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Sales jobs have undergone significant transformations in recent decades. In the past, aggressive product pitching was the norm in manufacturing-centric models. However, with the shift towards a service-based economy, salespeople are now required to consultatively solve problems and sell solutions instead of just products.
Despite these changes, one thing remains constant: sales is still crucial to businesses and continues to be in high demand. According to LinkedIn data, the share of paid job posts for sales agents and customer assistants has more than doubled in the past three months, making them the top two jobs with the fastest-growing demand in the second quarter of 2024. Additionally, salesperson remains the single most in-demand role overall.
The Most In-Demand Jobs Right Now
Whether you’re recruiting for these specific roles or are interested in broader labor market trends, here are the full rankings and reflections on the most in-demand jobs.
Note: This story is updated quarterly to help talent professionals manage expectations, inform hiring decisions, and understand the changing landscape of the talent market.
Jobs with the Fastest-Growing Demand: Sales and Customer Service Roles Rise to the Top
Four out of the top ten roles with the fastest-growing demand fall under the sales and customer service functions. In addition to sales agent and customer assistant, floor manager and customer service supervisor also saw about a 50% increase in their share of paid job posts on LinkedIn. It’s worth noting that the role of solicitor, which refers to legal practitioners in many Commonwealth countries, also made the list as the job with the third-fastest growing demand.
Jobs with the Fastest-Growing Demand (QoQ)
Roles with the greatest quarter-over-quarter increase in share of paid job posts, Q2 (April 1 – June 30, 2024) vs. Q1 (January 1 – March 31, 2024):
- Sales agent (+163% increase)
- Customer assistant (+118%)
- Solicitor (+85%)
- PHP developer (+76%)
- Patient coordinator (+76%)
- Medical doctor (+71%)
- Payroll clerk (+71%)
- Director of analytics (+53%)
- Floor manager (+51%)
- Customer service supervisor (+50%)
The healthcare sector, which has been facing staffing shortages even before the pandemic, also saw increased demand for roles such as patient coordinator and medical doctor, with both experiencing over 70% quarter-over-quarter increases. Fortunately, there has been a 35% growth in the talent pool of healthcare workers on LinkedIn over the past five years.
Two tech roles, PHP developer and director of analytics, also saw significant increases in demand, with approximately 75% and 50% increases, respectively. PHP developers focus on web development, while directors of analytics oversee data-driven decision-making.
Most In-Demand Jobs Overall: Rankings Remarkably Stable, with Sales and Engineering Still on Top
While the previous list focused on the biggest increases in demand over the past quarter, the following list highlights the jobs with the highest overall demand, based on the number of paid job posts on LinkedIn. This list provides a snapshot of the top jobs and is not expected to change significantly from quarter to quarter.
Most In-Demand Jobs (Q2 2024)
Roles with the greatest number of paid LinkedIn job posts, Q2 (April 1 – June 30, 2024):
- Salesperson (no change in rank vs. previous quarter)
- Retail salesperson (no change)
- Software engineer (no change)
- Registered nurse (no change)
- Project manager (no change)
- Sales manager (no change)
- Customer service representative (no change)
- Full stack engineer (no change)
- Driver (+13)
- Cashier (+8)
Sales continues to hold the top spot, followed by engineering, nursing, and project management, all maintaining their positions from the previous quarter. The only changes were the rise and return of driver and cashier jobs, both of which are frontline roles that have appeared on this list in the past.
Final Thoughts
The strong demand for sales and frontline retail roles may be attributed to the decreasing risks of a global recession. This trend, coupled with the increased demand for roles in healthcare, administration, and information technology, underscores the dynamic nature of the job market. As businesses navigate these changes, staying informed and adaptable is key to meeting evolving demands.
Methodology
The data used for this analysis is based on global LinkedIn data on all premium job posts from January 2024 to June 2024. The most in-demand jobs are determined by the highest number of job posts in the most recent quarter (April 1 – June 30, 2024). The jobs with the fastest-growing demand are identified by the greatest growth rate, calculated by comparing the share of job posts in the most recent quarter to the previous quarter (January 1 – March 31, 2024). Roles with fewer than 1,000 job posts in either quarter and roles dominated by a single company were excluded from the analysis.
