The top 25 business jobs for 2016

Our national unemployment rate is down to 5 percent, according to the jobs report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in December 2015, and several industries have continued to experience growth. Among these sectors, professional and business-related services, construction, health care and food services continued trending upward. 

We used the data published in the latest U.S. News & World Report on Best Business Jobs to bring you a list of jobs that ranked well for the coming year. To create their list, U.S. News took the data on jobs with the greatest hiring demand, or those with the highest projected number of openings from 2014 to 2024, as categorized by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The jobs that topped the list were selected for the 2016 Best Jobs analysis and rankings.

The U.S. News methodology calculated an overall score for each job using seven categories: median salary, employment rate, 10-year growth volume, 10-year growth percentage, job prospects, stress level and work-life balance. (If you wish to see the details of the assigned scoring percentage for each category, you can read it here.)

Here at LifeHealthPro.com, we compared the 2015 list with this year’s list and found some pretty substantial rises and falls when it comes to individual jobs. A number of jobs that ranked in the top 10 have now fallen to the bottom of the list, while others that had not appeared in any rankings made it to the top. One example is actuary, which didn’t even make the list last year, but this year has a spot in the top 10. Elsewhere in the financial sector, financial analysts and managers made significant leaps. Additionally, you will see jobs aligned with the analytical and technological sciences make their debut, and trend higher than more traditional business jobs, like bookkeepers.

Withought further ado, here are the best jobs in business for 2016.

No. 25: Bookkeeping, accounting and audit clerk

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 8

Number of new jobs by 2024: -148,700

Median salary: $36,430

Best cities for this job: San Jose and San Francisco, California; the District of Columbia.

Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks help run the financial side of a business, taking care of a company’s accounts, financial statements and reports. The BLS projects an approximate 8 percent decline in jobs by 2024 due to automated bookkeeping software. More employers will likely hire bookkeepers as contractors instead of permanent staffers, according to U.S. News.

Although the BLS is predicting an 8 percent decline, which means that there will be 148,700 less bookkeeping jobs by 2024, this job still made the best jobs list because it got high marks for being a low-stress level job and having “above average” flexibility, in the job satisfaction section of the report. 

No. 24: Office clerk

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 24

Number of new jobs by 2024: 95,800

Median salary: $28,670

Best cities for this job: Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska; and Boulder, Colorado.

An office clerk’s job responsibilities can include taking care of phone calls and messages, sorting mail, scheduling and other clerical tasks. The BLS predicts employment to grow about 3 percent from 2014 to 2024, says U.S. News.

No. 23: Executive assistant

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 21

Number of new jobs by 2024: -44,600

Median salary: $51,270

Best cities for this job: Bridgeport, Connecticut; San Francisco, California; and New York City.

According to U.S. News, the duties of an executive assistant can be far more involved than those of an administrative assistant because they complete important office management tasks, such as preparing and analyzing reports. The BLS predicts an approximate 6 percent decline in employment from 2014 to 2024.

There will be 44,600 less jobs come 2024, says the BLS, but the executive assistant job made it to the best business jobs list because of scoring high marks in the job satisfaction section of the report. Executive assistants scored an “average” in the upward mobility and stress level sections, and “high” on flexibility.

No. 22: Credit counselor

 

Last year’s best business jobs rank: N/A

Number of new jobs by 2024: 5,000

Median salary: $42,110

Best cities for this job: San Diego and Stockton, California, and Denver, Colorado.

U.S. News explained that credit counselors help customers address their debt, both over the phone and face-to-face, and that the BLS forecasts a 16 percent growth in employment.

No. 21: Meeting, convention and event planner

 

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 12

Number of new jobs by 2024: 9,900

Median salary: $46,490

Best cities for this job: Bridgeport, Connecticut; New York City; and the District of Columbia.

If you’ve ever been impressed by a well-organized and informative convention or event, you have a talented meeting, convention and event planner to thank for that, says U.S. News. These professionals organize all of the logistics of an event, down to every detail. The BLS expects this field to see a 10 percent increase in employment by 2024.

No. 20: Loan officer

 

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 9

Number of new jobs by 2024: 24,500

Median salary: $62,620

Best cities for this job: New York City; Ocala, Florida; and Grand Junction, Colorado.

If you’ve ever bought a car, a house or requested a business loan, then you have encountered a loan officer. People who work as loan officers are a major player in the loan application and approval process because they evaluate, authorize or recommend loan application approval for individuals and businesses, says U.S. News. The BLS predicts an 8 percent growth in employment from 2014 to 2024.

No. 19: Fundraiser

 

Last year’s best business jobs rank: N/A

Number of new jobs by 2024: 6,900

Median salary: $52,430

Best cities for this job: Durham, North Carolina; the District of Columbia; and Ithaca, New York.

Having a GoFundMe page doesn’t constitute a full fundraising campaign. Enter the fundraisers, which help educational institutions, health research foundations, political campaigns and other nonprofit organizations raise money for their operations, according to the job summary that U.S. News provided. The BLS forecasts 6,900 new fundraiser jobs opening between 2014 and 2024.

No. 18: Administrative assistant

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 14

Number of new jobs by 2024: 64,000

Median salary: $33,240

Best cities for this job: Framingham and Boston, Massachusetts; and Trenton, New Jersey.

According to U.S. News, administrative assistants provide support in almost every aspect possible, since they can wear many hats, such as event planners, accountants and even maintenance workers, depending on the tasks at hand. The field is growing, as the BLS expects 64,000 new jobs from 2014 to 2024.

No. 17: Compliance officer

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 20

Number of new jobs by 2024: 8,700

Median salary: $64,950

Best cities for this job: Brunswick, Georgia; San Jose, California; and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Compliance officers deal with making sure that the business is following all rules and regulations, the U.S. News list says. The BLS predicts 8,700 new job openings for compliance officers from 2014 to 2024. This job ranked 94 in U.S. News’ overall list of Best Jobs for 2016.

No. 16: Human resources specialist

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 11

Number of new jobs by 2024: 22,000

Median salary: $57,420

Best cities for this job: San Jose, San Francisco and San Luis Obispo, California.

The human resources personnel recruit, screen, interview and place employees, in addition to taking care of employee relations tasks, U.S. News explains. The BLS forecasts about 19,000 new jobs from 2014 to 2024. This job ranked 90 in U.S. News’ overall list of Best Jobs for 2016.

No. 15: Social and community service manager

Last year’s best business jobs rank: N/A

Number of new jobs by 2024: 13,200

Median salary: $62,740

Best cities for this job: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Mankato, Minnesota; and the District of Columbia.

According to U.S. News, social and community service management involves working with specific groups or communities to address issues. The BLS predicts this field to grow at a rate of 10 percent by 2024. This job ranked 89 in U.S. News’ overall list of Best Jobs for 2016.

No. 14: Cost estimator

Last year’s best business jobs rank: N/A

Number of new jobs by 2024: 18,700

Median salary: $60,050

Best cities for this job: Midland, Texas; Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska.

From the cost of your cell phone to that of government programs, cost estimators analyze how much products and services should cost. Cost estimators also analyze the current cost of something, in addition to why a product or service costs more or less than previous estimates determined. The BLS predicts 18,700 new job openings from 2014 to 2024. This job ranked 85 in U.S. News’ overall list of Best Jobs for 2016.

No. 13: Financial analyst

Last year’s best business jobs rank: 16