Industries with the most contract roles
Key facts
- #1 Professional Services & Consulting, Industry: 5.96%
- #2 Media & Entertainment, Industry: 1.66%
- #3 Government & Public Sector, Industry: 1.35%
- 15 industries ranked across all industries
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 1.02% across all industries.
- 1Professional Services & Consulting Industry5.96%
- 2Media & Entertainment Industry1.66%
- 3Government & Public Sector Industry1.35%
- 4Technology & Software Industry1.00%
- 5Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry0.74%
- 6Transportation & Logistics Industry0.73%
- 7Energy & Utilities Industry0.72%
- 8Non-profit & Social Impact Industry0.67%
- 9Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry0.65%
- 10Financial Services & Banking Industry0.59%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Professional Services & Consulting (5.96%) is well clear of Financial Services & Banking at #10 (0.59%).
- Transportation & Logistics reaches #6 on a sample of 6,679 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Technology & Software is the largest market in the top ten, with 77,229 openings behind its figure.
- Industries with fewer than 1,000 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Contract roles are fixed-term engagements. The share of openings that are contract shows where employers most often hire this way.
How to use it
If you want contract work, look at the fields near the top. If you want a permanent role, treat contract postings as a way in, and ask whether they convert.
The top 25
- 1
Professional Services & Consulting Industry
5.96%
- Contract openings
- 1,224
- All openings
- 20,546
- Fractional and interim
- 71
Based on 20,546 openings.
Professional Services & Consulting jobs, employers and outlook
- 2
Media & Entertainment Industry
1.66%
- Contract openings
- 124
- All openings
- 7,482
- Fractional and interim
- 8
Based on 7,482 openings.
- 3
Government & Public Sector Industry
1.35%
- Contract openings
- 141
- All openings
- 10,424
- Fractional and interim
- 37
Based on 10,424 openings.
- 4
Technology & Software Industry
1.00%
- Contract openings
- 775
- All openings
- 77,229
- Fractional and interim
- 41
Based on 77,229 openings.
- 5
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry
0.74%
- Contract openings
- 110
- All openings
- 14,885
- Fractional and interim
- 6
Based on 14,885 openings.
- 6
Transportation & Logistics Industry
0.73%
- Contract openings
- 49
- All openings
- 6,679
- Fractional and interim
- 3
Based on 6,679 openings.
- 7
Energy & Utilities Industry
0.72%
- Contract openings
- 75
- All openings
- 10,385
- Fractional and interim
- 8
Based on 10,385 openings.
- 8
Non-profit & Social Impact Industry
0.67%
- Contract openings
- 52
- All openings
- 7,716
- Fractional and interim
- 57
Based on 7,716 openings.
- 9
Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry
0.65%
- Contract openings
- 219
- All openings
- 33,514
- Fractional and interim
- 160
Based on 33,514 openings.
- 10
Financial Services & Banking Industry
0.59%
- Contract openings
- 206
- All openings
- 34,807
- Fractional and interim
- 25
Based on 34,807 openings.
- 11
Education & EdTech Industry
0.50%
- Contract openings
- 76
- All openings
- 15,207
- Fractional and interim
- 58
Based on 15,207 openings.
- 12
Construction & Real Estate Industry
0.43%
- Contract openings
- 22
- All openings
- 5,160
- Fractional and interim
- 4
Based on 5,160 openings.
- 13
Aerospace & Defense Industry
0.38%
- Contract openings
- 79
- All openings
- 20,538
- Fractional and interim
- 2
Based on 20,538 openings.
- 14
Retail & E-commerce Industry
0.36%
- Contract openings
- 82
- All openings
- 22,550
- Fractional and interim
- 106
Based on 22,550 openings.
- 15
Manufacturing & Industrial Industry
0.36%
- Contract openings
- 161
- All openings
- 44,886
- Fractional and interim
- 16
Based on 44,886 openings.
Full ranking
All 15 industries that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Industry | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional Services & Consulting Industry | 5.96% | 20,546 |
| 2 | Media & Entertainment Industry | 1.66% | 7,482 |
| 3 | Government & Public Sector Industry | 1.35% | 10,424 |
| 4 | Technology & Software Industry | 1.00% | 77,229 |
| 5 | Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry | 0.74% | 14,885 |
| 6 | Transportation & Logistics Industry | 0.73% | 6,679 |
| 7 | Energy & Utilities Industry | 0.72% | 10,385 |
| 8 | Non-profit & Social Impact Industry | 0.67% | 7,716 |
| 9 | Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry | 0.65% | 33,514 |
| 10 | Financial Services & Banking Industry | 0.59% | 34,807 |
| 11 | Education & EdTech Industry | 0.50% | 15,207 |
| 12 | Construction & Real Estate Industry | 0.43% | 5,160 |
| 13 | Aerospace & Defense Industry | 0.38% | 20,538 |
| 14 | Retail & E-commerce Industry | 0.36% | 22,550 |
| 15 | Manufacturing & Industrial Industry | 0.36% | 44,886 |
How this ranking works
A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles that the posting describes as contract (a fixed-term engagement rather than an employee role).
Only industries with at least 1,000 openings and 20 such roles are ranked. These roles are a small part of the board (about 0.5% for fractional and interim), so shares are small and move with a few postings. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
Sample bar: industries with fewer than 1,000 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which industry ranks first: industries with the most contract roles?
- Professional Services & Consulting leads: 5.96% of its professional openings are contract roles, against 1.02% across all industries.
- How many industries are ranked?
- 15 industries have at least 1,000 openings, so the list has 15 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles that the posting describes as contract (a fixed-term engagement rather than an employee role). Only industries with at least 1,000 openings and 20 such roles are ranked. These roles are a small part of the board (about 0.5% for fractional and interim), so shares are small and move with a few postings. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Industries with the most contract roles,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-most-contract-roles
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-most-contract-roles">Industries with the most contract roles (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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