Which Jobs Have the Largest Supply Gaps?

By Lainey Stalnaker, Data Analytics Writer

Last month, we provided an overview of the types of jobs with the largest supply gaps, according to the 2026 Supply Gap Analysis. In this post, we’re looking at the occupations with the largest supply gaps, calculated by subtracting the number of workers newly qualified for an occupation from the number of new positions in demand for that occupation in the same year.

As we discussed in our last post, jobs requiring a high school diploma and jobs requiring a postsecondary credential are both in high demand. Among the former, the occupation with the single largest supply gap was first-line supervisors of retail sales workers at 4,640 workers. This means that there were 4,640 more new jobs than new workers to fill them. The demand supply ratio was 15.5, meaning there were 15.5 new jobs for every new worker. Table 1 shows the top ten supply gaps among occupations requiring a high school diploma.

Among jobs requiring a post-secondary credential, registered nurses came first with a supply gap of 3,160 workers. The demand supply ratio was 2.2, indicating 2.2 new jobs for every new worker. Business and Financial Operations Occupations and Computer and Mathematical Occupations were also common among the top ten, shown in Table 2.