Which occupations will experience the most growth in the coming years? Research provided by CareerBuilder based on three major global trends indicates that software development, food service industry, and customer service jobs will lead the way.

Related: Top 10 best jobs: 2016

The forecast is based on CareerBuilder’s analysis of job growth by category between 2012 and 2016 — essentially the period of the current recovery. As consumer spending has increased, certain segments of the economy have benefited more than others.

CareerBuilder’s market analyst unit, Emsi, sorted through the job action by three major trends that are driving economic growth: lifestyle changes, technology advancement, and globalization.

For instance, lifestyle is being influenced not only by general shifts among all age groups, but by the specific preferences of younger people. People are dining out rather than dining in. Folks are flocking to the gym to get fit. Young couples are postponing having kids, leading to slower growth in kid-related jobs. People are banking online, driving growth in the information security field.

Technology is much the same: As more people increase their familiarity with and consumption of technology, certain areas are feeling the effects more than others. Tech is now monitoring personal health. Advertising has been completely reinvented via the web. Big data crunching is yielding fascinating gobs of information about us.

And the trends that tend to be worldwide drive other occupations across the globe. Companies must be able to serve customers in different time zones and languages, and adapt to different customs. Navigational devices have undergone a revolution as business and individuals become more global in their reach.

Where’s the growth happening? Some of the occupations experiencing rapid growth are small in number, such as cartographers and wind turbine service technicians. They are reporting strong growth, but it affects fewer people. On the other hand, the gains reported in computer user support specialists, restaurant employment and software development aren’t as large as a percentage, but are huge in number and truly can shift an economy over time.

Below are the occupations with more than a 10 percent increase over the past four years included:

- Wind turbine service technicians (37 percent).
- Software developers and applications (17 percent).
- Restaurant cooks (16 percent).
- Cartographers (16 percent).
- Taxi drivers and chauffeurs (read: Uber) (15 percent).
- Market research analysts (15 percent).
- Interpreters/translators (14 percent).
- Personal financial advisors (13 percent).
- Information security analysts (12 percent).
- Fitness related jobs (12 percent).
- Computer user support specialists (11 percent).
- Technical writers (11 percent).
- Marketing managers (10 percent).

While the health care industry has been a strong employer for more than a decade now, jobs in health care did not bubble up to the top of the lists. Medical records and medical information jobs grew by 8 percent over the study period. Obstetrics and gynecology positions increased just 4 percent, a job category victimized by too many young people hitting the gym, going out to eat, and perhaps listening to live music or taking in a movie rather than enjoying the pleasures of child-rearing.

Instant Insights /

Lifestyles, tech, globalization driving specific job growth

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You