The Most In-Demand Jobs Right Now

Two things are certain in life, and one of them is taxes. But in this unpredictable year even taxes can surprise you, as LinkedIn’s job posting data suggests: Over the past month, demand for Tax Specialists spiked by nearly 600%. 

That’s just one of the many insights you can find in this month’s readout of the jobs with the fastest-growing demand and most demand overall. You’ll also see:

• Dotnet Developers are in high demand ahead of a major tech update
• An array of retail jobs are on the rise
• Drivers are continuing to fuel the economy, in more ways than one 

This post is updated monthly to help talent leaders and recruiters make hiring decisions, manage expectations, and better understand the competitive talent landscape. Find all the data below, followed by a quick analysis of what it might mean.

Demand for tax specialists rises in concert with tax deadlines 

Lots of people put off their taxes until the last minute, and businesses may not be so different. The dramatic rise in job posts for Tax Specialists in October — nearly a 7x increase month-over-month — coincided with this year’s extended tax filing deadline of October 15 in the United States. Tax Specialist was also the #1 job with the fastest-growing demand back in July, ahead of the July 15 tax deadline (which itself was a COVID-era extension of the usual April deadline). 

Taxes are especially complicated this year, thanks to rapidly changing regulations in light of COVID. Looking at this Google Trends chart, you can see interest usually spikes around two dates every year: the January 31 deadline for U.S. employers, and the April 15 deadline for individual tax returns. But 2020 breaks that pattern by adding two extra spikes around July 15 and October 15. 

The lesson for recruiters: If you need to hire for tax-related positions, act earlier than you think you need to — or you’ll face steep competition. You can also probably expect to see another spike right before January 31, so it might be easier to make those hires in November or December. 

Dotnet Developers are in high demand just before a major update to the technology

Software developers are perennially in high demand, but this past month saw a sharp spike for one particular type: Dotnet Developers. (Full disclosure: Dotnet, also styled .NET, is an open-source software framework developed by Microsoft, the parent company of LinkedIn.)

That may be because just a few days ago, Microsoft released .NET 5.0 — a major update to the framework that was announced over a year ago. It also kicked off the .NET Conference, which ran from November 10 to 12. 

We should note, as staffing agency Robert Half pointed out back in 2017, that “Dotnet Developer” is a broad term. “So to say you need a .NET developer is like telling your barber to give you a haircut,” advised Robert Half. “It’s a good start, but without more information, you may not get exactly what you’re looking for.” 

Recruiters should be sure to dive deep into what the job requires, beyond familiarity with the .NET framework. This is best done as early as possible in the in-take meeting.

Retail jobs continue to see rapidly rising demand 

Over the past month, not much changed on our list of the most in-demand jobs overall (i.e., the roles with the most job posts on LinkedIn) — with the notable exception of Tax Specialist and Retail Salesperson, both of which jumped ten or more ranks to make it on the list.  

The list of the jobs with the fastest-growing demand is more sensitive to short-term changes (as it captures the great increases in job posts month-over-month) — and that’s where we see a whole host of retail positions. Jobs with rising demand like Retail Associate, Merchandiser, and Fulfillment Specialist — covering both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce businesses — will probably see demand continue to grow as we enter the holiday season. 

Drivers are fueling the economy 

With the COVID-19 lockdowns, drivers have been more essential than ever — from ride-sharing services that may be safer than public transportation, to food delivery services that have helped many restaurants survive. 

Driver and Food Delivery Driver are still on the top 10 list of most in-demand jobs, as they were last month. But there’s another driving-related job that joined the group of jobs with the fastest-growing demand for the first time: Automotive Technician. 

It’s a simple reminder of how interconnected our economy is, where an uptick in one area can cause significant ripple effects across other industries. It could also be a sign that people began to travel more in October — many areas saw driving pick up as people let their guard down around pandemic restrictions. 

That trend could reverse itself quickly, though, with many countries re-introducing lockdown measures as COVID-19 cases rise again leading up to the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Check back on this post in mid-December, when we’ll be ready to share the latest data from November. 

Methodology

Based on global LinkedIn data on all premium job posts in August and September. The most in-demand jobs are those with the highest number of job posts. The jobs with the fastest-growing demand are those with the biggest percentage growth in the number of job posts, from August 2020 to September 2020; jobs with fewer than 500 job posts in August were excluded.

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