Top 25 Fastest-Growing Jobs in the U.S. (2026)
AI Engineers – Build AI models for complex tasks; median 3.7 years’ experience; 26% remote, 27% hybrid; 23% female. AI Consultants & Strategists – Plan and implement AI solutions; median 8.2 years; 30% remote, 33% hybrid; 18% female. New Home Sales Specialists – Guide buyers through new construction; median 6.5 years; primarily onsite; 57% female. Data Annotators – Label and review data for AI training; median 3.5 years; 28% remote, 29% hybrid; 62% female. AI/ML Researchers – Design and test AI algorithms; median 3 years; 16% remote, 24% hybrid; 26% female. Healthcare Reimbursement Specialists – Manage billing/claims; median 8 years; 42% remote; 68% female. Strategic Advisors & Independent Consultants – Provide specialized guidance; median 8.1 years; 15% remote, 26% hybrid; 30% female. Advertising Sales Specialists – Sell media space; median 5.6 years; 25% remote, 29% hybrid; gender parity. Founders – Launch and grow businesses; median 5.9 years; 51% remote, 30% hybrid; 35% female. Sales Executives – Lead sales teams and strategy; median 8 years; 2% remote, 3% hybrid; 19% female. Commissioning Managers – Test and validate engineering projects; median 5.3 years; 18% remote, 15% hybrid; 7% female. Venture Partners – Source and advise on investments; median 6.3 years; 8% remote, 80% hybrid; 23% female. Field Marketing Representatives – Promote products in person; median 2.1 years; primarily onsite; 34% female. Fundraising Officers – Secure financial support for organizations; median 6.3 years; 14% remote, 35% hybrid; 66% female. Background Investigators – Verify personal/professional info; median 4.5 years; 13% remote, 81% hybrid; gender balanced. Business Development Executives – Build partnerships and revenue streams; median 7.4 years; 19% remote, 29% hybrid; 39% female. Datacenter Technicians – Install and maintain servers/hardware; median 3.8 years; 4% remote, 32% hybrid; 16% female. Travel Advisors – Plan and book travel; median 5.3 years; 15% remote, 4% hybrid; 82% female. Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners – Assess and treat mental health; median 6.3 years; 58% remote, 19% hybrid; 79% female. Quantitative Researchers & Analysts – Build models for finance; median 3.2 years; 7% remote, 35% hybrid; 24% female. Financial Advisors & Planners – Manage client finances; median 5.3 years; 5% remote, 34% hybrid; 27% female. Construction Project Leads – Oversee building projects; median 6 years; 10% hybrid; 14% female. Legal Researchers – Analyze legal info for policy/litigation; median 2.8 years; 42% remote, 17% hybrid; 64% female. Public Affairs Specialists – Manage public communications; median 5.5 years; 18% hybrid; 53% female. Benefits Advisors – Administer employee benefits programs; median 4.4 years; 56% remote, 8% hybrid; 54% female.
OpenAI published its first State of Enterprise AI report, drawing on usage data and a survey of 9,000 workers across nearly 100 companies. ChatGPT Enterprise messages have risen 8× year-over-year and the consumer version now serves more than 800 million weekly users. Structured workflows are up 19× this year, reasoning token consumption soared 320×, and 75% of employees say AI improves speed or quality. Workers report saving 40–60 minutes per day, with the fastest enterprise growth in technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and markets such as Australia and Brazil. The data reveals a widening gap: frontier workers send six times more messages than the median and frontier firms send twice as many per seat. OpenAI notes it now ships a new capability roughly every three days, making organizational readiness—not model performance—the core adoption hurdle.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox launched a “pro-human AI” initiative spanning workforce, industry, government, academia, public policy, and learning. The program sets aside $10 million to create curriculum that makes the state’s workforce “AI-ready.” Cox also unveiled an academic consortium to pursue “moonshot” breakthroughs in human-centered innovation. He said the 2026 legislative session will weigh rules to curb harmful chatbots, mandate deepfake transparency, and limit AI in health care. Cox argued Utah must act because Congress has not passed meaningful AI laws and should not block state authority. The combined training funds and guardrails show a state moving quickly to shape AI adoption on its own terms.
