Here Are 15 Jobs That Actually Grew During The Pandemic, According To Linkedin

Plus the education employers look for to get your foot in the door.

If there’s one thing we're learning from the pandemic, it’s that everything can change in an instant. Delivery replaced dining out and TP-hoarding and masks became A Thing. Who would’ve seen that coming?

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And unfortunately, unemployment rates hit a high of 14.7% in April (the highest rate since the Great Depression) and were particularly bad in industries that provide in-person services: like leisure and hospitality, which had an unemployment rate of over 39% that month.

But while some industries were hard hit, others soared.

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The Jobs on the Rise report from LinkedIn compared job data for April to October 2019 to the same time frame in 2020 to determine what jobs are in demand due to the effects of the pandemic. They then ranked the jobs using a combination of year-over-year growth rate combined with the actual amount of jobs available.

These were the heavy hitters on LinkedIn in 2020:

1. Professionals On The Frontlines Of E-Commerce

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LinkedIn notes that hiring for e-commerce roles jumped 73% between 2019 and 2020 — and hiring isn’t slowing down. As of January 2021, they reported over 400,000 open jobs in this field.

If you’re looking at entry-level jobs, some call for a high school diploma or GED; but if you wanna be the boss (and make the big bucks), you’ll likely need a bachelor’s degree and a few years of experience under your belt.

Top Job Titles: Personal Shopper, Fulfillment Specialist, Delivery Driver

Salary Range: $42,000 – $56,000

2. Loan And Mortgage Experts

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As the pandemic pushed us to spend more time at home, some folks actually found themselves looking to upgrade their living situation. And as a result, LinkedIn says that hiring for loan and mortgage experts jumped 59% year over year on their platform.

To get a job as a mortgage loan broker, Realtor.com notes that you must be licensed — a process that includes a 20-hour pre-licensure class and a test administered by the National Mortgage Licensing System. And a majority of hires (86%) also have at least a bachelor’s degree. One major bonus? LinkedIn reports that around 25% of loan officer job postings mention remote work.

Top Job Titles: Underwriter, Mortgage Loan Officer, Escrow Officer, Loan Closer

Salary Range: $43,700 – $60,000

3. Healthcare Supporting Staff

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Since the pandemic, we’re all highly aware of the work that doctors and nurses do, but what about those who sit at the front desk, help with billing, and manage our medical records? These supportive medical positions saw job postings increase by over 34% since 2019. And chances are, the trend will continue.

Even though they're not necessarily diagnosing people or prescribing medications in these roles, 83% of hires have at least a bachelor’s degree. And job descriptions tend to call for skills like data entry and patient education.

Top Job Titles: Healthcare Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, Dental Assistant, Home Health Aide

Salary Range: $65,300 – $106,000

4. Business Development And Sales Professionals

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Companies that were hard-hit by the pandemic hired people who could help them bring in new business or pivot to fill a new need, while businesses that the pandemic affected positively hired to optimize growth. Either way, sales and business development jobs saw some serious growth in 2020, with hiring increasing by more than 45% from 2019.

Depending on the company and job level, some employers aren't necessarily looking for candidates with higher education, but most hires for these positions (a whopping 92%) had at least their bachelor’s degree.

Top Job Titles: Sales Consultant, Sales Operations Assistant, Inbound Sales Specialist, Strategic Adviser

Salary Range: $43,300 – $105,000

5. Experts In Workplace Diversity

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The pandemic wasn’t the only thing to happen in 2020; social movements like Black Lives Matter gained momentum across the country, bringing much-needed attention to the effects of systemic racism on all aspects of life in America, including at work. In response, many companies hired diversity experts to help them create a more inclusive future, resulting in a 90% hiring increase from 2019.

For this high-level role, most hires have at least a bachelor’s degree, and companies search for skills like teaching, community outreach, and organizational development.

Top Job Titles: Diversity Manager, Diversity Officer, Head of Diversity, Diversity Coordinator

Salary Range: $72,900 – $97,000

6. Digital Marketing Professionals

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With so many people online at all hours of the day, digital marketing reigned supreme in 2020. Hiring grew by almost 33% year over year, with companies searching out people with product marketing, digital strategy, and brand management experience. Oh, and a bachelor’s degree in 94% of hires.

Top Job Titles: Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Marketing Representative, Search Engine Optimization Specialist

Salary Range: $48,000 – $96,000

7. Nurses

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You knew this one was coming. Someone has to administer all those COVID-19 tests and vaccines. But the hiring boom wasn't just in hospitals and testing centers; nurses were hired to work in care facilities, urgent care centers, and schools, too. All told, the demand for this job grew almost 30% year over year.

LinkedIn reports that 89% of hires had at least a bachelor’s degree; but if you’re looking to make a quick career change (and don’t have a bachelor’s), you can get a nursing diploma from a vocational school or your associate’s degree in nursing from a community college. No matter what, you’ll also need to get licensed and pass a nursing-specific exam before you can get the gig (or earn your scrubs).

