With the state’s latest monthly unemployment numbers due Friday, the governor’s office has highlighted openings in the field Gov. Rick Scott has been pushing to increase as offerings at state universities.

A release posted by the Department of Economic Opportunity, and sent out in an email to the media on Tuesday, notes there were more than 64,000 online job openings in fields tied to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) during September.

The postings represented a 9 percent increase from the same period in 2011, according to the Help Wanted OnLine data series from The Conference Board.

“Jobs in STEM-related fields are high-skill positions that are helping to further grow and diversify our economy,” Scott stated in a release.

“Seeing an increase in the demand for these jobs shows that we’re making significant strides and ensuring that Florida is a leader in growing industries.”

Major occupational groups with the most online ads in September were health care practitioners and technical occupations; computer and mathematical occupations; and business and financial operations occupations.

Hillsborough County led all Florida counties in job postings, followed by Miami-Dade, Orange, Broward, Duval and Palm Beach.

Employment in the Sunshine State held steady from July to August at 8.8 percent.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.