Higher Paying Jobs No One Wants Anymore: These Industries Are Struggling To Find Workers
Businesses everywhere are scrambling to find skilled workers, and the problem isn’t going away. Jobs are open, but the right people aren’t lining up to fill them. If you’ve noticed longer wait times, slower service, or companies lowering their standards, this is why.
The World Economic Forum reports that half the global workforce will need new skills to keep up with changing industries. Technology, aging populations, and shifting job demands are making old career paths obsolete.
This guide breaks down the industries facing the biggest hiring challenges and what’s causing the shortage. More importantly, it lays out what needs to happen before these gaps become impossible to fix.
If you’re wondering which jobs are in demand and why companies are struggling, keep reading.
Table of Contents
High Paying Is Relative: Here’s What That Means
Before diving into the industries, note that ‘high paying’ is subjective, depending on your location, cost of living, experience, financial goals, and the qualifications required for the job.
A salary might feel substantial in a rural area but modest in a high-cost city. It’s also relative to the skills needed. In this article, I highlight industries facing hiring challenges, with salaries varying widely.
While some roles, like AI or cybersecurity, require advanced skills and offer competitive pay, others, like hospitality or agriculture, need less education and may offer more modest compensation.
These salaries may be competitive in their sectors or locations, but won’t feel “high paying” to everyone.
Keep this in mind as you read the following opportunities.
Biotechnology and Life Sciences
The biotech industry is booming, driven by advances in gene therapy, personalized medicine, and vaccine development. But there’s a catch—there aren’t enough skilled workers to keep up.
Roles like biochemists, clinical researchers, and lab technicians are in high demand, yet companies are struggling to fill positions.
Salaries in this sector range from $70,000 to $150,000, depending on expertise, but even competitive pay isn’t closing the gap. So why is this on our list of jobs no one wants? It’s because these jobs require advanced degrees and years of specialized training, so the talent pool is limited.
To attract talent, biotech firms need to offer more than just money. Flexible work arrangements, clear paths to leadership, and partnerships with universities for early talent pipelines could make a difference.
If the industry doesn’t act, innovation in life-saving treatments could slow, leaving patients and markets in the lurch.
Automotive and Electric Vehicles
The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping the automotive industry, but it’s also exposing a major hiring problem. Engineers specializing in battery technology, software developers for autonomous driving systems, and technicians trained to service EVs are all in short supply.
The U.S. Department of Energy projects that EV-related jobs could grow by 20% through 2030, yet training programs haven’t scaled fast enough to meet demand. Salaries range from $60,000 for technicians to $150,000 for engineers, but the specialized skills required make recruitment tough.
Automotive companies need to get proactive—think apprenticeships, community college partnerships, and upskilling programs for current workers.
Without enough talent to build and maintain the next generation of vehicles, the EV revolution could stall, leaving both consumers and the environment shortchanged.
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Manufacturing and Logistics
Factories and supply chains keep the world running, but these industries are in trouble. As experienced workers retire, younger talent isn’t stepping in fast enough to fill the gaps.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment for logisticians will grow 18% from 2022 to 2032, far outpacing most other fields. The problem? There aren’t enough people trained and willing to take on these roles.
Salaries range between $45,000 and $80,000 per year, which isn’t bad, but companies need more than decent pay to attract talent. Without a serious push, supply chain disruptions could become the new normal, and that’s a nightmare scenario for businesses and consumers alike.
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Healthcare and Medical Services
If you’ve tried booking a doctor’s appointment recently, you’ve probably noticed the shortage firsthand. The U.S. is projected to be short of nearly 200,000 nurses by 2031, and 83 million Americans already live in areas without enough primary care providers.
Despite salaries ranging from $60,000 to $120,000, hospitals and clinics are struggling to hire and retain workers. The stress, long hours, and burnout are real problems.
Competitive pay is important, but so is improving working conditions and creating better career growth opportunities. If healthcare providers don’t figure this out, patient care will suffer, and communities will feel the impact in very real ways.
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Technology and IT
Tech jobs pay well, really well. With salaries from $80,000 to $150,000, you’d think there’d be a flood of candidates. But even with competitive pay, hiring in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud computing is brutally difficult.
