The Top 10 Hardest Jobs for Employers to Fill

You might not believe which jobs are the hardest for employers to fill!

For many business owners, they are starting to see a light at the end of a long dark economic tunnel.

In a number of sectors, the U.S. economy is getting better. Unemployment numbers are dropping, and banks are starting to lend again to small business.

However, there are still jobs that employers find difficult to fill.

More than one-third of hiring managers (35 percent) have positions now that have remained open for at least 12 weeks, according a study by CareerBuilder.

Which jobs are the hardest to fill, where they need workers now?

These professions have undergone strong job growth; they provide excellent opportunities for the unemployed, underemployed and workers looking for a career change.

This study provides insights where those workers should look.

“Although the recession created an abundant pool of readily-available, unemployed talent that still exists today, employers are struggling to find new employees for technology-related occupations, sales, healthcare and a variety of other areas,” said President of CareerBuilder North America Brent Rasmussen.

“Two in five employers (41 percent) reported that they continuously recruit throughout the year so that they have candidates in their pipeline in case a position opens up down the road. The skills gap that exists for high-growth, specialized occupations will become even more pronounced in the years to come, prompting the need to place a greater emphasis on reskilling workers through formal education and on-the-job training.”

CareerBuilder paired the list of jobs with job growth data provided by Economic Modeling Specialists (EMSI) for the number of available jobs post-recession.

The 10 most difficult jobs to fill, based on jobs added from 2010 to 2013, are:

Sales Representative

584,792 new jobs added from 2010 to 2013/3.8 percent job growth from 2010 to 2013

Machine Operator/Assembler/Production Worker

135,363 new jobs/9.9 percent increase

Nurse

135,325 new jobs/5 percent increase

Truck Driver

113,517 new jobs/6.7 percent increase

Software Developer

103,708 new jobs/11.2 percent increase

Engineer

73,995 new jobs/4.9 percent increase

Marketing Professional

57,045 new jobs/11.3 percent increase

Accountant

55,670 new jobs/4.5 percent increase

Mechanic

53,002 new jobs/4.1 percent increase

IT Manager/Network Administrator

48,709 new jobs/7.5 percent increase

The nationwide survey was conducted online for CareerBuilder from May 14 to June 5, 2013. It included more than 2,000 hiring managers and human resource pros. CareerBuilder asked employers to recognize the hardest-to-fill positions that stay open 12 weeks or longer.