15 most in-demand jobs in 2021, according to LinkedIn

FASTEST-GROWING JOBS: Know the most in-demand and fastest-growing jobs today. In a recent report, LinkedIn ranked them according to demand and the number of job positions offered. It’s a break from the past 5 years, when LinkedIn focused on job trends. Given the dramatic shift in the nature of work over the past 12 months, the report has shifted its attention to current job opportunities.

LINKEDIN DATA SEARCH: LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network on the internet, said they looked at job postings between April and October 2020, grouped the results into 15 job areas —with each capturing a range of specific, but related, job titles and compared the growth on a year-over-year basis. Following are the top jobs for 2021 on the network's list:

#1. FRONTLINE E-COMMERCE STAFF: 73% spike in job posts for this sought-after position. Related job titles: driver, supply chain associate, package handler, personal shopper. Skills required: time management, customer service, leadership.

#2. LOAN AND MORTGAGE ADVISORS/EXPERTS: 59% increase in relevant job postings for this job category. Related job titles: underwriter, mortgage loan officer, escrow officer, loan closer. Skills required: risk management, customer service, credit analysis.

#3. HEALTHCARE SUPPORT STAFF: 34% increase in positions opened in this category. Related job titles: Healthcare assistant, pharmacy technician, dental assistant, home health aide. Skills required: patient education, data entry, physician relations. LinkedIn reported that 83% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

#4. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, SALES PROFESSIONALS: 45% increase in hiring for roles in this category. Related job titles: Sales consultant, sales operations assistant, inbound sales specialist, strategic advisor. Skills required: Customer retention, sales process, team building.

#5. WORKPLACE DIVERSITY EXPERTS: 90% increase in hiring for this category (especially in the US). Related job titles: Diversity manager, diversity officer, head of diversity, diversity coordinator. Skills required: Community outreach, teaching, organisational development.

#6. DIGITAL MARKETING PROFESSIONALS: 33% increase. Related job titles: Digital marketing specialist, social media manager, marketing representative, search engine optimisation specialist. Skills required: product marketing, digital strategy, brand management.

#7. NURSES: 30% rise in demand. Related job titles: Registered nurse, certified nursing assistant, nurse practitioner, intensive care nurse. Skills required: patient advocacy, clinical research, time management.

#8. EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS: 20% increase in demand. Related job titles: Teaching assistant, elementary school teacher, mathematics tutor, curriculum developer. Skills required: lesson planning, time management, differentiated instruction.

#9. DIGITAL CONTENT CREATORS: 49% increase. Related job titles: Content coordinator, writing consultant, podcaster, blogger. Skills required: video editing, creative writing, public speaking.

#10. PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL COACHES: 51% increase in hiring since 2019. Related job titles: career coordinator, life coach, fitness coach, business coach. Skills required: mentoring, social media, entrepreneurship.

#11. SPECIALISED ENGINEERS: 25% increase. Related job titles: Web developer, full stack engineer, front-end developer, game developer. Skills required: Program management, web development, distributed systems.

#12. MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALISTS: 24% year-over-year. Related job titles: Behaviour therapist, mental mealth specialist, psychotherapist, mental health technician. Skills required: Play therapy, mindfulness, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

#13. USER EXPERIENCE (UX) PROFESSIONALS: 20% increase in hiring. Related job titles: User experience designer, product design consultant, user interface designer, user experience researcher. Skills required: Web design, design thinking, UX testing.

#14. DATA SCIENCE SPECIALISTS: 46% increase in demand. Related job titles: Data scientist, data science specialist, data management analyst. Skills required: TensorFlow, statistical modelling, data visualisation.

#15. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PRACTITIONERS. 32% increase in hiring in this category between 2019 and 2020. Top job title: Machine learning engineer, AI Specialist, machine learning researcher. Skills required: C++, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python (Programming Language).