The industry moves fast, and the demand for highly specialized skills makes it tough for companies to keep up. The biggest issue? There just aren’t enough people trained in these areas.
Tech companies need to rethink how they attract and retain top talent, or they’ll keep losing the best people to higher offers and better work environments.
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Finance and Banking
Finance has always been competitive, but right now, even banks and investment firms are struggling to fill positions. A report from The Financial Brand highlights how hard it is to find employees earning under $80,000, especially in frontline roles.
With compensation packages averaging $100,000, you’d think hiring wouldn’t be a problem, but it is. Traditional finance jobs aren’t as appealing as they used to be, and the industry hasn’t done a great job selling younger workers on why they should stick around.
I spent my entire career in Finance. I’m actually a Chartered Financial Analyst. So this is a space I know well.
If banks and financial institutions want to attract top talent, they need better benefits, more flexible work environments, and clear career advancement paths. Otherwise, they’ll keep losing employees to tech startups and fintech companies offering more than just a paycheck.
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Energy and Utilities
The world is shifting toward clean energy, but the industry can’t move forward without the right talent. Renewable energy professionals, power grid engineers, and skilled tradespeople are in high demand, but there aren’t enough trained workers to meet the need.
Salaries in this sector fall between $60,000 and $120,000, but money alone isn’t solving the hiring problem. Companies need to step up with hands-on training, career development programs, and strong incentives to attract skilled workers.
Without enough people to support the clean energy transition, progress will slow, and the shift to sustainable power could take much longer than expected.
Hospitality and Tourism
If you’ve walked into a hotel or restaurant and noticed slow service, you’re seeing the labor shortage in action. A 2023 survey of 408 hoteliers found that 82% were dealing with staffing shortages, and 67% couldn’t fill open positions.
The industry was hit hard in recent years, and it’s still struggling to recover. Salaries typically range from $30,000 to $60,000, which isn’t always enough to attract long-term employees. Turnover is high, and workers have more options now.
If hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues want to fix their hiring problems, they need to offer better pay, stronger career growth opportunities, and work environments that don’t burn people out.
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Retail and Sales
Retail isn’t what it used to be. With e-commerce booming and brick-and-mortar stores shifting their strategies, the industry needs employees with digital marketing, data analytics, and customer experience skills.
But with salaries around $50,000, retail struggles to compete with other industries offering more money and better job security. Retail managers who want to attract and keep great employees have to get creative.
That means offering career pathways, investing in training, and making jobs in retail feel like a long-term opportunity rather than a temporary gig. Otherwise, companies will keep cycling through workers and struggling to keep stores fully staffed.
Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical R&D
The biotech and pharmaceutical industries are racing to develop life-saving drugs and therapies, but they’re hitting a wall when it comes to talent. Roles like biochemists, clinical trial managers, and pharmacologists are in high demand, yet companies can’t find enough qualified candidates.
Salaries typically start at $90,000 and can exceed $200,000 for senior roles, reflecting the need for advanced degrees and specialized expertise. Despite the pay, the talent shortage persists—partly because these jobs require years of training and partly because top professionals are lured by global opportunities.
To close the gap, firms need to invest in early-career pipelines, like university partnerships and paid fellowships, while offering perks like stock options and remote work flexibility.
Without enough experts, breakthroughs in cancer treatments or vaccines could slow, impacting health outcomes worldwide.
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Legal Services and Compliance
The legal industry is struggling to keep up with demand for specialized talent, particularly in areas like corporate law, intellectual property, and regulatory compliance. Lawyers, paralegals with niche expertise, and compliance officers are increasingly hard to find.
Salaries in this sector often start at $100,000, with top corporate attorneys earning $250,000 or more. Yet, even with lucrative pay, firms face shortages due to long hours, high stress, and a shrinking pool of law school graduates entering these fields.
Many younger professionals are opting for tech law or in-house roles at startups instead.
Law firms and corporations need to rethink retention—think mentorship programs, better work-life balance, and bonuses tied to performance. Without action, businesses could face legal bottlenecks, especially in fast-moving industries like tech and healthcare.
