Top Industries Begging to Hire You Right Now

Want a job?
By Hal M. Bundrick, CFP ,

NEW YORK (MainStreet)—If you think a good job is hard to find, prepare to be courted by anxious employers. More than a third (35%) of hiring managers currently report having positions that have remained unfilled for 12 weeks or longer, according to a new study from CareerBuilder. And we're not talking about out-in-the-heat hard labor, but good-paying, career-advancing jobs begging to be filled.

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"Although the recession created an abundant pool of readily-available, unemployed talent that still exists today, employers are struggling to find new employees for technology-related occupations, sales, healthcare and a variety of other areas," said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. "Two in five employers (41%) reported that they continuously recruit throughout the year, so that they have candidates in their pipeline in case a position opens up down the road. The skills gap that exists for high-growth, specialized occupations will become even more pronounced in the years to come, prompting the need to place a greater emphasis on reskilling workers through formal education and on-the-job training."

In the survey, more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals were asked to identify the hardest-to-fill positions that remain open 12 weeks or longer. The top ten were:

  • Marketing Professional (11.3% 9.9% job growth from 2010 to 2013)
  • Software Developer (11.2% growth)
  • Machine Operator/Assembler/Production Worker (9.9% growth)
  • IT Manager/Network Administrator (7.5% growth)
  • Truck Driver (6.7% growth)
  • Nurse (5% growth)
  • Engineer (4.9% growth)
  • Accountant (4.5% growth)
  • Mechanic (4.1% growth)
  • Sales Representative (3.8% growth)

If you are searching for the flexibility of a part-time job, you may also be in luck. One-quarter of employers surveyed plan to hire part-time employees within the next six months -- that's up a significant 21% from last year. 31% plan to hire temporary or contract workers during the same time period; that's also up 21% from a year ago.

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"Companies are adding more employees to keep pace with demand for their products and services, but they're not rushing into a full-scale expansion of headcount in light of economic headwinds that still linger today," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder, adding that the overall pace of permanent hiring is a positive sign for the economy.

--Written by Hal M. Bundrick

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