How the Fastest-Growing U.S. Industries Are Adapting to Remote Work

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When the COVID pandemic sent millions of people into a work-from-home mode, few could imagine just how effective the scheme would prove. A better work-life balance associated with remote and hybrid work models has led to a significant increase in productivity and employee satisfaction levels, along with team morale and overall efficiency.

Even industries that have never been associated with remote (or partly remote) work are actively adopting the model and reaping the rewards in the shape of impressive growth levels. Below are some examples of how fastest growing industries in the US are adapting to remote and hybrid work models, starting with the obvious elephant in the room – which US industries are growing faster than average?

Overview of the Fastest Growing Industries in the US

Traditionally, the industry growth rate is defined by the number of new job opportunities. According to information from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following industries show the fastest growth:

• IT;
• Mining;
• Healthcare;
• Manufacturing;
• Professional and business services.

On the other hand, this is a rather broad analysis – each of the top five industries on this list has dozens of sub-segments, developing at their own pace. A more narrow analysis has recently been conducted by a recruiting database, SignalHire, which studied the number of internal searches made over its database in the US to see which industries had the highest number of vacancies in early 2024.

Not surprisingly, the results largely coincide with BLS statistics but add a few notable details under the ‘professional and business services’ category. According to SignalHire analysis, the 10 fastest-growing industries in the USA are:

• IT
• Manufacturing & Warehouse
• Healthcare
• Finance
• Business management
• C-level management
• Engineering
• Science & Research
• Sales
• Marketing & advertising

Besides fast growth indicators, another feature these diverse industries have in common is their mass adoption of remote work models. But how exactly does it work, especially in ‘traditional’ industries like manufacturing and healthcare?

Top Industry Examples that Leverage Remote Work

As a rule, industries that wish to stay competitive need to pace with time, constantly adjusting to the latest social and economic trends. Fortunately for many industries today, remote work is a trend that has been made possible by technological advances, which are now developing at a truly rocket speed. In turn, they simplify many business operations, often eliminating the need for continuous physical monitoring. Here are just some examples of how the fastest-growing US industries leverage flexible work hours, increased automation, and other 4IR perks.

IT embraces a truly global talent pool

As one of the remote work pioneers, the IT industry has the highest number of professionals working remotely. According to different estimates, up to 67% of tech staff already work remotely. The industry has grown very successful in leveraging access to a global talent pool, with companies, big and small, actively hiring professionals from all corners of the world. However, the remote logic tends to vary; for example, small companies lean towards a fully remote mode, whereas big ones prefer hybrid models.

Manufacturing & warehousing invest in automation

The manufacturing and warehousing industry actively explores new technologies to increase its share of remote operations. Amazon is one of the brightest examples in this category, actively supporting AI and robotics development to minimize the need for human presence ‘on site.’ At the same time, remote warehouse monitoring, AI inventory management, and advanced robotics do not eliminate the need for human staff; instead, they create demand for professionals with an understanding of new technologies.

Healthcare introduces telemedicine

Currently, the US healthcare industry is experiencing a dire talent shortage, which is only expected to increase in the next few years. At the same time, the industry is looking for ways to leverage new technologies to alleviate, at least in part, this lack of qualified staff. The concept of telemedicine is not new, but it experienced a revival during the COVID-19 lockdown. At the moment, the adoption of remote work and telemedicine is one of the ways to address pressing talent shortages in healthcare.

Finance accepts changing customer expectations

Finance, especially the banking industry, has always been slow to catch up on the latest trends, but as banks started losing their clients due to poor customer experience and lack of remote management options, the industry was forced to reconsider its approaches toward customer care. The need to introduce more customer-friendly tools has led to a snowball effect of changes in the industry – starting with hiring finance consultants to assist bank clients remotely to employing tech and cybersecurity specialists to update existing tech infrastructures.

C-level & business managers coordinate international teams

IT is not the only industry leveraging access to a global talent pool, which, in turn, creates an increased demand for C-level execs and business managers who can coordinate international teams. The trend is obvious in most quickly developing industries, with the business management consulting market on the rise across different segments. Consequently, businesses require a new generation of managers to coordinate global remote teams or even lead entire departments through a digital transformation, which is currently in full swing.

Engineers rethink augmented reality tools

Another industry that has not been associated with remote work until very recently actively embraces augmented reality tools to access a global talent pool. The introduction of cloud-based services like AutoCAD or Fusion 360 allows engineers to effectively coordinate their work on remote projects, whereas the adoption of AI-based models boosts computing power, allowing engineers to quickly calculate and analyze multiple prototype models before products reach the manufacturing stage.

Science & research relies on AI for data analysis

Similar to engineering, the science and research industry has moved most of its human talent to remote positions because today’s advances in cloud collaboration platforms minimize the need for constant human presence in physical labs. Remote experimentation laboratories are not common practice yet, but the process has already begun. Similar to most other quickly-growing industries on this list, science and research benefit from international collaboration by leveraging an influx of new ideas, and remote labs literally bridge the physical distance gaps between researchers.

Sales, marketing & advertising put customers first

Sales, marketing, and advertising have always been customer-centric industries, but the rise of e-commerce platforms and changing consumer expectations have shifted the focus of attention towards phygital solutions. Consequently, the ever-growing popularity of e-commerce platforms allows businesses to maintain remote and hybrid staff, coordinating their efforts through remote collaboration tools. Besides, the industry’s outcome-focused performance metrics eliminate the need for physical supervision, allowing sales reps a greater degree of flexibility and control of their schedules.

All in all, most fast-growing industries are adopting the latest technologies to leverage the benefits of remote work – which, in turn, was made possible thanks to technological advances. Whether it's a vicious circle or a positive development is something everyone should decide for oneself. Still, one thing looks clear – remote work, even if only part-time, is the trend that's here to stay, and workplaces that have not yet adjusted to it should search for ways to introduce more flexibility into their office routine.

Hybrid work is something most qualified employees expect already, especially the new generation of digital natives, steadily making its way to becoming a major workplace demographic. And even if social trends change, as they tend to do, leveraging technology, automation, and the extra time they free up for human creativity is something any industry can benefit from in the long run.

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