Data Science and Analytics
Every industry relies on data to make decisions, but there aren’t enough data scientists, analysts, and statisticians to go around. These roles, which require expertise in programming, statistics, and business strategy, are critical for companies looking to stay competitive.
Salaries typically range from $100,000 to $180,000, with senior positions pushing higher. Despite the pay, demand outstrips supply—a 2024 report estimates a 30% growth in data science jobs by 2030. The problem? Not enough workers have the right mix of technical and practical skills, and training programs can’t keep up.
Companies need to double down on upskilling current employees, offering bootcamps and certifications, while also recruiting globally. If they don’t, they’ll lose their edge in everything from marketing to product development, as data-driven decisions become harder to execute.
Aerospace Engineering and Defense
The aerospace and defense sectors are grappling with a shortage of engineers, systems architects, and project managers to build next-generation aircraft, satellites, and defense systems. With global tensions rising and space exploration accelerating, the need for talent is urgent.
Salaries start around $90,000 and can climb to $200,000 for specialized roles like propulsion engineers or cybersecurity experts for defense systems. But the industry struggles to attract young talent, as many prefer tech giants offering flashier perks. Plus, long project timelines and heavy regulation can deter candidates.
To compete, aerospace firms need to highlight their cutting-edge work—think Mars missions or hypersonic jets—while offering student loan repayment or signing bonuses.
Without enough skilled workers, delays in critical projects could weaken national security and space ambitions.
Construction and Real Estate
Demand for homes, offices, and infrastructure is surging, but the skilled workers needed to build and manage these projects are in short supply. Companies are desperate for tradespeople, project managers, and property experts who can handle the demands of an industry that never slows down.
Salaries sit between $40,000 and $80,000, but even steady pay doesn’t guarantee a full workforce. The biggest challenge? Younger generations are skipping construction careers, opting for tech and office jobs instead.
Vocational training, apprenticeship programs, and aggressive recruitment will be key to keeping this industry alive. If companies don’t act fast, the housing crisis will only get worse.
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Government and Public Services
Every community relies on public service workers, yet hiring for government roles is an uphill battle. Social workers, law enforcement officers, urban planners, and policy experts are all in high demand, but these careers aren’t attracting enough new talent.
Salaries range between $40,000 and $80,000, decent but not enough to compete with private-sector jobs that offer better perks and fewer headaches. Younger generations want meaningful work, but outdated hiring processes and slow-moving career progression push them away.
To fix this, government agencies need to modernize their approach, higher wages, better training, and a stronger pitch on the impact of these jobs could make all the difference.
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Agriculture and Food Processing
Feeding millions of people requires an army of skilled workers, yet agriculture and food processing industries can’t find enough hands to keep things running. Farmers, food scientists, processing plant operators, these roles are all crucial, yet they’re severely understaffed.
Salaries land between $30,000 and $60,000, which doesn’t exactly help attract new talent. The work is tough, often unpredictable, and requires specialized skills that take years to develop.
If the industry wants to survive, it needs to invest in workforce development, increase wages, and make agriculture careers more appealing to younger workers. Otherwise, food production shortages will become an even bigger problem.
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Mining and Energy
Raw materials and energy power the world, yet the industries responsible for them are struggling to stay fully staffed. Skilled miners, geologists, engineers, and environmental compliance experts are all in short supply.
These careers offer solid salaries between $50,000 and $100,000, but that hasn’t been enough to solve the hiring crisis. One of the biggest hurdles is perception, many see mining as outdated or dangerous, and energy careers as too volatile.
The reality? These industries are evolving rapidly, with major opportunities for growth and innovation. To bring in top talent, companies need to rebrand these careers, offer competitive pay, and highlight the critical role these jobs play in the global economy.
Telecommunications
The world runs on communication, yet the industry responsible for keeping everyone connected is struggling to find enough workers. Network engineers, cybersecurity specialists, and skilled customer service professionals are all in high demand, with salaries ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.
Even with solid pay, the hiring gap continues to grow. The challenge? A mix of rapid industry changes, high burnout rates, and a lack of long-term career planning for employees.
If telecom companies want to fix this, they need to invest in employee development, highlight career growth opportunities, and create work environments that keep top talent engaged for the long haul.
