The Most In-Demand Jobs Of 2022

The Most In-Demand Jobs Of 2021

In a year marked by record resignations, widespread labor shortages, and a "battle for talent" that has left companies scrambling, it's no surprise that job vacancies were at an all-time high in 2022.

However, there are two distinct tendencies in which job posts increased the most between 2021 and 2022. On the one hand, there were occupations that were wiped out in 2020 but resurfaced in the last year: Event experts, bartenders, massage therapists, and food servers all witnessed a 60 percent increase in job postings.

On the other hand, while the epidemic leaves persistent scars on the retail environment and upends our consumption habits, demand for positions that imply potential permanent pandemic-fueled transformations, such as triple digit rises in posts for truck drivers and warehouse logistics employees, remained strong.

"It's a reflection not just of a shift in transportation and logistics, but of our culture in general," says Raleen Gagnon, vice president of market intelligence at ManpowerGroup, which conducted the research for Forbes. "It's a societal issue," she says.

From the end of 2020 to the end of 2021, the number of job listings for truck drivers increased by 761 percent, as the sector battles with retention issues due to inefficiencies, working conditions, and wages, which have aggravated this year's supply chain disruptions.

Every week, ManpowerGroup's market intelligence department analyzes millions of job posts across more than 200 job boards, removing duplicates and determining which job titles and job types are most in demand by employers. According to Forbes, the investigation examines the rise in job listings from December 2021 to December 2022indicating some seasonal year-end hiring.

Professional, technical, and white-collar hiring is often higher in the first two quarters of the year, which might explain why the current list is heavy on hourly pay and lower-skilled professions, some of which are in high demand over the holidays. But it's also because, according to Michael Stull, senior vice president of Manpower North America, most of the 'Great Resignation' has been among low-wage workers who have attempted to shift to higher-paying jobs due to labor shortages.

This is where it is now that demand is returning and there is a large gap between workers. Every day, here is where the economy's agony is felt," Stull explains.

Nonetheless, Gagnon points out that the current list's surge in white-collar job ads is remarkable and illustrates the pandemic's impact.

Following years of job growth in the computer industry, a surge in software engineering positions is unsurprising. However, Gagnon points out that a 49 percent spike in those posts over the last year, when digital workplace and other software demands skyrocketed, is noteworthy, exceeding the pre-pandemic typical yearly growth of approximately 10%. Meanwhile, the 107 percent increase in demand for finance, data, and business analysts reflects the difficulty many companies have estimating their demands and future performance.

"There's no easy way to compare and forecast where you're going," Gagnon adds, since "there's a lot of unknowns still." "Businesses are doubling down on analyst positions." There are so many additional factors in their new models that aren't taken into consideration. "You need new eyes," she adds, pointing out that she leads a market intelligence team at Manpower that has grown by 50% since Covid-19 began. "Those roles will remain popular."

Recruiters are also expected to be in high demand in 2022. For two reasons, demand for recruiters increased by 146 percent between 2020 and 2021. One is that many were laid off in 2020 and went into other sales professions (there is a lot of overlap in abilities, according to Gagnon), making it difficult to rehire them. Rather than furloughing recruiters in 2020, one client, she claims, shifted them to aid sales teams in call centers. "They all turned it down since they were making more money in customer sales," says the business, when they were offered opportunities to return to human resources.

Recruiter demand is also encouraged, according to Stull, by companies' probably mistaken idea that employing more recruiters will help them fill manpower vacancies. "Everyone is aware of the issue, and they are attempting to address it by employing additional recruiters." They believe they will be able to recruit more people when, in fact, the economics of labor have transformed," Stull argues. "Employers must create better job designs."

The spike in demand for registered nurses across the country, but especially in the country's emergency facilities, which have been overrun by patients sick with Covid-19, is likely the most illuminating of the pandemic's influence on job listings in 2020 and 2021.

After two years of combating the coronavirus, some nurses are departing due to vaccine restrictions, while others are weary due to a lack of capacity and long hours. Gagnon claims that nurses are "burning out." They just can't get enough people to fill the rosters." With the rapid advent of the omicron variety, it's one job that will sadly be in great demand in 2022 as well.