Ask any job seeker today and they’ll likely tell you it’s a challenging time to be looking for work.
If you’re wondering where the jobs are, LinkedIn offers a look in a new ranking. The professional networking site on Wednesday released its annual Jobs on the Rise list identifying the 25 fastest-growing occupations in the US based on data from the past 2.5 years.
The ranking takes into account millions of jobs that LinkedIn members started from Jan. 1, 2023 to July 31, 2025 to calculate a growth rate for each job title. To be ranked, a job title needed to show consistent, positive growth across LinkedIn’s membership base, and to have grown by 2025 to a meaningful size, which LinkedIn says varies by market and year based on total available jobs.
Jobs in AI make up three of the top five positions on the list, indicating “continued momentum in both technical and strategic AI roles,” the report says.
Self-employed careers also took up several spots, like strategic advisors and independent consultants at No. 7 and founders at No. 9. In addition, the number of members adding “founder” to their profile has climbed 60% year-over-year, a December LinkedIn report noted, and nearly tripled since 2022.
“Rising costs and economic uncertainty may be pushing many to rethink the traditional career ladder, which may no longer feel as secure or linear as it once did,” LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher tells CNBC Make It. She notes that “founder” on LinkedIn’s list refers not only to startup founders but also to people building side hustles, consulting brands, microbusinesses and creator-led services.
“Full-time roles are still important, but contract work, advisory roles and portfolio careers are fast becoming a strategic way to build experience, stay competitive and create opportunity for yourself,” she says.
For job seekers trying to break into the roles or industries that made the list, take stock of the skills you already have.
“The most successful pivots aren’t about starting from scratch — they’re about translating existing skills into new contexts,” Fisher says. “Spending time thinking about the skills you have and how they might transfer to one of these growing roles can help unlock opportunities for job seekers.”
Here are the top 10 jobs on the rise from LinkedIn’s list, as well as their most common skills, hiring hot spots, and roles people switched from for these.
You can find all 25 jobs on LinkedIn’s list here.
1. AI engineers
Most common skills: LangChain, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), PyTorch
Where the most jobs are: San Francisco, New York City, Dallas
Top roles transitioned from: Software Engineer, Data Scientist, Full Stack Engineer
2. AI consultants and strategists
Most common skills: Large Language Models (LLM), MLOps, Computer Vision
Where the most jobs are: San Francisco, New York City, Boston
Top roles transitioned from: Founder, Software Engineer, Product Manager
3. New home sales specialists
Most common skills: Residential Real Estate, Real Estate Transactions, Buyer Representation
Where the most jobs are: Houston, Dallas, Orlando
Top roles transitioned from: Real Estate Agent, Sales Manager, Property Advisor
4. Data annotators
Most common skills: SEO Copywriting, Content Marketing, Content Production
Where the most jobs are: Austin, New York City, San Francisco
Top roles transitioned from: Content Manager, Editor, Data Analyst
5. AI/ML researchers
Most common skills: PyTorch, Deep Learning, Computer Vision
Where the most jobs are: San Francisco, New York City, Boston
Top roles transitioned from: Data Scientist, Software Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer
6. Health-care reimbursement specialists
Most common skills: Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement, Prior Authorization, Managed Care
Where the most jobs are: New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles
Top roles transitioned from: Account Manager, Medical Biller, Sales Specialist
7. Strategic advisors and independent consultants
Most common skills: Executive Advisory, Go-to-Market Strategy, Strategic Partnerships
Where the most jobs are: New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.
Top roles transitioned from: Chief Executive Officer, Founder, Chief Operating Officer
8. Advertising sales specialists
Most common skills: Media Planning, Social Media Optimization (SMO), Paid Social Media Advertising
Where the most jobs are: New York City, Detroit, Atlanta
Top roles transitioned from: Account Executive, Sales Director, Advertising Manager
9. Founders
Most common skills: Start-up Leadership, Brand Development, Software Development
Where the most jobs are: New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Top roles transitioned from: Software Engineer, Product Manager, Managing Director
10. Sales executives
Most common skills: C-Level Management, International Sales, Sales Strategy
Where the most jobs are: Los Angeles, New York City, Dallas
Top roles transitioned from: Vice President of Global Sales, Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Business Development
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