Top Job Titles: Registered Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant, Nurse Practitioner, Intensive Care Nurse

Salary Range: $73,000 – $111,000

8. Education Professionals

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2020 was a weird year for education to say the least. But as schools, universities, and private education companies adapted to the shift to remote learning, they also had to hire new staff — like tutors and educator support workers. It was an industry that grew more than 20% year over year.

As you might imagine, most education professionals need to be well educated (approximately 97% of those hired have a bachelor’s degree). Job postings tend to look for people with experience in lesson planning and differentiated instruction. (If the latter isn’t a sign of the times, I don’t know what is.)

Top Job Titles: Teaching Assistant, Elementary School Teacher, Mathematics Tutor, Curriculum Developer

Salary Range: $46,500 – $63,200

9. Digital Content Creators

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The internet has reigned supreme for many years, but in 2020, it became our lifeblood (or something like that). According to an academic article in the Elsevier Public Health Emergency Collection, the spring lockdown resulted in an internet services usage increase of 40 to 100% when compared to pre-lockdown levels. And while everyone was online, some were making money off of it. TikTok stars like Charli D'Amelio blew up, as did the digital content creator role as a whole (49% year over year, to be exact).

You don’t need any formal education to be the next Charli, but it takes time and hard work — and chances are you'll want to keep your day job. But it you've got a knack for content, you might be better off looking for a job as a content creator for an already established company. Just keep in mind that 92% of hires have a bachelor’s degree, per LinkedIn.

Top Job Titles: Content Coordinator, Writing Consultant, Podcaster, Blogger

Salary Range: $46,000 – $62,400

10. Professional And Personal Coaches

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If you were on the brink of changing careers (or changing up your entire life) in 2019, you probably took the leap in 2020, along with plenty of other people. To nurture the people and businesses making these big changes, hiring for coaching roles increased a whopping 51% in 2020.

To get a job as a coach, clients and employers look for a field-specific certification, experience in your coaching area, and a natural inclination toward entrepreneurship and mentorship (oh, and a great social media presence doesn't hurt either). In addition, 92% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Top Job Titles: Career Coordinator, Life Coach, Fitness Coach, Business Coach

Salary Range: $44,300 – $50,000

11. Specialized Engineers

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With work and play moving even further online in 2020, hiring for engineers (read: web and software developers) jumped by 25%. In short, companies that saw more usage in 2020 — like Zoom, Polygon, and Slack — need people to create the tech and keep it working.

While computer know-how, web development, and experience working with distributed systems is king, many companies look for a master's degree and 93% of hires have at least a bachelor’s degree. If you've got the skills and education, put your feet up AT HOME, because these jobs tend to be remote.

Top Job Titles: Web Developer, Full Stack Engineer, Frontend Developer, Game Developer

Salary Range: $77,500 – $104,000

12. Mental Health Specialists

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After months of uncertainty and social distancing, it makes sense that lots of people are ready for a mental health tune-up. To fill the growing need for mental support, companies hired therapists and counselors in droves, leading to a hiring increase of almost 24% between 2019 and 2020.

For many mental health positions, you’ll need a doctorate, while others look for a master’s (or even just a bachelor’s) in psychology, counseling, or social work.

Top Job Titles: Behavior Therapist, Mental Health Specialist, Psychotherapist, Mental Health Technician

Salary Range: $41,600 – $65,000

13. User Experience Professionals

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Behind every website and app, there's a team that designs its look, feel, and function. And as everyone became even more glued to their devices in 2020, hiring for these jobs went up by 20%.

To get the gig, employers look for experience with web design and user experience — and most likely a bachelor’s or even a master’s degree.

Top Job Titles: User Experience Designer, Product Design Consultant, User Interface Designer, User Experience Researcher

Salary Range: $80,000 – $103,000

14. Data Science Specialists

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The last few years have been full of conversations around data — what information companies can glean from users, how they can use that data, and what is and isn’t ethical. This ongoing collection of information relies on people who can pull the data, make sense of it, and come up with conclusions.

Since 2019, hiring for these roles jumped by almost 46%, while companies searched for highly educated (98% have a bachelor's degree — often in IT, computer science, or math — and many have a master's degree) applicants with skills in data visualization and statistical modeling.

Top Job Titles: Data Scientist, Data Science Specialist, Data Management Analyst

Salary Range: $100,000 – $130,000

15. Artificial Intelligence Practitioners

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Talk about an attention-grabbing job title! If the world of AI fascinates you, this industry is one to watch; it was booming before the pandemic and then grew hiring by an additional 32% between 2019 and 2020.

As you might imagine, you’ll at least need a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer technology to get even an entry-level job. Higher-up and higher-paid positions will likely be looking for someone with a master’s or even a doctorate in a computer-related field.

Top Job Titles: Machine Learning Engineer, Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Machine Learning Researcher

Salary Range: $124,000 – $150,000

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