LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026: The 10 fastest-growing roles in Houston
Our annual list of Jobs on the Rise in Houston highlights the fastest-growing roles over the past three years — surfacing pockets of opportunity and signaling the trends shaping the Houston workforce.
This year’s list highlights a growing emphasis on revenue-driving roles, including sales executives and equity traders. Healthcare and mental health roles show up strongly too, with psychologists and clinical fellows appearing. The ranking is compiled using the same methodology as our U.S. Jobs on the Rise list, but reflects member activity in the metro area versus the entire country.
The list is only a starting point. Each role includes insights on key skills, top industries and more — plus opportunities to explore open jobs or build skills through a related LinkedIn Learning course (free for all members until Feb. 6).
Check out the 10 fastest-growing jobs in Houston — and join the conversation using #JobsOnTheRise.
You can read our full methodology at the bottom of this article. This ranking is based on LinkedIn data and was compiled by LinkedIn data scientists Alejandra Budar and Marcela Leviz in partnership with editors on the LinkedIn News team: Juliette (Faraut) Bell , Ashley (Peterson) Botarelli , Emily Bruck and Sarah McGrath . You can also see the Jobs on the Rise in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
What they do: Car sales managers run day-to-day sales operations, coach sales teams and help dealerships hit their sales targets. | Most common skills: Automotive Sales, Customer Retention, Negotiation | Most common industries: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, Retail Motor Vehicles | Current gender distribution: 19% female, 81% male | Median years of prior experience: 2.3 | Top roles transitioned from: Sales Consultant, Customer Service Representative, Supply Chain Associate | Flexible work availability: 7.7% hybrid
What they do: Welding inspectors evaluate welding projects and processes to ensure they meet quality and safety standards. | Most common skills: Construction Site Inspections, Metal Fabrication, Quality Control | Most common industries: Oil and Gas, Food and Beverage Manufacturing | Current gender distribution: 4% female, 96% male | Median years of prior experience: 4.3 | Top roles transitioned from: Quality Inspector, Welder, NDT Technician
What they do: Sales executives lead an organization’s sales activities, including setting revenue goals, maintaining and developing client relationships and overseeing teams to drive sales growth. | Most common skills: Sales Management, Business Strategy, Account Management | Most common industries: Technology and Internet, IT Services and IT Consulting, Business Consulting and Services | Current gender distribution: 21% female, 79% male | Median years of prior experience: 6.9 | Top roles transitioned from: Sales Manager, Account Manager, Director of Business Development | Flex work availability: 21.7% remote, 21% hybrid
💡 Learn how to elevate your sales leadership and drive team performance (free LinkedIn Learning course until Feb. 6)
What they do: Human resources executives set an organization’s overall HR strategy — including talent acquisition, employee development and workplace policies — to support business goals. | Most common skills: Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), Talent Management, Employee Engagement | Most common industries: Oil and Gas, Technology and Internet, Media and Telecommunications | Current gender distribution: 64% female, 36% male | Median years of prior experience: 8.2 | Top roles transitioned from: Human Resources Director, Chief Operating Officer, Human Resources Business Partner | Flex work availability: 16.7% remote, 16.7% hybrid
💡 Learn how to navigate employee relations as an HR professional (free until Feb. 6)
What they do: Psychologists assess and support individuals facing emotional, psychological and behavioral challenges through therapy and evidence-based interventions. | Most common skills: Psychological Assessment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Crisis Intervention | Most common industries: Medical Practices, Primary and Secondary Education, Health and Human Services | Current gender distribution: 75% female, 25% male | Median years of prior experience: 3.9 | Top roles transitioned from: Psychology Specialist, Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Counselor | Flex work availability: 1.4% remote, 26.8% hybrid
What they do: Investor relations specialists act as the liaison between a company and its investors, including providing financial updates, preparing reports and sharing ongoing strategic guidance. | Most common skills: Corporate Finance, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Financial Reporting | Most common industries: Real Estate, Oil and Gas, Technology and Internet | Current gender distribution: 39% female, 61% male | Median years of prior experience: 5.8 | Top roles transitioned from: Investment Associate, Managing Director, Finance Manager | Flex work availability: 26.7% hybrid
What they do: School nurses provide medical care and implement health guidelines to support student well-being in academic settings. | Most common skills: Nursing Education, Medication Administration, Patient Education | Most common industries: Health and Human Services, Primary and Secondary Education, Medical Practices | Current gender distribution: 92% female, 8% male | Median years of prior experience: 4.7 | Top roles transitioned from: Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, Surgical Nurse
What they do: Clinical fellows are licensed physicians who provide patient care while simultaneously completing advanced training within their chosen medical specialty. | Most common skills: Medical Education, Clinical Research, Oncology | Most common industries: Higher Education, Medical Practices, Research Services | Current gender distribution: 51% female, 49% male | Median years of prior experience: 1.8 | Top roles transitioned from: Clinical Pharmacist, Medical Doctor, Teaching Assistant | Flex work availability: 2.5% hybrid
