CareerCast Names Jobs with Fast-Growing Salaries

Staff Report

Monday, October 30th, 2017

Whether you are just starting out or have many years of work experience, one thing to consider when you're job hunting is the potential for salary increases. In a new report, CareerCast found that technology jobs dominated the professions with the highest potential for wage growth. Computer Systems Analyst, Information Security Analyst, Operations Research Analyst, and Software Analyst were among the professions with fastest-growing salaries since 2013. Other jobs offering great potential for salary growth are Mathematician, Online Sales Manager and Physician Assistant.

"High salary growth rate and overall highest paying jobs are not necessarily one in the same," says Kyle Kensing, Online Content Editor, CareerCast. "For example, careers with high entry-point wages do not necessarily grow considerably from median to upper wage earning levels. Similarly, some high paying jobs did not grow as much in median pay over since the 2013 Jobs Rated report."

Many in-demand jobs that employers have trouble filling are also those with potential for the best salary growth. Currently, there are over 1,000 job openings for Physician Assistants, over 700 listings for Information Security Analysts, and about 600 openings for Software Developers on CareerCast.com alone.

Looking back at the 2013 Jobs Rated report finds Computer Systems Analyst was one of the highest salary growth positions compared to the most recent report, increasing from $78,500 to $87,220 annual median salary in 2017. The BLS reports wage growth over the course of a Computer Systems Analyst's career to $137,690 in the profession's 90th percentile, which refers to the highest 10% of wage earners in the field.

Computer Systems Analyst is a fitting example of the type of career that ranks among the highest growing salaries. Its high growth outlook through 2024 – a forecast of 21% -- speaks to the demand driving wage increases for the profession.

Operations Research Analyst positions are expected to grow 30% by 2024. This speaks to the significance which organizations place on analytical models. This same emphasis is producing increased hiring of and wage potential for Mathematicians. Hiring outlook for Mathematicians is 21%. And while the yearly growth of wages has been modest compared to some of the other careers in this report, a 51.5% wage growth from the median annual salary to the 90th percentile is is among the very highest of all careers tracked in the Jobs Rated report.

The proliferation of web-based shopping fuels the wage outlook for Online Sales Managers. At an annual median salary of $117,960, the profession has seen an explosion in wages commensurate with growth in online shopping from five years ago, when the annual median salary was around $88,000. According to the Pew Research Center, about 80% of American consumers shopped online in 2016.

For those looking for a career with high potential for salary growth, CareerCast suggests these professions:

Profession

Annual Median Salary 2017

Annual Median Salary 2013

Wage Growth to 90th percentile

Hiring Outlook

Computer Systems Analyst

$87,220

$79, 145

57.9%

21%

Information Security Analyst

$92,600

$88,590

59%

18%

Mathematician

$105,810

$101,171

51.5%

21%

Online Sales Manager

$117,960

$88,249

42.7%

5%

Operations Research Analyst

$79,200

$72,680

67.5%

30%

Physician Assistant

$101,480

$89,097

40.1%

30%

Software Developer

$102,280

$92,820

54%

17%

Salary and growth outlook information are compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics with growth outlook through 2024.