Remote work is the new normal. Nearly two thirds of all companies based in the U.S. offer remote positions, and by 2025, it’s projected that 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least five days a month.
According to FlexJobs, the finance, healthcare, and real estate industries have all embraced remote work—but the fastest growing remote fields are in STEM, which grew by 50% in 2018 alone.
So, if you’re looking to transition into a career that will give you the kind of off-site freedom you crave, you need to know your opportunities. Here are 10 fast-growing jobs that are best suited to remote work.
Data Scientist
Average Salary: $124,860/year
For you data scientists, statisticians, and data analysts out there, the future is bright—job listings for remote data scientists increased 78% from 2015 to 2018. The prevalence of these roles says a lot about how badly businesses want to solve their problems using data-driven techniques.
Marketing Manager
Average salary: $66,167/year
If you’re in sales, marketing, or advertising, a remote or hybrid work schedule may be a perfect fit for your job. And what’s more, there’s currently a bit of a talent shortage, too. In its recent State of Remote Work survey, Buffer found that 18% of the nearly 2,500 remote workers surveyed worked in marketing or advertising, making it the second-largest group—after engineers (31% of respondents)—to adopt to a remote schedule.
DevOps Engineer
Average salary: $130,218/year
On the whole, engineering jobs are in high demand. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the ManpowerGroup, there’s a shortage of engineers in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting that engineering will grow 24% through 2026, more than three times all other occupations. FlexJobs also highlights the growing field of machine learning engineers, which saw 344% growth from 2015 to 2018. So, whether you’re a DevOps engineer, a mechanical engineer, or a systems engineer, there’s room for you.
HR Manager
Average salary: $72,144/year
Human resources and recruitment are the heart of any organization—and if you’ve got a talent for it, you can do it anywhere. That’s why more and more HR and recruitment positions are being offered with remote work options and benefits, both for virtual companies and traditional offices.
Physical Therapist
Average salary: $86,794/year
Physical therapy might seem like an outlier on this list, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the healthcare sector will have one of the highest changes in flexible employment by 2026. But that’s not the only remote healthcare job that’s growing: remote nurse practitioners experienced 28% growth in the last year, speech language pathologists grew 27%, and home health aides grew a whopping 37%.
Full-Stack Developer
Average salary: $106,112/year
Whether you do front-end, back-end, or both, remote web developers of all kinds are in high demand. From 2015 to 2018, job listings for full-stack developers increased by 206% on FlexJobs. But so did other kinds of developer postings, too. Software app developers saw 26% growth just in the last year, making it the 10th-fastest-growing remote job. It’s no wonder, then, that software developers hold the top spot on US News’s 100 Best Jobs list right now.
UX Designer
Average salary: $97,393/year
Product and interaction designers of all stripes are going to see above average growth in the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s more, the UX design process and workflow—with its emphasis on creative problem solving and research—is a good fit for a flexible remote work schedule. It’s best done in concentrated sprints.
Financial Consultant
Average salary: $90,025/year
Whether you’re working with individuals or corporations, financial planning and business development are growing fields that are well suited to the flexible schedule of remote working. In fact, senior financial consultant postings saw a 66% growth on FlexJobs in the past three years.
Litigation Attorney
Average salary: $95,190/year
These days, civil lawsuits are being handled more than ever by remote attorneys and associates. In the past three years, FlexJobs has seen an increase in remote litigation attorneys by 168%. This dramatic increase comes as somewhat of a surprise: Market trends show that law students have struggled to find work in the past decade. But new data suggests that’s about to change. According to a Pearson study, lawyers will be some of the most in-demand workers by 2030.
Systems Administrator
Average salary: $93,951/year
You might think that the daily management of a given company’s systems might have to be done in the office. But these days, a lot of IT infrastructure upkeep can happen remotely. That’s part of the reason why there’s been a spike in system administrator positions with remote work and flexible schedule options. It’s a stressful job—where problems need to be solved quickly and efficiently. But, luckily, remote working is good at mitigating stress.
Finding the right job for you
As this list shows, if you’ve got great people skills and a background in science or engineering, then you were born to be a digital nomad. But things are looking up for you workers outside of STEM, too. Writers, educators, and designers are working from home more than ever. Administrators and managers across departments are, too—as businesses of all sizes change to meet today’s demands. Whatever your background, whatever your career, if you want to work remote, there’s a way to make it work.
Salary data courtesy of Ziprecruiter
This story is part of our new series on remote working. Like what you’re reading? Check out How to Stay Connected as a Remote Worker!
