The Best Salary Guide for 2023 is Here and it’s Free!

Companies don’t want you to talk about it.
Colleagues don’t want to talk to you about it.
Conversation about it is taboo or shrouded in mystery.
Yet, the paycheck at the end of the month does matter! 

The salary we draw defines many vital things like how much you save for your retirement or the kind of lifestyle you can afford. Yet, there is very little conversation around this subject due to company policies as well as social mores. Most organizations prohibit their employees from discussing salaries. The social hegemony around the subject extends to informal situations as well. Aren’t we warned in many proverbs to never discuss a wo(man)’s salary! But thanks to the internet and the anonymity it offers, we can finally get past the secrecy surrounding actual salary figures and no one other than your browser history needs to know! Here is a curated salary guide 2023 for the top trending jobs for the year. 

Salary Guide 2023 for the Most In-Demand Jobs

This salary guide covers jobs in the following eight categories that are slated to be trending in the coming year:

• AI and ML
• Data Science 
• Healthcare 
• Finance
• Digital Marketing
• Cybersecurity
• Project Management
• Human Resources

Our curated salary guide 2023 introduces you to different roles in a diverse range of industries, and also to the pay package you can expect from these. A word of caution: the salary for different roles vary vastly depending on your specialization, level of skill, years of experience, educational credentials, domain knowledge, and the size of the company. 

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

According to PWC’s AI report in 2021, AI and ML are expected to contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. This is more than China’s and India’s GDP contribution, combined! 

AI integration is no longer an expectation, it is a rule. These technologies are growing fast and leaders across industries are making strategic changes to incorporate intelligent machines into their business strategies. Using AI and ML companies are focusing holistically on business transformation, enhanced decision-making, and modernizing systems and processes. 

With more businesses moving toward AI integration, the demand for analysts, engineers, and specialists is going through the roof. Let us look at the most in-demand AI job roles and their salaries. 

ALSO READ: Artificial Intelligence vs. Machine Learning: What are the Key Differences?

Salary Guide 2023: AI and ML Jobs

Top Companies for AI and ML Jobs

According to the Future of Jobs report by the World Economic Forum, nearly 73 million jobs in the U.S. will be lost or displaced due to automation. To stay ahead of the automation curve, companies, both big and small, are hiring AI and ML experts in large volumes. 

When the job openings on Robots.jobs shot up by 500% in February 2022, co-founder and CEO Ann P Walsh said, “We are just at the beginning of the demand for talent.” 

Here are the top five companies hiring AI and ML experts:

• Amazon
• LinkedIn
• Grammarly
• Meta
• Adobe

Not all AI and ML jobs are full-time roles in some of the world’s best organizations. Specialists also choose to work as contract employees, freelancers, and consultants. There are a number of interesting projects in the market spread across data mining, robotics, data modeling, and AI or ML algorithms. 

How to Get Into an AI and ML Career?

There are many ways to get into this field. But to kickstart your career or to give yourself an edge, explore the AI and ML courses offered by Emeritus. It brings you the world’s best universities in one single destination. 

2. Data Science

Data is the new oil. Global organizations are shifting their focus to data-driven goals and decision-making. In fact, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC 2021) report, by 2025, usable worldwide data will grow 61% to 175 zettabytes. This has made data science and analytics one of the hottest professions of this decade. 

Companies are looking for skilled data scientists and number crunchers who can enable them to process, interpret efficiently, and leverage data. Successful leaders have been able to use such data to make informed business decisions, optimize spending, push performance, and achieve sustainable growth. 

A data scientist has been voted the Sexiest Job of the 21st Century by the Harvard Business Review. Despite there being such a huge demand for talented professionals, the supply doesn’t suffice. The number of open positions continues to grow, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a growth rate of nearly 28% in the number of jobs requiring data science skills by 2026. It is a great opportunity for aspirants to find and bag their dream roles. Due to its high demand, a career in this field has become extremely lucrative with attractive salaries across domains and geographies. 

ALSO READ: What is Data Science? Why is This Career Path in Demand? Find Out Now!

Salary Guide 2023: Data Science and Analytics Jobs

Top Companies for Data Science Jobs

With data jobs taking over the global tech market, the demand for data scientists, analysts, researchers, and administrators is growing too! Data analysts mainly help businesses forecast, make sound decisions, and implement effective strategies. Their role however might comprise data warehousing, visualization, migration, predictive analytics, and much more. This also varies from one organization to another. 

Glassdoor released its top jobs for 2023 list, and data scientists are at #3! Let us explore the top five companies that are ready to offer a lucrative salary and a great working environment to data science professionals. 

• Accenture
• Tata Consultancy Services
• Netflix
• Capgemini
• Ernst and Young

With many exciting projects coming up, data scientists and analysts also get multiple freelance opportunities. 

How to Get Into a Data Science Career?

It would help if you had degrees in engineering or science to get into a data science career. To build on it, you can consider the data science and analytics courses offered by Emeritus that will add tremendous value to your profile.

