Those who work as truck drivers or nurses are still the most sought-after employees in Alabama, according to information released this week by the state Department of Labor’s Alabama Career Center System.

Collected data shows the most online wanted ads were for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, registered nurses and retail salespeople, with 6,309 ads placed for those occupations in September. Overall ads were up over the month by 0.8 percent.

The Help Wanted Online 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 37,496 online ads this month, of those 13,902 were new ads.

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a mean wage of $19.38 per hour. Registered nurses earn a mean wage of $27.94 per hour. Retail salespeople earn a mean wage of $13.22 per hour.

Light truck or delivery services drivers continue to demonstrate a high demand with a 45.5 percent increase in online ads compared to the same time period in 2016. With an average annual salary of $30,561 and average annual openings of 250, this occupation has a satisfactory outlook through 2024. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

The top three employers posting ads in September were: UAB Medicine (583), Lowe’s (428), and St. Vincent Health System (418).

Thirty-seven percent of all online ads are less than 30 days old, and another 35 percent of all ads are between 30 and 90 days old.