Governor Scott: Job Openings In Florida Remain Strong

Press Release

Today, Governor Scott announced the number of available online job openings in Florida increased in December 2012 compared to the previous December by 19,380 (+8.0 percent), for a total of 260,281 openings (seasonally adjusted).

Governor Rick Scott said, "In two years, the private sector has created more than 200,000 jobs, unemployment has dropped by 3 percentage points and Florida's economy continues to grow and strengthen as the housing market improves and businesses grow. As a result of Florida's strengthening economic climate, employers are re-investing in their business by offering more employment opportunities for Floridians. Last December marked an 8 percent increase in online job postings over the year, and I'm confident that as we head into 2013, we'll see more jobs made available to Florida families."

Florida's labor demand, measured by online advertised vacancies, bottomed out in April 2009 at 151,251 ads and has increased by 109,030 openings (+72.1 percent) since then.

According to the Help Wanted OnLine data series from The Conference Board, online job demand was strongest in the large metro cities, led by Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville. Among the cities with the most online ads, the highest percentage gain over-the-year in online ads was in St. Petersburg (+25.8 percent).

Major occupational groups with the most online ads in December were healthcare practitioners and technical occupations; sales and related occupations; office and administrative support occupations; and computer and mathematical occupations.

Top Advertised Occupations for Florida-December 2012
Online Ads December 2012

Online Ads December

2011

Florida Total Ads
260,281

240,901

Registered Nurses
17,897

14,244

Retail Salespersons
8,038

7,415

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Retail Sales Workers
7,256

5,655

Customer Service Representatives
5,138

5,411

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
5,005

3,937

Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor -Trailer
4,181

3,470

Web Developers
3,509

3,356

Computer Systems Analysts
3,507

3,370

Medical and Health Services Managers
3,294

2,801

Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
3,260

3,539

Accountants
3,116

2,513

Sales Reps, Wholesale & Mfg, Except Technical & Scientific Products
3,045

3,464

First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Office and Administrative Support Workers
3,041

2,837

Physical Therapists
3,015

4,719

Occupational Therapists
2,948

4,096

Computer Support Specialists
2,93

2,527

Sales Agents, Financial Services
2,782

2,186

Sales Representatives, Services, All Other
2,585

2,315

Insurance Sales Agents
2,383

2,182

Sales Managers
2,290

1,998

SOURCE: The Conference Board, Help Wanted OnLine, prepared by the Florida Department of Economic

Opportunity, Labor Market Statistics Center.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state's economic, workforce and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.

Source