The occupations with the highest number of hires in 2025 are largely frontline, operational, and service-oriented roles that support the day-to-day functioning of the regional economy. They are concentrated in healthcare, construction, logistics, administrative support, and other high-volume functions needed across industries.

These same occupations also show high levels of separation, often comparable to or exceeding the number of hires. This suggests that much of the demand is driven by replacement rather than net job growth, with employers frequently hiring to backfill positions as workers change jobs or exit the occupation. As a result, these roles experience consistently high turnover and require continuous recruitment to maintain staffing levels.

Unique job postings represent distinct job openings, filtering out duplicate listings to provide a clearer picture of real employer demand. The occupations with the highest number of postings tend to be higher-skill, credentialed roles, particularly in healthcare, management, sales, and technical fields. These positions often require formal education or specialized experience and generally offer higher wages than many frontline roles.

This pattern contrasts with occupations with the highest number of hires, which are largely driven by turnover and replacement demand. While high hiring volumes reflect ongoing churn in essential roles, elevated job postings point to targeted demand for specific skills and positions that are often more difficult to fill.

Together, these trends reinforce a two-tier labor market: one driven by scale and turnover in frontline roles, and another shaped by specialized demand for skilled talent.

Program completions are concentrated in management, business, and professional fields, reflecting a strong pipeline into roles that require formal education and support organizational operations. These pathways are closely aligned with administrative, financial, and leadership functions, as well as select areas of healthcare, technology, and higher education.

However, completions are less concentrated in skilled trades, maintenance, logistics, and frontline service roles, despite the importance of these occupations in the regional economy. This suggests that the region’s education and training systems are more aligned with credentialed, professional careers than with many high-volume operational roles.

The occupations employing the most workers are concentrated in healthcare, education, administrative support, logistics, construction, and business operations, reflecting the core functions required to sustain the regional economy.

These roles span a wide range of education and training levels, from degree-based professions such as nursing and teaching to middle-skill roles in transportation, maintenance, construction, and administrative services. This mix highlights that the region’s largest employment opportunities are distributed across both credentialed and operational career pathways.

Many of these occupations also align with those experiencing high hiring demand and turnover, particularly in frontline and support roles. This reinforces their importance as both major sources of employment and ongoing workforce demand across industries.

Comparing completions with employment and hiring demand reveals a clear imbalance in the workforce pipeline. The region produces a strong supply of talent for professional and managerial roles, while many of the largest and most in-demand occupations, particularly those tied to operations, support, and essential services, are less consistently aligned with completion volumes.

This pattern reflects the broader labor market dynamics identified earlier in the report. High-volume roles drive employment and hiring demand, often with significant turnover, while more specialized roles require targeted skills and credentials. Program completions align more closely with these specialized pathways than with many essential, high-demand occupations.

Together, these trends point to a dual workforce challenge. The region must continue to support pathways into high-skill, high-wage careers while also strengthening training and workforce strategies for the high-volume roles that sustain the regional economy.