U.S. News and World Report’s new ranking of the best jobs makes it clear which sectors are growing, and what skills hiring managers are looking for.<\/p>\n
Jobseekers are in a tough spot to start 2026, with an uncertain economy slowing hiring. U.S. News and World Report\u2019s new ranking of the best jobs makes it clear which sectors are growing, and what skills hiring managers are looking for.<\/p>\n
Jobs in health care and technology top the publication\u2019s list, and in a world where the use of artificial intelligence is surging, the most desired skills are those that can\u2019t be replicated by a machine.<\/p>\n
The new rankings judged careers based on the amount of sustained growth, how well they pay, supply and demand of skilled workers in those fields, the safety, well-being and security of those jobs, and work-life balance that comes with them.<\/p>\n
Topping the list, for the third year in a row, was nurse practitioner, a job that won\u2019t pay as well as being a doctor, but also doesn\u2019t require the same amount of time and education to attain the job.<\/p>\n
Rounding out the top 10 was, in order, financial manager, IT manager, information security analyst, physician assistant, medical and health services manager, software developer, data scientist, speech-language pathologist and pilot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s interesting to see that three of the titles in our top 10 list have the word manager at the end,\u201d said Carly Chase, vice president and general manager of careers at U.S. News. \u201cBecause I do think that decision making skill, that skill of being able to insert your judgment \u2026 will continue to be prescient even as we transition AI into the jobs that we all do.\u201d<\/p>\n
It reinforces the notion that to AI-proof your career, accentuating creativity, leadership and judgment will go a long way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, the easiest way to talk about it is like \u2026 humans have to be better at being humans,\u201d Chase said. \u201cWe have to be great communicators. We have to have good judgment. We have to be creative. I think that\u2019s really what we bring as humans to the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 20% of the top jobs also don\u2019t require a college degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo something like aircraft mechanic is our best paying job without a college degree,\u201d Chase said. \u201cAnd then other types of sales and customer-oriented, again, those jobs that don\u2019t require a lot of technical skills, but require a lot of human skills, like flight attendant, sales rep \u2014 just dealing with people.\u201d<\/p>\n
So anyone seeking a job or looking to grow in their career, Chase said, can take something away from the insights in the list.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were thinking about, sort of, \u2018How do I want to grow in my job, and how do I want to AI-proof myself?\u2019 really focusing on those durable and soft skills, I think, is definitely a thing that everybody should be thinking about,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Check out the rankings on the U.S. News website<\/a>.<\/p>\n