3. Healthcare

The healthcare system was working at a certain pace pre-pandemic. But, after 2021, the sector has boomed. With new technologies and job roles, the healthcare sector has grown multi-fold and is one of the most in-demand industries today. Apart from the regular clinical positions, i.e., of doctors and nurses, non-clinical positions like lab technicians and pharmacy assistants are in demand too! 

Across geographies, scaling essential health interventions to achieve hospital targets is limited by the lack of skilled health professionals to deliver these services. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, healthcare employment is predicted to grow by 13% by 2031, resulting in over 2 million new jobs over the decade. Moreover, 1.9 million openings might arise annually due to the growth and replacement needs of healthcare centers. 

ALSO READ: How Technology is Opening Career Opportunities in Health Care

Salary Guide 2023: Healthcare Jobs

Top Companies for Healthcare Jobs

Gone are the days when healthcare jobs only meant the ones that opened up at hospitals and care centers. Today, healthcare jobs are available at companies ranging from biotechnology to data science and this list is fast growing!

Here are the top companies hiring healthcare professionals, according to Glassdoor:

• UnitedHealth Group
• Philips
• Optum
• GE Healthcare
• Abbott

Healthcare is a highly competitive and regulated industry. Most roles like doctors and nurses require standard exams, degrees, and licensing. Many other non-clinical roles are equally in demand and corporates across the world are looking for passionate healthcare professionals. According to Forbes, some of the top-paying jobs in this industry do not fall within the realm of medical practice only. 

How to Get Into a Healthcare Career?

While you might need various levels of medical/para-medical degrees for certain roles, others are open to non-medical personnel. Augment your career with the online courses in healthcare by Emeritus that offer real-world skills. 

4. Finance

Cutting-edge developments have made the world of finance even more lucrative than before. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that finance job opportunities will grow by 8% from 2020 to 2030. For those who enjoy crunching numbers and working in fast-paced environments, a job in finance is ideal. A good understanding of technology is a huge plus as it is a core part of every forward-thinking organization. 

New-age technologies like Web3, machine learning, robotics, and artificial intelligence have disrupted the financial sector. They have led to the rise of internet banking, cryptocurrencies, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). With the industry’s rapid growth, an increasing number of jobs are opening up every day across banks, financial institutions, corporate organizations, and start-ups, especially in fintech. Moreover, according to LinkedIn, by 2030, it is predicted that the global fintech market will be worth $814 billion.

ALSO READ: How to Get Into the Fintech Space: Here’s What You Need to Know

Salary Guide 2023: Finance Jobs

Top Companies for Finance Jobs

The finance sector is not immune to change. It is at the forefront of it and thousands of new jobs are created every year to keep up with the pace. Banks and institutions have started adopting technology that is helping them become more customer-centric, profitable, and sustainable. Leaders are adopting data to make better decisions and evolve their operating models. Companies are, hence, looking for finance professionals who have excellent technical skills, with an empathetic streak to focus equally on profit, the planet, and people. 

Here are the top companies hiring finance professionals, according to Glassdoor:

• Wells Fargo
• JP Morgan
• Citi
• HSBC
• Bank of America

While most of the roles mentioned above are full-time jobs, thanks to cloud computing and technology, many roles have also opened up for freelancers. This includes bookkeeping, online trading, financial marketing, and investment analyst. 

How to Get Into a Finance Career?

You can supplement your career or kick start a new career by taking up the finance courses offered by Emeritus as we collaborate with the world’s best universities. 

5. Digital Marketing

During the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, a barrier was broken in the minds of customers and marketers as they both realized that our digital experiences can be just as real as our physical ones. Hence, digital marketing is no longer a good-to-have, but a must-have for every organization. The global marketing and digital advertising market was estimated at $350 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach $786.2 billion by 2026. The growth rate in this industry is not just healthy but very optimistic as the industry — which is an umbrella for many different sub-segments — opens up to constantly evolving roles. 

Salary Guide 2023: Digital Marketing Jobs

Top Companies for Digital Marketing Jobs

While every company is trying to go for a 360-degree digital marketing approach post-pandemic, there is still a preference for one marketing channel over another for businesses. Some organizations might have organic traffic as their main revenue generator while others might get most of their leads through email marketing. Thus, how they employ digital marketing professionals also depends on this revenue split. But in general, the following are the companies that are the best employers for digital marketing as per Glassdoor:

• Accenture
• Tata Consultancy Services
• Google
• Cognizant
• Amazon

It must also be noted that digital marketers can work as consultants or freelancers and be meaningfully employed as part of the gig economy. 

How to Get Into a Digital Marketing Career

You can get a headstart in your career by considering one of the online courses in digital marketing offered by Emeritus. Pick one that best aligns with your career path and interest. 

6. Cybersecurity

The climbing rates of cybercrime in the last decade or so have left us in no doubt that nothing and no one is safe in the digital world. And the currency of this brave new world is data. Thus, keeping data safe is the biggest priority for most organizations. According to Gartner, 60% of organizations will use cybersecurity risk as a primary determinant in third-party transactions and business engagements by 2025. Hence, it is no surprise that professionals in this field are highly coveted resources. And we get further proof of their demand from a McKinsey report that states that nearly 3.5 million cybersecurity positions are known to be open across the world today.

