In the past few years, job vacancies in America have grown to levels not seen since records began. With more than seven million positions currently open, it is a great time to look at a career in the country. What's more, many roles are expected to become even more needed over the next few years. We explore all of this below, in our guide to the most in-demand jobs in the USA.
What job roles have the most vacancies in the USA?
Official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the job category with the most openings in the USA is healthcare and social assistance. In March 2025, there were around 1.4 million vacancies in this area, accounting for almost one in five of all job openings in the country.
Jobs in the category include both specialist medical roles and those that support them, often in an administrative capacity. This means everything from doctors to dentists, surgeons and speech therapists, as well as secretaries, managers and transcribers.
One area in which demand is particularly high is home healthcare. Around 719,000 openings for home health and personal care aides are expected each year until 2033. By this point, the number of positions in the role is projected to be 820,500 higher than in 2023. This is the largest expected growth of any occupation in the USA, reflecting a trend towards healthcare provided in home and community settings, rather than a clinical one.
Another role that holds great opportunity is that of nurse. Registered nurse jobs are projected to grow by 197,000 between 2023 and 2033, which is the sixth-largest expected growth of all occupations. Similarly, the related role of nurse practitioner is expected to undergo the third-fastest growth in that ten-year period. An additional 135,500 jobs are expected in the role by 2033, creating a total of 428,000.
Does working in health sound good to you? Take a look at our guide to the top medical schools in the USA.
The sectors with the next most job openings are professional and business services (1.32 million) and trade, transportation and utilities (974,000). As both are wide-ranging, it is worth breaking them down to look more closely at the opportunities they hold.
Professional and business services is a very broad category, which covers everything from software developers and accountants to security guards and cleaners. Both of the former two jobs are among the 20 with the largest expected growth up to 2033.
In 2023, there were 1.56 million positions for accountants and auditors in the USA, and this number is projected to grow by another 91,000 over the following decade. In the same period, the number of positions for software developers is projected to increase by 303,000, reaching a total of two million. This is the second-largest expected growth of any occupation.
If one of these jobs has your interest, we can help. Begin exploring with our guide to the best universities for computer science, or the best business schools in the USA.
Occupations in trade and transportation include many at different stages of America's supply chain. Specifically, these can be jobs such as truck driver, warehouse operator and cashier, held by millions of people in the country. Utilities workers, meanwhile, focus on maintaining America's gas, electricity and water systems. As such, there is a great call for people with engineering degrees in this area.
If keeping the country's infrastructure going appeals to you, find out more with our guide to the best universities for engineering in the USA.
What job roles are growing in the USA?
There are several more occupations for which job numbers are projected to grow considerably in the coming years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks these in terms of speed (percentage increase) and volume (overall increase). The top five on both measures can be seen in the tables below.
The fastest-growing jobs in the USA
| Job | Projected growth rate, 2023-33 (per cent) | Projected job numbers, 2033 |
| Wind turbine service technician | 60 | 18,200 |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | 48 | 37,000 |
| Nurse practitioner | 46 | 427,900 |
| Data scientist | 36 | 276,000 |
| Information security analyst | 33 | 239,800 |
The jobs with the greatest growth in the USA
| Job | Projected number of new jobs, 2023-33 | Projected job numbers, 2033 |
| Home health and personal care aide | 820,500 | 4,782,400 |
| Software developer | 303,700 | 1,995,700 |
| Restaurant cook | 244,500 | 1,678,600 |
| Fast food and counter workers | 212,500 | 3,946,500 |
| General and operations managers | 210,400 | 3,840,500 |
As this shows, the most in-demand jobs in the USA will continue to be diverse. However, it is also clear that several of those listed above are best suited to students of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. To discover even more jobs along these lines, read our list of top careers for STEM graduates.
What jobs can help you get a USA visa?
Unlike some countries, the USA does not have an official list of jobs that can give extra support to visa applications. However, it does reserve some of the 140,000 employment-based visas it issues each year for people with certain qualifications, skills and experience.
Specifically, it offers 28.6 per cent of these visas (approximately 40,000) to applicants in each of the following three categories:
- EB-1: Priority Workers and Persons of Extraordinary Ability
- EB-2: Professionals Holding Advanced Degrees and Persons of Exceptional Ability
- EB-3: Skilled Workers, Professionals, and Unskilled Workers (Other Workers)
This is separate to Optional Practical Training (OPT), the system under which most international graduates find work in America. You can learn all about this from our guide to applying for a post-study visa in the USA.
Keen to learn more about working in America after your studies? Read our guides to the top employers and finding a graduate career in the country. Or, if you are thinking about where in the country you would like to work, explore the best cities for jobs in the USA. If you want a job while you study, you can get to know your international student work rights in the USA.
Chat with Couru
