AI engineers snagged the top spot on LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise list, a data-backed ranking of the 25 fastest-growing jobs over the past three years. As jobseekers navigate an increasingly uncertain job landscape, the ranking highlights where opportunity exists today. The list signals trends including AI’s transition from experimentation to integration (AI engineers, AI consultants and strategists, AI/ML researchers) and increasing numbers of professionals pursuing self-employed career paths (founders, strategic advisors, and independent consultants).
More than half of U.S. professionals (56%) say they plan to look for a new job in 2026, yet 76% feel unprepared for the search. Our new hiring data helps to explain why the U.S. job market still feels sluggish as this new year begins:
📌 Hiring remains subdued. While national hiring accelerated 6% month-over-month in December, it’s still down just over 2% relative to a year ago and continues to be 20% slower than in pre‑pandemic times.
📈 Competition among job seekers remains elevated. U.S. applicants per open role have doubled since the Spring of 2022. And according to new research from LinkedIn, nearly two-thirds (64%) of people in the U.S. say finding a job has become more challenging, citing competition as the main hurdle, followed by uncertainty about which roles they’re qualified for and skills gaps.
📉 Worker confidence is low. Our Workforce Confidence Index continues to remain subdued, down -4 points in comparison to last year. Unsurprisingly, active job seekers are feeling the least confident, with their confidence levels hovering around all-time lows.
📊 Certain corners of the labor market show signs of recovery. We saw hiring pick up year-over-year compared to December 2024 across industries like Manufacturing (+4%), Technology, Information and Media (+3%), and Entertainment Providers (+1%). And across metros, year-over-year hiring was strongest in Miami-Fort Lauderdale (+7%), and across the Midwest in Detroit (+6%), and Minneapolis-St. Paul (+5%).
We've identified some of the fastest-growing jobs across our platform and highlighted them in our new Jobs on the Rise list. Here are the key insights:
📍 AI continues to reshape the landscape. For the second year in a row, AI Engineers take the top spot, with additional AI-centric roles like AI Consultants, AI/ML Researchers, and Data Annotators rounding out the list. This signals strong demand across both technical and AI-adjacent roles.
🔧 Jobs supporting AI infrastructure are growing. We’re seeing an influx of roles like Datacenter Technicians, Commissioning Managers, and Construction Project Leads, as they are essential to the expanding AI ecosystem.
📈 Entrepreneurial paths are increasingly common. Founders, Independent Consultants, and Strategic Advisors rank among LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise, signaling more professionals are creating their own opportunities. In fact, over the last year, we’ve seen a 69% increase in LinkedIn members in the U.S. adding ‘founder’ to their profile.
📣 Sales and revenue roles remain essential. From roles like Field Marketing Representatives and Advertising Sales Specialists to Fundraising Officers, businesses are continuing to invest in and hire for roles that help increase their bottom line, even as uncertainty persists.
Even in a cooling labor market, opportunity is shifting, and a better understanding wof here momentum is building can help job seekers feel more confident about their next move