ABC Action News knows many of you out there are looking for a job or are looking for a better one. We've gone to career experts to find out the most in-demand local jobs and where to find them.
Amos Cowart is at CareerSource Polk nearly every day, searching for a job. He's been unemployed for nearly three months.
"I'm used to working, and I don't mind working," Cowart said. "That's why I like working construction and warehouse work. I like working with my hands."
Cowart is in luck, as industry experts said well-paying construction and manufacturing jobs are now among the most in-demand careers in the Tampa Bay area.
"There are hundreds of open jobs if not thousands in manufacturing right now," said Ed Peachey, president of CareerSource Pinellas and Tampa Bay.
After getting a certification in as little as a week, job seekers like Cowart could get a job in soldering, Peachey said.
There's also hundreds of job openings in welding, cabling, and CNC machining. Peachey said these are all things you can learn with training at a local technical school.
Pay for these jobs typically starts between $11 and $17 an hour, and most of the jobs are available in Tampa.
CareerSource also said there are thousands of jobs available all over Florida in the healthcare field. They say some of the most in-demand positions are nurses, but also, medical assistants, A medical assistant is an entry-level position where you can easily work your way up, Peachey said.
CareerSource said many of local hospitals provide additional on-the-job training so you can easily move up to jobs that make even more money.
IT and software programming jobs are also much in-demand fields locally, mostly in Tampa. After getting a basic certification in a matter of months, Peachey said if you can pass a skills test, there will be a well-paying job available. A college degree is not necessary.
Another in-demand field is the financial and shared services industry. These are administrative jobs that support major companies with local outposts here like Raymond James, CitiGroup, CocaCola and more.
"Customer service, accountants, auditors, IT people," Peachey said.
These jobs are mostly available in Tampa, New Tampa, the I-75 corridor and Carillon.
"Great companies, great benefits and always that opportunity to advance once you get your foot in the door," Peachey said.
CareerSource Polk said all of its agencies have programs designed to help find what job you'll best fit and help you create and perfect a resume.
"This is a free service that we provide to any of our customers," said Albert Eres of CareerSource Polk. "They can come in. If they don't know how to write one, we can help them write one."
For job seekers like Cowart, this can provide enormous relief.
"It's frustrating," he said. "You know, to not be working."
