Truck Drivers and Registered Nurses Continue to be the Most Sought After Employees According to HWOL

Matt Boster

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Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Apr 17 2015 5:12 PM

MONTGOMERY - Data collected and analyzed by the Alabama Department of Labor’s Labor Market Information Division shows that the most online wanted ads were for truck drivers, registered nurses, and retail supervisors, with more than 7,200 ads placed for those occupations in March.

The Help Wanted Online (HWOL) data is compiled from all online job postings in the state, including those posted on the state’s free online jobs database, www.joblink.alabama.gov, and other sources, such as traditional job boards, corporate boards, and social media sites. There were 45,642 online ads this month, 24,532 of those were new ads.

"We continue to see truck drivers topping this list," said Fitzgerald Washington, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Labor. "One of the reasons this occupation is in such high demand is that more than 60 percent of those working in the trucking industry are over the age of 45, and a further 29 percent of those workers are over the age of 55. This means that workers in this industry are getting closer to retirement age, and new workers are needed to take their places as they retire."

As of 2013 (the most recent annual data available), 61% of workers in the General Freight Trucking Industry were over the age of 45. Twenty nine percent of those workers were over the age of 55.

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a mean wage of $19.58 per hour, registered nurses earn a mean wage of $27.15 per hour, and first-line supervisors of retail sales workers earn a mean wage of $19.36 per hour. (Full listing of comparable wages below.)

The top employers with the most online ads placed in Alabama are: Community Health Systems, Inc. (635), UAB Medicine (417), and Lowe’s (401).

The three industry groups posting the most online ads are:

Employment Services (Placement Agencies or Temporary Help) 1,657

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 1,144

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,070

Fifty-four percent of all online ads are less than 30 days old, and another 25% of all ads are less than 90 days old.

"We’d like to encourage anyone who needs a job, or wants a different job, to come into one of our Career Centers for assistance," continued Washington. "Our trained staff can assist you in obtaining the career you want."

A listing of Career Centers can be found at www.joblink.alabama.gov.