Fastest-growing careers paying over $100K revealed including a $135k assistant

If you’re looking to clear six figures, listen up: New research says certain careers stand apart as the fastest-growing and most lucrative in the land.Data from the US Department of Labor reveals the 13 fastest-growing and highest-paying career paths, with opportunity for engineers, product managers, healthcare workers and data security pros landing the highest salaries — all of them over $100,000 a year.While utilities is officially the fastest-growing sector of the US economy, its relatively small employment size translates to just 58,800 new jobs, making healthcare a strong second.In July, the US unemployment rate — the percentage of Americans who are jobless and actively looking for work — dipped to 4.1%, its lowest level of the year and well below the 5.6% average since the end of World War II.However, the labor force shrank by more than a quarter million people versus a year earlier, hitting its lowest level since the pandemic.But the tide may soon be turning as demand for certain careers continues to rise.Fueled in part by an aging population that is placing a high premium on health care and social assistance, the health sector is expected to add more jobs than any other category in the coming years.

Last year, a whopping 77% of payroll job growth came from healthcare and social assistance, a field that’s largely dominated by women, while male-majority industries like manufacturing and warehousing suffered declines.And the trend will continue as the agency projects that health will add roughly 2.2 million positions through 2035, accounting for 37% of all new jobs.“Strong employment growth is expected to stem from both the aging population and the increasing prevalence of chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes,” states the new report.In terms of specific roles, nurse practitioner positions are projected to grow by 41% through 2035, a rate that is faster than any other occupation and nearly 12 times faster than t...