The Hottest Careers in 2020

The business world is constantly changing based on emerging technologies and market demands. Jobs that didn’t exist just a decade or two ago, like social media manager and app developer, are now leading career paths.

This year, we can anticipate even more shifts in the market need that will spur a new wave of talent demand.

For job seekers and employers alike, it’s important to keep up with these shifts and keep an eye on areas with a lot of promise and opportunity.

Below, a panel of Forbes Coaches Council members shares the job opportunities and career paths they think will experience the most growth and popularity in 2020 and beyond.

1. Relationship-Based, Helping Jobs

As artificial intelligence continues to dominate the market, relationship-based careers will soar in 2020 and beyond. More emphasis will be placed on what robots can’t do—feel, think and sit with your emotions. The helping profession will continue to be in demand, and individuals displaced by AI may consider moving to relationship-based, helping careers. – Kyle Cromer Elliott, MPA, CHES, CaffeinatedKyle.com

2. Careers In Alternative Energy

Alternative energy careers are booming and often aided by fossil fuel companies that want to diversify. Our climate problems are not going away, and working to clean our air and water is both necessary and gratifying. Don’t waste time beating up on the oil and gas industry. It is more constructive to help evolve our processes to put energy into both industry and home life. – Tom Kolditz, Doerr Institute for New Leaders

3. Jobs In Biosciences

Biosciences will grow faster than any other occupation over the next 10 years. I recommend anybody interested to look into the biosciences ecosystem. This means that you don’t need a “lab job,” but you do need to know about the fusion of technology, healthcare, biosciences and research and at least consider bringing your talents into this important, life-advancing area. – John M. O’Connor, Career Pro Inc.

4. Mindfulness Coaches

Mindfulness isn’t just a buzzword anymore. Research shows that creating a mindful culture improves your employees’ attention, focus, productivity and even happiness. Offering a few yoga and meditation classes while expecting your employees to thrive in a pressure-cooker environment won’t cut it. To ensure mindfulness permeates your culture, this critical position is one to consider in 2020. – Laura M. Labovich, The Career Strategy Group

5. Managed Service Providers

With the rise in blended workforces, a larger percentage of an employer’s talent will come from external staff. HR functions will likely not have the bandwidth to manage the complexities of managing multiple contractors or project-based personnel. Managed service providers will become companies’ best friends to help them streamline contractor performance and reduce legal risk. – Karan Rhodes, Shockingly Different Leadership

6. Careers Assisting The Aging

There’s a growing demand for people to meet the needs of ageing boomers, from nurses and primary care doctors to physical therapists, massage therapists and healthcare aides. Boomers will need help from specialists with managing retirement benefits, as the majority are under-invested for retirement. They are also adding solar panels to their homes to cut electric bills. More installers are needed. – Christine Rose, Christine Rose Coaching & Consulting

7. Higher-Level, Critical Thinking Jobs

Unfortunately, our educational systems continue to mostly reinforce sitting still and memorizing, the tasks required to get people ready for factory work. Critical thinking skills need to be gradually developed, those needed for addressing an increasingly VUCA world (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). – Dr Joel M. Rothaizer, MCC, Clear Impact Consulting Group

8. Gig Economy Jobs Across Industries

The gig economy is already on the rise, and I see this as the big uptick in the future of work. No matter what career you’re in, this next decade will show an increase in people who are looking to increase flexibility, independence and ownership of their work. We’ll begin to see many roles being converted into freelance work, allowing people to own their business and work across companies. – Daphna Horowitz, Daphna Horowitz Leadership

9. Specialized Data Analysts

The data analyst will continue to be a hot job, but I expect we’ll start to see a shift away from the data analyst generalist to more specialization. For example, nearly every big company has a data analyst on their HR team, but they aren’t necessarily an HR professional. That’s going to change. Same with operations, marketing, sales and other functions taking a numbers-driven approach. – Christopher Mullen, PhD, Kronos Incorporated

10. Physician Assistants

Careers in healthcare, particularly physician assistants, will continue to see phenomenal growth, more than any other industry, in 2020 and beyond. I’ve watched many universities across the country to create new healthcare programs to try and meet this growing demand. This anticipated growth is due to people living longer, sparking the necessity for a variety of healthcare support and services. – Carol Parker Walsh, Carol Parker Walsh Consulting, LLC

11. Social Media Advertisers

With the social advertising platforms being increasingly confusing, one job you’ll see pick up is media buyers for social media ads. The social algorithms are shadow banning accounts which will cause businesses to advertise to keep the exposure. – Ryan Stewman, Break Free Academy

12. Careers In Artificial Intelligence

AI will continue to contribute to global economic activity and job growth. The job growth areas include R&D, application of AI across industries to grow capabilities, using AI to solve complex global issues, AI education and evaluating the ethics and impact of AI on society. The U.S. is leading in educational opportunities for students to learn the skills needed for AI jobs. – Tracy Levine, Advantage Talent, Inc.

13. Blockchain Change Leadership Consultants

Blockchain change leadership consultants will be a big uptick in market need and interest in 2020 and beyond. Leaders and their companies will need experts in blockchain technology impact, including how to understand, anticipate and leverage the implications and opportunities. How blockchain will affect small or medium businesses is still relatively unknown, yet it is on the mind of CEOs today. – Linda Allen-Hardisty, Allen-Hardisty Leadership

14. Jobs Related To Growth Culture

Companies whose employees are intentional about creating and nurturing a growth culture are better prepared and positioned to adapt to the changes of emerging and new technologies, processes and development required to maintain a competitive advantage. Shared vision, strong strategy, communications, team excellence and positive employee engagement are key characteristics of a growth culture. – Lori Harris, Harris Whitesell Consulting

What are your thoughts on this subject, do you see yourself in any of the above-mentioned career paths?

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This article was first published on Forbes.com on 11 February 2020