According to Bing Predicts, American workers want careers that offer more autonomy and the flexibility to work from home. Factors that have influenced this career trend include a rise in opportunities for entrepreneurship, a growing appetite for non-traditional workplaces, and late-career job changes that provide more freedom and flexibility.
Among the most sought-after jobs that allow employees to work from home are roles in the healthcare field, specifically medical transcription, telemarketing, and data entry. Healthcare remains a very strong career path for many, as even traditional office-based healthcare roles in management, occupational therapy, and nursing education remain popular choices.
Top at-home jobs
- Medical transcription
- Telemarketing
- Data entry
Other popular career paths for 2015 include business and engineering fields, with jobs in operations management and software engineering already trending.
Top business jobs
- Administrative assistant, executive assistant, receptionist
- Operations manager
- Customer service representative, support specialist
- Digital marketing/marketing manager
- Business analyst
Top engineering jobs
- Computer science, cyber security, web developer, data analyst
- Civil engineer
- Biomedical engineer
- Electrical engineer
Several specialty careers are expected to rise in popularity in the year ahead, with flight attendants and pilots, wine makers and drivers predicted to top the list.
Top specialty jobs
- Aviation – pilots and flight attendants
- Wine and spirits – wine makers, sommeliers, and bartenders
- Transportation – Uber drivers
While the healthcare field overall continues to gain momentum, careers in pharmacy tech aren’t as popular as they have been in the past. In the business arena, accountants and human resource personnel are predicted to be much less sought after this year.
How did Bing forecast career trends for 2015? We used statistical models of search patterns, information from social networks, and other online indicators to make our predictions. We used similar techniques to the ones we use to predict the outcome of popular reality shows, NFL games, major awards events and even the midterm elections. Using a variety of analytics including search intent and contextual understanding, the Bing platform can distinguish the difference between what’s a temporary buzz and what’s a true trend.
Check out more of Bing’s predictions for 2015 by visiting www.BingTrends.com.
– The Bing Team