to market their products and manage relationships. Account executives, sales representatives, social media marketers, project managers—hiring for these positions is expected to be a major trend in 2019.
3. Inclusion becomes the natural progression of diversity practices. Diversity in hiring practices has been a major trend in recent years, with companies realizing the importance of hiring across genders and ethnicities. This trend is certain to continue even beyond 2019, but the concept of inclusion is also becoming an important focus. Employers are realizing it isn’t enough to hire diverse candidates; in order to foster a healthy company culture and retain those candidates, employers must ensure that they feel included. How companies address the need for inclusion remains to be seen, but we can expect more initiatives and support in place to make sure that diverse candidates feel accepted and satisfied in their places of work.