The 4 most in-demand jobs that pay more than $120,000 per year, according to new research

Pharmacist.

The labor market continues to offer jobseekers a plethora of opportunities, with employers adding 353,000 jobs in January altogether, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Among the industries with the most openings were professional and business services, which added 74,000 jobs, health care, which added 70,000 jobs and retail, which added 45,000 jobs.

Jobsite Ladders lists six-figure openings throughout industries, specifically, and tracks which are most in demand. As of February 2024, two of the industries with the most open high-paying positions are tech and health care.

Here are Ladders’ four most in-demand jobs as of February, including the qualifications necessary and annual salaries.

Pharmacist

Pharmacists work at retailers like CVS and Walgreens, as well as at pharmacies at hospitals. They advise doctors about drug use, fill prescriptions for patients, address any questions they might have and manage inventory. They typically need a Doctor of Pharmacy and a state license to get hired.

They make an average of $120,000 per year, according to Indeed.

Pharmacy manager

Per their name, pharmacy managers oversee pharmacies at retailers and hospitals. They ensure their staffs are filling people’s orders correctly, serve customers, manage inventory and help to improve workflows. They typically have at least a relevant bachelor’s degree and must be licensed by their state.

Their average annual salary is $146,000, according to Indeed.

Project manager

Project managers work in many fields such as architecture, tech and construction. They are responsible for overseeing an entire project including determining its scope, building its timeline, evaluating costs and keeping stakeholders abreast of its progress. They typically need at least an associate’s degree to get hired, if not a bachelor’s degree.

Project managers can make as much as $137,000 per year, according to Indeed.

Senior software engineer

Senior software engineers develop websites or software programs using coding languages like CSS, HTML and JavaScript. Sometimes they lead teams of other engineers in the development process. With so many industries requiring an online presence these days, senior software engineers are in-demand throughout the labor market. They often need at least a bachelor’s degree to get hired.

They make an average of $145,000 per year, according to Indeed.

The high demand for pharmacists and pharmacy managers might be partially attributed to aging baby boomers. “You have a huge population of the U.S. getting older, needing more medicine,” says John Mullinix, head of growth marketing at Ladders. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects many positions in health care will be in high demand in the next 10 years.

Many of those baby boomers are also retiring from these positions, leaving more and more of them open.

In terms of demand for project managers, “with the proliferation of AI, there’s a lot more projects that need higher complexity to complete,” Mullinix says. Ultimately, “the more complex a project is, the more there is a need to have somebody manage it from inception to completion.”

As far as software engineers are concerned, “more things are getting automated and there’s a growing need to have programmers that can program these user interfaces, these applications, these automations and even systems like AI and machine learning,” Mullinix says. “As technology increases, it’s only natural that you’re going to need more to developers to create it.”

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