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Media and Entertainment
Behind every blockbuster movie, chart-topping album, and viral video is an industry struggling to find enough creative and technical talent to keep producing high-quality content.
Writers, producers, animators, and visual effects artists are all in high demand, but salaries between $40,000 and $80,000 aren’t always enough to lure in top-tier talent.
The biggest issue? Job stability is unpredictable, and many skilled professionals jump between projects without long-term security.
Media companies need to rethink their hiring strategies, better pay structures, creative freedom, and profit-sharing models could go a long way in keeping talent invested in the industry.
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Environmental and Conservation
Fighting climate change and protecting the planet requires specialists in environmental science, policy, and education. Yet, these roles are severely understaffed, with salaries sitting between $40,000 and $80,000.
The work is meaningful, but lower pay and limited career growth make it difficult to attract top talent. Many professionals want to make a difference but opt for corporate sustainability roles instead, leaving conservation organizations struggling to fill critical positions.
To fix this, companies and nonprofits need to step up, better salaries, benefits, and a stronger focus on career advancement could help keep skilled workers in the field.
Cybersecurity
Data breaches, cyberattacks, and online threats are growing at an alarming rate, but there aren’t enough cybersecurity professionals to fight them. A recent report predicts demand for these roles will jump 35% by 2031, yet companies still struggle to find qualified candidates.
Salaries are strong, ranging from $80,000 to $150,000, but the high-stress nature of the job and lack of structured training programs are driving talent shortages.
If companies want to close this gap, they need to create clear career pathways, invest in hands-on training, and make cybersecurity roles more appealing for the next generation of tech professionals.
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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
AI and machine learning are shaping the future, but there aren’t enough experts to push these fields forward. Data scientists, AI engineers, and machine learning specialists are in high demand, with salaries ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 for top talent.
Despite the strong pay, the talent pool remains shallow, and demand far outweighs supply. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects a 28% increase in jobs requiring data science skills by 2026, further highlighting the growing shortage.
If companies want to stay ahead, they need to partner with universities, create industry training programs, and position AI careers as the forefront of innovation.
Aerospace and Aviation
Flying isn’t what it used to be. Airlines, aerospace manufacturers, and defense contractors are all scrambling to find enough pilots, engineers, and maintenance crews to keep things running.
The U.S. is already facing a shortage of 24,000 pilots over the next decade, and mechanics are just as hard to come by. Salaries range from $70,000 to well over $150,000 for specialized roles, but that hasn’t been enough to close the gap.
Without a major push for recruitment, streamlined training programs, and better incentives, the industry is looking at widespread delays, higher costs, and a real struggle to keep planes in the air.
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Skilled Trades and Vocational Careers
For decades, young professionals were told that college was the only path to success. That message left a serious hole in the workforce, now, electricians, plumbers, welders, and mechanics are in massive demand.
Salaries range from $50,000 to $100,000, with many skilled tradespeople earning six figures thanks to high demand. The problem? Not enough young workers see these careers as a strong option.
Companies and trade schools need to get aggressive in shifting perceptions, proving that skilled trades can offer job security, great pay, and the kind of work that AI won’t replace anytime soon.
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Supply Chain and Procurement
If you’ve ever waited too long for an online order or seen empty shelves at the store, you’ve witnessed the problem firsthand.
Global supply chains are under intense pressure, and companies can’t find enough supply chain managers, procurement specialists, and logistics experts to keep operations running smoothly.
Salaries fall between $60,000 and $120,000, but the complexity of the job and constant disruptions make it a tough career to sell. Businesses that don’t address this hiring gap will continue to deal with delays, higher costs, and frustrated customers.
The solution? Investing in supply chain education, offering higher salaries, and creating fast-track training programs to bring in new talent before shortages get worse.
The Job Market Reality
The hiring crunch isn’t some distant problem, it’s here, and it’s hitting hard across nearly every industry. Companies can’t afford to sit back and hope talent appears out of nowhere. Pay raises alone won’t fix this.
Businesses that invest in training, offer real career growth, and make jobs more appealing will be the ones that win. Those that don’t? They’ll keep struggling to fill positions while their competitors move ahead.
The job market rewards those who adapt, time to step up.
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