The 9 jobs with the highest growth in pay

The recession's impact continues to be felt in Americans' paychecks, which have failed to recover even though by many measures the economy is improving.

While U.S. household incomes have barely budged overall, that's not the case for every American. Some workers are lucky enough to take home significant pay increases, according to a new study from employment site Glassdoor.com.

Jobs with big pay increases don't necessarily require a high level of training. Some entry-level positions are witnessing large pay hikes, thanks to increases in minimum wage laws and discussions about the need for a living wage, which has placed pressure on low-wage employers such as Starbucks (SBUX) and Walmart (WMT) to boost hourly pay.

"According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Glassdoor's data, the average wage growth has been about 2 percent," said Scott Dobroski, associate director of corporate communications at Glassdoor. Jobs that are seeing wage increases of even 3 percent to 5 percent are outperforming the trend, he noted.

Still, Dobroski noted that job seekers should view the list with caution. That's because some jobs, such as in the fast-growing tech and health fields, may continue to see demand and wage growth, while others may have seen above-average pay hikes because of minimum wage or living wage raises, which are unlikely to translate into longer-term wage growth.

Glassdoor crunched the numbers by comparing salary reports from two 12-month periods, running from September 2013 to September 2014 and from September 2014 to September 2015, and evaluated job titles with at least 500 salary reports for each year.

Read on to find out the nine jobs with the fastest growth in pay.

9. Systems analyst: 4 percent pay hike

Systems analysts, or workers who analyze business operations to develop better computer or corporate systems, saw their pay rise 4 percent this year.

Systems analysts are earning an average annual salary of $80,000, compared with $76,575 in 2014. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the outlook for computer systems analysts, which are type of systems analyst, is rosy: Employers expect to boost hiring by 25 percent through 2022.

8. Financial analyst: 5 percent pay hike

Companies are hiring financial analysts to assess investment opportunities as well as to analyze financial results and provide market research. Their pay rose 5 percent this year, reaching $71,550 in 2015 from $68,397 in the previous year.

To get a foot in the door, workers need a bachelor's degree in business, accounting, finance or a related field such as mathematics. It also helps to have some experience in a business or finance role.

The job outlook for financial analysts is strong: Companies expect to add about 39,300 new positions in the field by 2022, which represents growth of 16 percent, according to the BLS.

7. Certified nursing assistant: 5 percent pay growth

Certified nursing assistants have seen faster-than-average pay growth, but that extra money is coming on a fairly low earnings base.

CNAs are making an average of $25,000 annually, compared with $23,840 in 2014, according to Glassdoor. Like other low-paid workers on Glassdoor's list, nursing aides have benefited from a push from labor activists to gain higher pay for health workers eking out a living.

Wages may also be rising because of the huge need for more CNAs to staff nursing homes and other institutions. Nursing assistants and orderlies are slated to see 21 percent growth through 2022, with hospitals and nursing homes hiring an additional 320,000 workers in the next seven years, according to the BLS.

6. Customer service manager: 5 percent pay growth

This role is the supervisory position that oversees customer service representatives, and they tend to make more money than the reps themselves.

Customer service managers earned an average of $34,780 this year, compared with $33,051 in 2014, Glassdoor found. By comparison, the median pay for customer service reps is $30,580 annually, according to the BLS.

5. Barista: 6 percent pay growth

Baristas, the men and women who whip up fancy coffee drinks at Starbucks and other cafes, saw their pay jump to $23,600 this year, compared with $22,249 in 2014, Glassdoor said.

It's not a high-paying job, of course, so every dollar can make a big impact for a barista. One reason these workers may have seen an above-average jump in pay was Starbucks' vow last year to boost wages starting in January.

"We did see that movement of Starbucks starting to raise their hourly rate," said Glassdoor's Dobroski. "When they do it, other companies follow."

4. Pharmacy technician: 6 percent pay growth

While pharmacists make six-figure salaries, pharmacy technicians are earning a fraction of what their bosses pull in. Pharmacy techs work as assistants to pharmacists, helping to dispense medication to patients or health care professionals.

Pay for pharmacy techs rose to $26,000 this year from $24,500 a year earlier, which may be due to pressures on large companies to provide a living wage to workers, as well as increasing demand for employees, Dobroski said. Employment of pharmacy technicians is expected to jump by 20 percent by 2022, according to the BLS.

3. Sales consultant: 7 percent pay growth

These workers are employed by corporations to both help train workers on how to sell their products and sell products themselves, with many of the jobs focused on a business-to-business approach. These office workers aren't the same as retail sales workers, who make less than half the earnings than sales consultants.

Pay for sales consultants rose to $49,008 this year, compared with $45,945 in 2014, according to Glassdoor.

2. Security officer: 7 percent pay growth

Security officers are taking home an average of $24,000 in annual pay this year, compared with $22,460 in 2014, according to Glassdoor.

Companies are increasingly hiring security officers to protect their data and employees, but it's not a very lucrative job, said Glassdoor's Dobroski. These workers are likely reaping the benefits of pressure on corporations to pay a living wage to their employees, he added.

1. Business systems analyst: 10 percent pay growth

People in this occupation help organizations analyze their structures, processes and functions, and provide an assessment of what could be improved. Companies in fields ranging from technology to health care are adding workers in this role to help bolster their performance.

Business systems analysts earned $81,000 this year, compared with $75,554 in 2014, Glassdoor found. To get a job in this field, it helps to have a degree in a technical or business field, as well as having analytical and project management skills, Dobroski said.