The rule of a free market is that the ratio of demand versus supply determines your value. Naturally, with great demand for cybersecurity comes to the opportunity to negotiate a handsome pay package. 

Salary Guide 2023: Cybersecurity Jobs

Top Companies for Cybersecurity Jobs

In the current scenario, being digital-first as a company is a pressing need. We have seen even traditional companies make the switch to a digital space during the pandemic and in its aftermath. And as soon as a company moves to the digital space, data becomes its new currency. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power; in the digital era, we have reinvented it as data is power. Thus, protecting this data is the primary focus of any organization and aiding them in this vital function, are cybersecurity professionals. 

The quantum of data we produced on a daily/yearly basis has grown exponentially and it will only continue to grow in the future. Hence, cybersecurity as a career has immense potential. Every organization, irrespective of its product or services, requires cybersecurity experts to secure its data. Hence, this field is not likely to face any slowdown in hiring during the impending recession in 2023. 

According to Glassdoor, the following consulting giants are the biggest recruiters of cybersecurity professionals: 

• Deloitte
• PWC
• Ernst and Young
• Booz Allen Hamilton 
• Jacobs

How to Get Into a Cybersecurity Career

Apart from degrees in science and engineering, you can consider the programs in cybersecurity run by Emeritus that have faculties from the best universities in the world. It will help you stand out from the crowd in your career path. 

ALSO READ: How to Get into Cybersecurity and Make a Successful Career in it

7. Project Management

Managing a team or a project involves a variety of skill sets. And in the new age of workplaces that are hybrid or remote, project management as a field is growing in importance. As per PMI Pulse, an average of 11.4% of investment at organizations is wasted due to poor project performance. That shows just how critical the role of project managers is in any organization. According to the Project Management Institute, the strength of the project management community will reach 88 million by 2027. 

Now, it is time to bust a few myths about this career path before we explore it in detail. First, project management is not really a technical role. It is a role that requires specific credentials in project management technologies like Agile, Scrum, etc. Secondly, while the role of a project manager is referred to generically as an IT-specific role, it is not necessarily so. There are different fields and specializations in project management like construction or technical project management. The salary for each of these specializations differs. The number of years of experience, domain expertise, skills, and the complexity and size of projects also have a part to play in determining the optimum salary for a project manager. 

Salary Guide 2023: Project Management Jobs

Top Companies for Project Management Jobs

Did you know that the U.S. Air Force is one of the biggest and best employers of project managers? Any guesses about who follows the Air Force in the list? It’s none other than the U.S. Army! Essentially, project managers are needed, not just in IT companies, but in various other industries where management of large-scale, geographically diverse, and complex projects take place. So depending on your area of interest and expertise, jobs are yours for the taking. 

The following are the top companies hiring project managers, as per Glassdoor:

• Wipro
• Accenture
• IBM
• Tata Consultancy Services
• Cognizant 

How to Get Into a Project Management Career

There are various standard certifications for project management. But, you can also consider the online courses in project management by Emeritus to get an extra edge over the competition. 

8. Human Resources

From sourcing a resume to negotiating the salary, ensuring resource development and retention to the exit interviews, all processes that involve managing a resource within an organization can be traced back to the human resources team. Just like all roads lead to Rome, the HR department handles a multitude of different functions connecting to different impact areas within an organization. And due to the remote and hybrid work models that have evolved in the post-pandemic world, the role of human resources to keep the organization together has also evolved. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment rate for HR managers is projected to grow at a steady 7% between 2021 and 2031, with 16,300 openings in each year of this decade. This healthy growth in demand warrants a look at what the salaries for different HR roles will be in the coming years. 

ALSO READ: How to Become an HR Manager in 2023

Salary Guide 2023: Human Resources Jobs

Top Companies for Human Resources Jobs

No matter what a company sells in terms of products or services, the requirement for the human resources team is constant. The demand for HR jobs may, however, vary depending on the path that the company is on. For instance, if a company is on a growth path, it will need a large recruiting team. Then again, if the company is consolidating its business, it will need more professionals in the HR processes. According to Glassdoor, the following companies are the biggest in terms of scope for HR professionals: 

• Amazon
• ADP
• Target
• Walmart
• Robert Half

How to Get Into a Human Resources Career

There are various standard certifications for project management. But, you can also consider the online courses in human resource management by Emeritus to get an extra edge over the competition. 

While this salary guide covers eight career paths, the scope for different careers in 2023 is limitless. The only constant, irrespective of your career path, is a commitment to continuous learning. In a world where skills become obsolete in five to six years, upskilling and reskilling are must-haves. To explore upskilling opportunities, explore courses from the world’s best university on Emeritus.

By Manasa Ramakrishnan & Anwesha Barari

Write to us at content@emeritus.org