Several fields common in hospital and health system leaders and employees — including pharmacy and medical technicians — rank among the 30 majors with the highest unemployment rates, according to an Aug. 29 LinkedIn post from WalletHub.
The ranking draws on 2024 data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Anthropology has the highest unemployment rate among college majors at 7.9%. Medical technicians posted the highest unemployment rate among healthcare-specific majors at 6.2%, followed by pharmacy at 5.6% and nutrition sciences at 4.5%. Other fields on the list, including information systems and management and marketing, are also common among large health system staff.
Meanwhile, some healthcare organizations are seeing a wider range of nontraditional applicants with non-healthcare degrees, as hospitals and health systems offer sustained labor demand compared with other industries.
Here are the 30 college majors with the highest unemployment rates:
1. Anthropology: 7.9%
2. Computer engineering: 7.8%
3. Fine arts: 7.7%
4. Computer science: 7%
5. Performing arts: 7%
6. Architecture: 6.8%
7. Art history: 6.7%
8. Physics: 6.6%
9. Early childhood education: 6.6%
10. Environmental studies: 6.3%
11. Medical technicians: 6.2%
12. English language: 6.1%
13. International affairs: 6.1%
14. Information systems & management: 6%
15. Mathematics: 5.8%
16. Commercial art & graphic design: 5.7%
17. Advertising and public relations: 5.7%
18. Pharmacy: 5.6%
19. Mass media: 5.2%
20. Philosophy: 5.1%
21. Business analytics: 5%
22. Psychology: 5%
23. Ethnic studies: 4.9%
24. Chemical engineering: 4.7%
25. Sociology: 4.6%
26. General engineering: 4.5%
27. Nutrition sciences: 4.5%
28. Political science: 4.5%
29. Miscellaneous biological science: 4.4%
30. Marketing: 4.4%
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