Online job advertising in Northeast Florida fell 11 percent in December from November but rose almost 15 percent from the year before.
For the month, the number of online advertised vacancies dropped by 2,132 positions, from 19,448 jobs in November to 17,316 jobs in December.
Over the year, however, postings rose by 2,238 jobs, or 14.8 percent.
The numbers come from First Coast Workforce Development Inc., also known as WorkSource, which covers the region of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
“In December, we see the end of the seasonal hiring spike, so postings typically decline during the month,” said Candace Moody, WorkSource vice president of communications.
“We’ll see things pick up again in January, when many companies begin new budget years and start new projects,” she said.
WorkSource reported that since the official end of the recession in June 2009, online demand in the region is up by 3,012 jobs.
It reported that labor demand, as measured by online advertised vacancies, bottomed out in January 2009 in the region. In December, demand had increased by 6,476 openings.
Postings continue to remain most prevalent in customer service, health care, computer systems, sales and truck driving.
“The upward trends in health care, information technology and transportation and logistics hiring continue. These are the industries we expect to grow through the first quarter,” Moody said.
The monthly report comes from data collected by The Conference Board, a New York-based nonprofit source of economic information.
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity makes the information available to the 24 Workforce regions in Florida.
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Top advertised occupations in December
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity reported the number of jobs advertised online, compiled by The Conference Board. Here are the numbers for the region served by WorkSource. The area consists of Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
| Occupations | Online ads December 2011 | Online ads December 2010 |
| Total ads | 17,316 | 15,078 |
| Registered nurses | 551 | 533 |
| Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailers | 530 | 282 |
| Customer service representatives | 487 | 425 |
| Retail salespersons | 429 | 421 |
| Web developers | 411 | 398 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of retail sales workers | 383 | 454 |
| Executive secretaries and administrative assistants | 360 | 188 |
| Receptionists and information clerks | 298 | 64 |
| Computer support specialists | 266 | 202 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of office and administrative support workers | 252 | 189 |
| Network and computer systems administrators | 249 | 217 |
| Insurance sales agents | 219 | 149 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products | 215 | 173 |
Source: The Conference Board, Help Wanted Online, prepared by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Labor Market Statistics Center