Most Popular Job Openings in Indiana

Even in tough economic times, there is a regular stream of job openings through worker turnover, seasonal hiring and new job creation.

In the past year, office and administrative support jobs and production occupations have seen the most job openings statewide. Such information is published each quarter by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) in its Job Postings and Starting Wages Report, which is based on employer-provided data submitted through DWD’s Indiana Career Connect (ICC) job matching service. This article focuses on job openings listed on ICC from October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010.

Approximately 78,600 job openings were listed with DWD between the third quarter of 2009 and the third quarter of 2010 (see Table 1). Office and administrative support jobs ranked first with nearly 20,900 openings, followed by production jobs at just under 11,000. The top job in the office and administrative support category—interviewers—accounted for 32 percent of that category’s openings, but these were mostly temporary positions related to Census 2010.

Table 1: Job Openings by Occupation Category, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Major Occupation Category Total Openings Percent of Total
Office and Administrative Support 20,878 26.6%
Production 10,976 14.0
Transportation and Material Moving 9,691 12.3
Sales and Related 8,996 11.4
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 6,586 8.4
Installation, Maintenance and Repair 2,786 3.5
Management 2,696 3.4
Food Preparation and Serving 2,241 2.9
Personal Care and Service 2,206 2.8
Business and Financial Operations 2,136 2.7
Construction and Extraction 1,625 2.1
Health Care Practitioner and Technical 1,466 1.9
Health Care Support 1,232 1.6
Protective Service 958 1.2
Computer and Mathematical 884 1.1
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media 848 1.1
Architecture and Engineering 675 0.9
Education, Training and Library 619 0.8
Community and Social Service 565 0.7
Life, Physical and Social Science 292 0.4
Farming, Fishing and Forestry 207 0.3
Legal 58 0.1
Military 6 0.0
Grand Total 78,627 100.0

Source: IBRC, using Indiana Department of Workforce Development data

Most Popular Postings

Figure 1 shows the 20 occupations that experienced the most openings over the year. Five were in the office and administrative support category, while four were in transportation and material moving.

Figure 1: Specific Occupations with the Most Job Postings, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Figure 1: Specific Occupations with the Most Job Postings, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Source: IBRC, using Indiana Department of Workforce Development data

Table 2 shows the most popular job in each of the 23 categories with its average hourly wage rate. Because this data set looks simply at total openings, occupations with seasonal hiring patterns often top the list (such as landscaping workers and tax preparers).

Table 2: Most Popular Occupation Posting for Each Major Category, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Category Top Occupation Total Openings Average Hourly Rate
Office and Administrative Support Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan 6,766 $12.44
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 4,493 9.54
Transportation and Material Moving Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer 3,042 18.46
Production Helpers-Production Workers 2,755 10.27
Sales and Related Telemarketers 2,144 12.78
Personal Care and Service Personal and Home Care Aides 1,312 8.97
Management Sales Managers 1,200 23.82
Business and Financial Operations Tax Preparers 1,093 12.16
Protective Service Security Guards 734 9.45
Construction and Extraction Construction Laborers 628 11.51
Health Care Support Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants 609 10.63
Installation, Maintenance and Repair Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 593 13.78
Health Care Practitioner and Technical Registered Nurses 540 24.52
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports and Media Public Relations Specialists 522 19.07
Food Preparation and Serving Food Preparation Workers 434 8.26
Community and Social Service Social and Human Service Assistants 328 11.22
Computer and Mathematical Computer Support Specialists 213 16.85
Education, Training and Library Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education 159 11.50
Farming, Fishing and Forestry General Farmworkers 124 9.42
Architecture and Engineering Mechanical Engineers 120 31.11
Life, Physical and Social Science Survey Researchers 74 25.49
Legal Paralegals and Legal Assistants 28 14.54
Military Air Crew Officers 3 37.68

Source: IBRC, using Indiana Department of Workforce Development data

Figure 2 shows the most common job postings by economic growth region (EGR), highlighting the unique nature of each region, as well as the occupations that are commonly posted throughout the state.

Figure 2: Top 3 Occupations Posted by Economic Growth Region, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Region Occupation, Total Openings
EGR 1
  1. Tax preparers, 558
  2. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 481
  3. Team assemblers, 332
EGR 2
  1. Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer, 552
  2. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 293
  3. Food preparation workers, 259
EGR 3
  1. Eligibility interviewers, government programs, 536
  2. Helpers-Production workers, 521
  3. Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer, 481
EGR 4
  1. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan, 2,400
  2. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 1,354
  3. Telemarketers, 301
EGR 5
  1. Customer service representatives, 1,878
  2. Insurance sales agents, 1,362
  3. Telemarketers, 1,304
EGR 6
  1. Customer service representatives, 888
  2. Advertising sales agents, 344
  3. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan, 320
EGR 7
  1. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan, 1,600
  2. Packers and packagers, hand, 600
  3. Team assemblers, 173
EGR 8
  1. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 296
  2. Eligibility interviewers, government programs, 263
  3. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, 85
EGR 9
  1. Helpers-Production workers, 525
  2. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers, 201
  3. Maids and housekeeping cleaners, 145
EGR 10
  1. Data entry keyers, 583
  2. Office clerks, general, 581
  3. Customer service representatives, 501
EGR 11
  1. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan, 2,002
  2. Helpers-Production workers, 532
  3. Team assemblers, 493
Figure 2: Top 3 Occupations Posted by Economic Growth Region, October 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010

Source: IBRC, using Indiana Department of Workforce Development data

Summary

The quarterly Job Postings and Starting Wages Report is available via the Publication Lookup Tool on the Hoosiers by the Numbers website. It is just one of the many tools provided to aid in understanding job opportunities in the state. Additional resources include the Hoosier Hot 50 jobs list, occupation projections and high-wage/high-demand occupation analysis. Find them all at Hoosiers by the Numbers (www.hoosierdata.in.gov), a service of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and powered by ALMIS and STATS Indiana.

Rachel Justis
Geodemographic Analyst, Indiana Business Research Center, Indiana University Kelley School of Business