By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

EP 3118 The 2026 job market isn’t just a mystery—it’s a roadmap of real-world data showing where the money and opportunities are shifting. Stop guessing where your industry is headed and start positioning yourself for the explosion in AI, self-employment, and high-touch human roles.

Timestamps

• 00:19 – The 76% unpreparedness gap in today’s job market.

• 00:53 – Trend 1: The AI Boom and top emerging roles.

• 01:27 – What is a Data Annotator?.

• 02:05 – Trend 2: The 69% surge in self-employment and “Founders”.

• 02:59 – Remote work comparison: Founder vs. Sales Exec.

• 03:25 – Trend 3: Why human-centric jobs are thriving.

• 04:51 – A 3-step framework to navigate your 2026 career path.

Let’s be real, navigating today’s job market can feel, well, a little chaotic, right? But what if you had a map, something drawn from actual, real-world data, showing you exactly where the opportunities are hiding? Well, that’s what we’re going to do in this explainer. We’re diving into LinkedIn’s list of the fastest-growing jobs in the US. So to really get this, we need to understand the backdrop.

According to LinkedIn’s own research, a staggering 76% of professionals say they don’t feel prepared for a job hunt. And yet, more than half are planning one this year. That’s a huge disconnect, and it really shines a light on just how uncertain everything feels out there.

So with everything in flux, where do you even begin to look? This is exactly where the data becomes our best friend. This jobs-on-the-rise list isn’t just guesswork, you know? It’s a data-driven look at the roles that have grown the fastest over the last few years. Okay, no big surprise here.

The first major trend that’s absolutely lighting up the job market is the explosion of artificial intelligence. I mean, it is reshaping practically every industry, and the demand for people with these specific skills is just off the charts. Just take a look at some of these job titles, AI engineer, AI consultant, and AI-slash-machine learning researcher.

They’re right there at the top. These are the folks who are building and fine-tuning the AI systems we’re all hearing about. But you know, there’s another role on this list that’s really, really interesting.

The data annotator. So what in the world is a data annotator? Well, in the simplest terms, they’re basically teachers for the AI. Think about it.

They meticulously label data, you know, images, text, sounds, so that the machine learning models can learn to see patterns and make accurate predictions. It’s an absolutely critical, human-in-the-loop job that powers this entire AI ecosystem. But let’s ask the question, who’s actually filling these roles right now? Well, LinkedIn’s data shows a pretty significant gender imbalance in these top AI jobs.

For example, AI consultants are 82% male, and AI engineers are 77% male. That’s a really stark data point that shows us where the industry is at today. All right, shifting gears a bit, our second major trend paints a totally different picture.

It’s not just about working for a company anymore, it’s about working for yourself. We’re seeing a massive, massive shift toward entrepreneurship and independent consulting. The data is showing this explosive growth in titles like founder, strategic advisor, and venture partner.

These roles, they really reflect this desire for more control, for more autonomy, and the rise of the gig economy at some of the highest professional levels. It seems like experts are adapting to all the uncertainty by just betting on themselves. And if you need proof of this momentum, just look at this number.

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There has been a 69% year-over-year increase in LinkedIn members adding founder to their job titles. 69%. That’s not just a tiny trend, it’s a fundamental shift in how people are approaching their entire careers.

Now, to put this into perspective, let’s compare that founder role to a more traditional path like a sales executive. Founders, they have about a 51% remote work availability, and they’re often coming from roles like software engineer. On the flip side, sales executives have only about 2% remote availability, and they’re typically climbing a more established corporate ladder.

This data really shows the two very different worlds these roles operate in. But hold on, the story isn’t just about tech and startups, not at all. This third major trend reveals something pretty profound.

In an age where everything is becoming more automated, these high-touch human-centric jobs are not just surviving, they’re absolutely thriving. We’re seeing super rapid growth in roles that require deep empathy, personal connection, and specialized human services. Think about it, psychiatric nurse practitioners who are providing crucial mental health care, travel advisors curating these one-of-a-kind experiences, fundraising officers building relationships for a great cause.

These are jobs that technology can help, for sure, but it just can’t replace. And hey, remember that gender distribution chart we saw for the AI roles? Well, here’s the counterpoint. The role of psychiatric nurse practitioner is 79% female.

This is such a powerful contrast, and it highlights how different booming sectors of our economy have very, very different demographic makeups. So how do we bring all this together? Well, a quote from the LinkedIn report itself really sums it up perfectly. The job market is being pulled by these incredibly powerful forces.

You’ve got the advance of AI, a huge pivot towards self-employment, and this enduring deep need for human connection. Okay, so we’ve looked at all the data, we’ve identified the big trends, but I think the most important question is, what does this all mean for your career path? Right? How can you actually use these insights? You can actually think about it with a pretty simple three-step framework. First, just see the big waves, the AI boom, the rise of the independent professional, and that demand for human-centric roles.

Second, take a look at your own skills. What are you good at? What are you passionate about? And then third, find your fit. Where does what you do best intersect with these huge growing trends? Ultimately, this data isn’t just some list of jobs.

It’s really a reflection of a world that is completely transforming. It tells us where value is being created, and what skills are really in demand. So the final question isn’t just about the jobs of the future, but rather, as the entire world of work changes, how will you? And hey, there’s a lot more to help you at jobsearch.community. Things like video courses, books and guides.

Some of it’s even free. Go look for information that can really help you with your job search.

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