The Hardest Jobs to Fill Right Now (and How to Hire for Them)
There are more than 7 million job openings in the U.S., but some positions are far harder to fill than others.
Nurse practitioners, one of the nation's fastest-growing healthcare professions, require years of specialized education and clinical training. AI professionals and data scientists, meanwhile, work in fields that are evolving so quickly that demand is outpacing the supply of qualified talent.
At the same time, shifting business needs and emerging technologies are reshaping hiring priorities across industries, making it increasingly difficult to find the right employees for the right roles.
Here's a look at five of the hardest jobs to fill right now — and how companies can boost their chances of landing top talent.
AI talent
Artificial intelligence may have started in the tech sector, but the competition for AI talent now extends far beyond it. Companies in healthcare, finance and manufacturing — among other industries — are racing to incorporate AI into their operations, and that demand is expected to keep growing. According to ZipRecruiter research, 52% of business owners are actively hiring for AI-related skills.
As companies across industries adopt AI, they're “drawing from the same relatively small candidate pool,” says Maruf Ahmed, co-founder of staffing firm Dexian. “AI-related roles have nearly doubled as a share of the overall hiring demand we track in just the past year.”
Another complicating factor, Ahmed says, is how quickly the technology itself is evolving.
“The job descriptions have changed faster than the talent has had time to catch up,” he says.
Healthcare workers
The healthcare sector has grappled with shortages for years, and demographic trends suggest the problem isn’t going away anytime soon. An aging population is increasing demand for care just as many veteran nurses approach retirement, leaving healthcare facilities nationwide with fewer experienced workers to meet rising patient needs.
The shortage extends beyond registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment of nurse practitioners — advanced clinicians who can diagnose conditions and prescribe medications — will grow 40% by 2034, making it the third-fastest-growing occupation in the country. Demand for nurse anesthetists is also expected to rise.
Data experts
As companies produce ever-larger volumes of data and face increasingly sophisticated cybersecurity threats, competition for technical talent has intensified. More than ever, large organizations need employees who can collect and analyze data, and translate their findings into scalable insights.
The labor market reflects that demand. Data scientist is the fourth-fastest-growing occupation in the country, according to the BLS, with an additional 82,500 jobs projected over the next eight years. Information security analyst ranks fifth, with another 52,100 openings expected during that period.
Renewable energy specialists
As utilities, businesses and homeowners invest in renewable energy projects, employers are scrambling to find technicians with the expertise to build, install and maintain the infrastructure that supports them.
According to the BLS, wind turbine technician is the fastest-growing occupation in the nation, with employment projected to increase 50% by 2034.
Solar photovoltaic installers aren’t far behind, with a 42% uptick expected over the same timeline. It’s the second-fastest growing job, BLS says.
Skilled trades workers
Skilled trades workers have also become increasingly difficult to find, and the challenge goes beyond training requirements. Many industries are confronting a generational workforce gap as experienced electricians, HVAC technicians and other tradespeople retire faster than they can be replaced.
At the same time, the flow of new workers into these fields hasn't kept pace with demand. Trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and other training pathways aren't producing enough graduates to offset retirements and meet employers' hiring needs.
How to hire employees in a competitive market
If you're struggling to fill one of these positions, it may be time to rethink how you evaluate candidates. Rather than focusing solely on degrees, credentials, or years of experience, consider taking a skills-first approach. According to ZipRecruiter's to ZipRecruiter’s latest employer survey, 38% of businesses are already using skills-based assessments to support hiring decisions.
“You should evaluate whether your hiring requirements are unnecessarily limiting the candidate pool,” Bardot says. “Many organizations struggle to fill positions, because they’re searching for an ideal candidate who meets every qualification, rather than focusing on the skills and capabilities that are truly essential for success.”
In addition to adopting a skills-based approach, employers should refine how they attract and engage candidates. That means tapping current and former employees for referrals, moving quickly when qualified candidates emerge and taking a fresh look at job descriptions to make sure they're clear and compelling to applicants.
“Candidates want to know what they're going to build and how the role grows over time,” Ahmed says. “When a job description is vague about scope or trajectory, it signals that the company hasn't done its homework, and that's enough to lose someone before the first conversation even happens.”
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