Jobs in the health care sector were ranked the most attractive in U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 Best Jobs rankings. Engineering jobs remain intriguing according to the list, but don’t offer top-end lure.
Released Tuesday, the rankings include a list of the “100 Best Jobs” for 2016, all of which were graded on various criteria: salary, job growth, unemployment rates, work-life balance, level of stress, ability to properly challenge employees, and room for advancement. The 100 top jobs come from 12 different sectors.
The upper portion of the rankings was littered with health care-related jobs, with nine of the top 10 careers falling into that category. The top five careers were, in order, orthodontist, dentist, computer systems analyst (the only non-healthcare sector job in the top 10), nurse anesthetist, and physician assistant.
“Health care support occupations, for which demand is expected to grow as Baby Boomers age, are great opportunities for entry-level job seekers or those making a mid-career change,” said Susannah Snider, careers editor at U.S. News. “These positions offer robust job growth and relatively low-stress without requiring an expensive postgraduate degree.”
The rankings included a list of the “Best Engineering Jobs.” Those jobs are: cartographer, 21; biomedical engineer, 27; mechanical engineer, 38; environmental engineer, 41; civil engineer, 64; and environmental engineering technician, and architect, both of which were not in the top 100.
U.S. News said the engineering jobs it honored are diverse and well-paying, but stood a bit lower on the list due to a slower than average rate of job growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, it said, expects the engineering sector to grow at just a three percent rate by 2024. Despite the lower than average ranking, there should be 67,000 new engineering jobs by that time.
Also worth noting, software developer was ranked 13 on the list, while information security analyst ranked 34.
“An improving economy and increasing employment rate means Americans should have more career options,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News. “Best Jobs allows individuals to search and compare professions to find opportunities that suit their specific career goals and lifestyle needs.”
For a complete look at U.S. News’ rankings, click here.
Filed Under: Infrastructure