Data collected and analyzed by the Alabama Department of Labor’s Labor Market Information Division shows that the most online wanted ads were for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers,registered nurses, and retail salespersons, with 5,525 ads placed for those occupations in December.

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 38,452 online ads this month, of those 14,526 were new ads.

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a mean wage of $19.97 per hour, registered nurses earn a mean wage of $28.01 per hour, and retail salespersons earn a mean wage of $12.81 per hour.

“While truck drivers and nurses continue to dominate our HWOL data, we are beginning to see, more and more, the inclusion of various other occupations,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor. “This month’s inclusion of real estate sales agents, and the marked increase in demand over the year is a great example. Along with industrial engineers and medical and health service managers, these three occupations all have average hourly wages ranging from $30-$49.”