Career Advice By Randy

Hot Jobs in Florida

It’s true that Florida is known as a retirement sanctuary, but that does not mean that there aren’t also many opportunities for work. In recent years, due to the economic downturn, jobs have become somewhat scarce in much of Florida; however, certain industries are still adding jobs and are expected to continue. The health care, information technology (IT), and human services industries, among others, have some of the best business outlooks in the state and are the source of many hot Florida jobs.

Information Technology
Information technology is a constantly growing field. As more and more of the world goes digital, more and more people and businesses need IT people to maintain their computer systems, run their networks, and otherwise maintain and enhance their infrastructure. Florida is no exception. Computer support specialists and software engineers should have no trouble finding gainful employment in the current Florida job market, as these are among the fastest growing employment sectors of the last decade in the state and are set to grow even further. Likewise, network administrators, systems analysts and desktop publishers all have great occupational outlooks. Web application developers have an especially strong outlook.

Healthcare
A large percentage of Florida’s best employment opportunities are in the healthcare field. In 2009, private hospitals alone added about 3,500 jobs to South Florida. The largest need is for registered nurses. While nurses have a very demanding job, it only requires a two year degree and nurses are actually very well compensated for their labor – most start out at about $24 an hour and regular pay raises are the norm. Other hot healthcare jobs include nurse’s aides and orderlies, medical coders, genetic researchers, home health aides, respiratory therapists, X ray technicians, and pharmacy technicians. There are also openings in the administrative positions associated with health care, such as patient registration.

Service Sector
Service sector jobs are red hot in Florida currently, and dominate the list of jobs expected to create the greatest amount of openings over the next several years. Specific jobs expected to experience growth in openings include wait staff, retail sales, janitorial work, landscaping, child care (inside traditional facilities as well as in other settings), and retail cashiers.

Other
· Clerical: General office clerks, bookkeepers, receptionists, secretaries and assistants can all expect continued steady job market growth in coming years. In recent years, paralegal work has been a popular area of job growth, but the job pool for paralegals actually shrank somewhat in 2009.
· Tourism: The Florida Tourism Industry is a behemoth: it generates almost sixty billion in revenue every year and employs and is looking to employ many Floridians.
· Education: Positions are frequently open for general elementary and special education teachers, and as community colleges are being flooded with new students, more teachers and support personnel are necessary.
· Experts have also placed dental hygienists, environmental engineers, manufacturing technicians and air traffic controllers on the short list of hot jobs in Florida for the upcoming year.