Actuary Ranked as the Hardest Job to Land in 2027 as Tech and Healthcare Dominate Applicant Interest
Job hunters eyeing a career pivot in 2027 face an increasingly crowded market, but none more competitive than the actuarial profession. According to a new report on high-demand careers published by HR.software
, actuary tops the ranking of the most competitive roles next year, followed closely by machine learning engineering.
The study analyzed up to 50 popular occupations across the United States, evaluating current workforce sizes, long-term projected growth, average earnings, and search engine trends to gauge applicant interest. By measuring expected annual search volume against annual job openings, the index calculated the ratio of potential applicants vying for every open seat.
The findings highlight a clear trend: high compensation, technical expertise, and automation-resilient fields are drawing massive candidate interest heading into 2027.
Actuaries Face a 466-to-1 Applicant Bottleneck
While tech and AI dominate headlines, risk assessment in the financial and insurance sectors presents the steepest hill to climb for job seekers.
Actuaries command an average salary of $141,500—up nearly 7% over the past two years. However, the specialized field remains tight-knit, employing roughly 31,200 professionals nationwide and generating only 1,500 open roles each year. With monthly searches projected to hit 58,300 in 2027 (nearly 700,000 lookups annually), the study projects an overwhelming 466.4 job searches for every single vacancy—more than quadruple the ratio of any other profession surveyed.
The AI and Data Rush
Technical roles fueled by generative tools and big data occupy three of the top four positions:
- Machine Learning Engineer (#2): Offering an average salary of $153,900 and a 21.8% projected decade growth rate, the role is expected to see search volume expand by 14% next year. With roughly 2,900 positions opening annually, over 103 candidates are projected to compete per opening.
- Data Engineer (#3): Paying an average of $144,400 with 3,900 annual openings, data engineering will see approximately 80 candidates per role, backed by steady 13% search growth.
- AI Engineer (#4): Demonstrating the steepest surge in public interest, monthly searches for AI engineers are projected to climb 19% in 2027. Despite a 21.8% long-term employment expansion, the limited 2,900 annual openings will maintain intense competition at roughly 79 applicants per opening.
“AI is changing what employers ask for,” noted Hanna, an analyst at HR.software. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects computer and mathematical jobs to grow 7.3% by 2035, largely because of digital tools and AI. That is about double the 3.5% growth expected across the whole economy. This means that workers who pair analytical skills with AI tools will have more doors open. That puts data fluency and technical problem-solving among the skills employers expect to need most.”
Healthcare: Massive Volume Meets Steady Supply
Healthcare roles continue to dominate overall interest, though larger candidate pools and higher vacancy numbers keep competition ratios more balanced than in niche mathematical fields.
Nurse practitioner emerged as the single most searched profession in absolute numbers, with over 118,000 monthly inquiries anticipated in 2027. Bolstered by a 41% projected job growth rate through 2035 and 29,500 annual vacancies, the role logged a competition ratio of 48.3 searches per opening, ranking eighth overall.
Meanwhile, Physician Assistant secured the fifth most competitive spot overall (58.6 searches per opening), supported by an average salary of $141,300—which rose more than 8% over the past two years, marking the fastest wage growth among the top ten.
Top 10 Most Competitive Jobs to Land in 2027
| Rank | Job Title | Avg. Annual Openings | Avg. Salary | 2027 Predicted Monthly Searches | Searches Per Opening (2027) |
| 1 | Actuary | 1,500 | $141,500 | 58,300 | 466.4 |
| 2 | Machine Learning Engineer | 2,900 | $153,900 | 25,080 | 103.8 |
| 3 | Data Engineer | 3,900 | $144,400 | 25,990 | 80.0 |
| 4 | AI Engineer | 2,900 | $153,900 | 19,040 | 78.8 |
| 5 | Physician Assistant | 11,500 | $141,300 | 56,160 | 58.6 |
| 6 | Physical Therapist | 13,400 | $105,300 | 57,680 | 51.7 |
| 7 | Statistician | 1,900 | $115,700 | 8,140 | 51.4 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioner | 29,500 | $137,300 | 118,650 | 48.3 |
| 9 | Wind Turbine Technician | 1,500 | $64,100 | 5,810 | 46.5 |
| 10 | Full-Stack / Web Developer | 5,300 | $98,800 | 14,140 | 32.0 |
Data sourced from HR.software.
