A new report has listed the fastest-growing jobs for women.
Women make up nearly half (47%) of the North American workforce. And, according to the report from SmartAsset, despite the fact that this overall percentage remains unchanged over the past five years, certain jobs and occupations have seen significant growth for women. These occupations include both previously male-dominated jobs and jobs for which the overall occupation is growing.
SmartAsset looked at data from the U.S. Bureau of the Labor Statistics (BLS)* from 2014 and 2018, and ranked percentage growth by occupation for jobs that employed more than 25,000 women in 2014. They then contextualized this growth for the top 10 fastest-growing jobs for women by highlighting the percentages of men and women employed in the occupation and the growth of the occupation overall.
The number one fastest growing job(s) for women is a taxi driver/chauffeur, followed by a construction worker. Both of these have long been male-dominated jobs. Times are changing. See: The top 10 emerging careers to get into (and 10 doomed jobs to avoid at all costs)
Among the study’s key findings is that some of the fastest-growing jobs offer more flexibility than typical nine-to-five positions. Also, seven of the top 25 jobs for women are in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector, in fields that have also been predominantly male in the past. Each of the seven STEM jobs saw more than a 30% increase in women employed from 2014 to 2018.
The top 10 fastest growing jobs for women according to SmartAsset are:
1. Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs
Largely due to the increased prevalence of ride-sharing platforms, the occupation more than doubled over five years between 2018 and 2014. And the number of women in the job nearly tripled.
2. Construction Labourers
The number of women construction workers increased by about 85% between 2014 and 2018, while the occupation grew by only 25%.
3. Industrial Engineers, including Health and Safety
From 2014 – 2018 85% more women become industrial engineers.
4. Couriers and Messengers
The occupation of couriers and messengers increased by about 25% from 2014 – 2018, and the number of women doing this job increased by 66%.
5. Veterinarians
Veterinarians is the first occupation on the list in which women outnumber men. In 2014, about 56% of vets were women. That number grew to 71% in 2018.
6. Nurse Practitioners (tie)
There has actually been a greater growth in male nurse practitioners than female practitioners but the number of women in this occupation has grown by approximately 58% from 2014 to 2018.
6. Architects, except Naval (tie)
The number of women working as (non-naval) architects grew by 58% from 2014 to 2018.
8. Physician Assistants
Between 2014 and 2018, there was an increase of about 52% in women physician assistants.
9. Construction Managers
Only about 8% of all construction managers in the U.S. in 2018 were women, but the number of women in the sector still grew by 49% over five years.
10. Nonfarm Animal Caretakers
Between 2014 and 2018, the number of women working as nonfarm animal caretakers grew by 48%, compared to the overall growth of 33.3% for the occupation during that time period.
To see the full list of the 25 fastest-growing jobs for women, check out this infographic.
*The BLS is American, yes, but we can be pretty sure that much or most of this information also applies in Canada.