What they do: Business development executives identify growth opportunities, build strategic partnerships and drive revenue growth through new clients and revenue streams. | Most common skills: New Business Development, Account Management, Client Relations | Most common industries: IT Services and IT Consulting, Real Estate, Technology and Internet | Current gender distribution: 32% female, 68% male | Median years of prior experience: 5.1 | Top roles transitioned from: Business Development Manager, Account Executive, Account Manager | Flex work availability: 8.3% remote, 41.7% hybrid
💡Learn how to turn business goals into strategic plans (free until Feb. 6)
What they do: Equity traders buy and sell stocks and other securities for their organization or clients to maximize returns and minimize risk. | Most common skills: Risk Management, Commodity Markets, Trading Strategies | Most common industries: Oil and Gas, Capital Markets, Business Consulting and Services | Current gender distribution: 12% female, 88% male | Median years of prior experience: 4.3 | Top roles transitioned from: Investment Analyst, Banking Analyst, Portfolio Manager | Flex work availability: 4% remote, 27.3% hybrid
💡 Learn to leverage data science for strategic investment decisions (free until Feb. 6)
List Methodology
LinkedIn Economic Graph researchers examined millions of jobs started by LinkedIn members from January 1, 2023 to July 31, 2025 to calculate a growth rate for each job title. To be ranked, a job title needed to see positive growth across our membership base and have grown to a meaningful size by 2025. Identical job titles across different seniority levels were grouped and ranked together. Internships, volunteer positions, interim roles and student roles were excluded, and jobs where hiring was dominated by a small handful of companies in each city were also excluded.
Job Insights
Additional data points for each of the job titles are based on LinkedIn profiles of members holding the title and/or open jobs for that title in the city.
Flexible work availability is based on jobs posted from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 flagged as “remote” or “hybrid” by the poster or containing similar keywords. Most common skills were derived from the top skills most unique to each title among members who have ever held that title on LinkedIn. Median years of experience was calculated using the median years of work experience held prior to starting in the featured title for members hired within the methodology time frame. Most common industries are based on the industry of the companies that hired the highest number of members for each job from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. Gender breakdown was calculated by measuring the number of members by identified gender currently in each job (provided there was meaningful gender data) as a percentage of the total members with known gender per job. Most common transitions were identified by the share of transitions from another occupation into the featured job in the past 3 years.
What stands out in Houston’s Jobs on the Rise list is a shared capability across roles such as Sales, Business Development, HR, Healthcare, and Technical leadership: the ability to turn strategy into results. Having spent the last 14 years working and observing Houston’s workforce, I’ve seen how these roles have become increasingly project-driven. Success today depends not only on functional expertise, but on execution discipline, aligning stakeholders, managing risk, and delivering outcomes in complex, fast-changing environments. As Houston’s economy continues to diversify, strategic execution remains a critical skill across industries.
...Business Development executives and Equity Traders?? Yeah, I've been beating the bushes for approaching a full year for a plain old X-ray job. Since I don't seem to have enough "style and grace" to win that spot anymore, after seeing this list, gosh I can see I've just been wasting time with trivialities, when I could have possibly jumped right into one of these venues! Who'd a thunk? ::Yes, I'm being sarcastic!::
What stands out to me about that each role maps directly to a pressure point in the city’s economy. Roles like car sales managers reflect the aftershocks of supply-chain disruption and pricing volatility in a commuter-dependent city. We felt this during COVID, tariffs, and inventory constraints more acutely than other metros. The prominence of healthcare and mental health roles signals something deeper. We're a global hub for medical innovation, but we’re also seeing strain at the system’s entry points: declining school enrollment, increased health challenges among younger populations, and pressure on public education infrastructure. Meanwhile, growth in HR, sales, business development, IR, and trading roles points to capital movement. We're attracting new investment across energy, infrastructure, and technology. When money moves, so do the people. These are all signals of a city re-organizing after a prolonged period of economic constraint, preparing for a phase where capital, talent, and infrastructure all re-align at once.
While I'm not surprised that growth-generating positions, along with medical professionals are among Houston's top growing positions, it's interesting to see HR executives on the list. I wonder if that strategic position is especially needed given the saturation of AI in both Talent Acquisition, resume vetting, and generational differences in work expectations.
Hmmmmm How is it that hiring school nurses is a dial mover in Houston hiring? How many new schools are there and new nurses needed. Seems like an odd on on the list for sure.