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 more than 5,500 ads placed for those occupations in February.

Overall ads were up over the month by 6.2 percent. 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 39,084 online ads this month, of those 15,774 were new ads. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a mean wage of $20.11 per hour, registered nurses earn a mean wage of $28.01 per hour and retail salespersons earn a mean wage of $12.75 per hour.

“Seven of our top ten most desired positions have average wages of more than $20 an hour,” said Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor. “Employers are looking for qualified employees and are willing to pay them a good wage. We are encouraged by the fact that our top positions’ salary bases continue to grow.”

The top three employers posting ads in February were: UAB Medicine (627), University of South Alabama (441), and Community Health System, Inc. (411). Forty percent of all online ads are less than 30 days old, and another 32 percent 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,” Washington said. “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.