Job families with the most contract roles
Key facts
- #1 Legal, Job family: 2.82%
- #2 Human Resources, Job family: 2.48%
- #3 Design, Job family: 1.99%
- 17 job families ranked across all job families
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 1.11% across all job families.
- 1Legal Job family2.82%
- 2Human Resources Job family2.48%
- 3Design Job family1.99%
- 4Administration Job family1.94%
- 5Security Job family1.71%
- 6Data & Analytics Job family1.39%
- 7Programs Job family1.20%
- 8Engineering Job family1.12%
- 9Marketing Job family1.01%
- 10Finance Job family0.99%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Legal (2.82%) is well clear of Finance at #10 (0.99%).
- Administration reaches #4 on a sample of 5,196 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Engineering is the largest market in the top ten, with 87,056 openings behind its figure.
- Job families 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
Legal Job family
2.82%
- Contract openings
- 365
- All openings
- 12,953
- Fractional and interim
- 27
Based on 12,953 openings.
- 2
Human Resources Job family
2.48%
- Contract openings
- 360
- All openings
- 14,526
- Fractional and interim
- 61
Based on 14,526 openings.
- 3
Design Job family
1.99%
- Contract openings
- 111
- All openings
- 5,591
- Fractional and interim
- 4
Based on 5,591 openings.
- 4
Administration Job family
1.94%
- Contract openings
- 101
- All openings
- 5,196
- Fractional and interim
- 1
Based on 5,196 openings.
- 5
Security Job family
1.71%
- Contract openings
- 108
- All openings
- 6,328
- Fractional and interim
- 8
Based on 6,328 openings.
- 6
Data & Analytics Job family
1.39%
- Contract openings
- 311
- All openings
- 22,444
- Fractional and interim
- 16
Based on 22,444 openings.
- 7
Programs Job family
1.20%
- Contract openings
- 76
- All openings
- 6,312
- Fractional and interim
- 6
Based on 6,312 openings.
- 8
Engineering Job family
1.12%
- Contract openings
- 976
- All openings
- 87,056
- Fractional and interim
- 36
Based on 87,056 openings.
- 9
Marketing Job family
1.01%
- Contract openings
- 144
- All openings
- 14,245
- Fractional and interim
- 41
Based on 14,245 openings.
- 10
Finance Job family
0.99%
- Contract openings
- 345
- All openings
- 34,687
- Fractional and interim
- 241
Based on 34,687 openings.
- 11
Operations Job family
0.98%
- Contract openings
- 464
- All openings
- 47,185
- Fractional and interim
- 34
Based on 47,185 openings.
- 12
Product Job family
0.97%
- Contract openings
- 72
- All openings
- 7,453
- Fractional and interim
- 7
Based on 7,453 openings.
- 13
Customer Success Job family
0.86%
- Contract openings
- 35
- All openings
- 4,047
- Fractional and interim
- 1
Based on 4,047 openings.
- 14
Strategy Job family
0.75%
- Contract openings
- 25
- All openings
- 3,341
- Fractional and interim
- 8
Based on 3,341 openings.
- 15
Research Job family
0.72%
- Contract openings
- 33
- All openings
- 4,568
- Fractional and interim
- 0
Based on 4,568 openings.
- 16
Clinical Job family
0.55%
- Contract openings
- 57
- All openings
- 10,309
- Fractional and interim
- 59
Based on 10,309 openings.
- 17
Sales Job family
0.16%
- Contract openings
- 67
- All openings
- 41,887
- Fractional and interim
- 33
Based on 41,887 openings.
Full ranking
All 17 job families that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Job family | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal Job family | 2.82% | 12,953 |
| 2 | Human Resources Job family | 2.48% | 14,526 |
| 3 | Design Job family | 1.99% | 5,591 |
| 4 | Administration Job family | 1.94% | 5,196 |
| 5 | Security Job family | 1.71% | 6,328 |
| 6 | Data & Analytics Job family | 1.39% | 22,444 |
| 7 | Programs Job family | 1.20% | 6,312 |
| 8 | Engineering Job family | 1.12% | 87,056 |
| 9 | Marketing Job family | 1.01% | 14,245 |
| 10 | Finance Job family | 0.99% | 34,687 |
| 11 | Operations Job family | 0.98% | 47,185 |
| 12 | Product Job family | 0.97% | 7,453 |
| 13 | Customer Success Job family | 0.86% | 4,047 |
| 14 | Strategy Job family | 0.75% | 3,341 |
| 15 | Research Job family | 0.72% | 4,568 |
| 16 | Clinical Job family | 0.55% | 10,309 |
| 17 | Sales Job family | 0.16% | 41,887 |
How this ranking works
A job family'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 job families 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: job families 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 job family ranks first: job families with the most contract roles?
- Legal leads: 2.82% of its professional openings are contract roles, against 1.11% across all job families.
- How many job families are ranked?
- 17 job families have at least 1,000 openings, so the list has 17 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A job family'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 job families 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, “Job families with the most contract roles,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/job-families-with-the-most-contract-roles
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/job-families-with-the-most-contract-roles">Job families 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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