Looking for a job? There are more job opportunities in Knoxville in early 2024 than there were at the end of last year.

There were 10,054 job listings in the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area in January, and over 7,000 of those came from the top 10 industries, according to the latest available data from the Knoxville Chamber.

Job postings were up 12.4% from December 2023.

The 10 industries with the most job postings were:

• Health care and social assistance - 1,324

• Administrative support, waste management and remediation services - 1,223

• Retail - 1,132

• Professional, scientific and technical services - 947

• Accommodation and food services - 679

• Manufacturing - 571

• Educational services - 346

• Finance and insurance - 304

• Construction - 296

• Wholesale trade - 249

The Knoxville area economy is strong thanks to low unemployment rates, a growing population and many new businesses, Knoxville Chamber Director of Regional Enhancement Lauren Longmire told Knox News in an email.

The Knoxville MSA has an unemployment rate of 3%, up from 2.6% in December and steady with January 2023.

Knoxville's unemployment rate is lower than Tennessee's at 3.5% and the country's at 4.1%.

The future of employment in Knoxville, Longmire said, will be in futuristic high-paying industries like artificial intelligence, self-driving cars and 3D-printed buildings. It's part of the economy's transition from the "Digital Age" to the "Imagination Age," something the Knoxville Chamber forecasted in 2022.

"I don’t foresee Knoxville seeing much change in the next year other than a potential minuscule loosening of the tight labor market," Longmire wrote in an email. "Over the next 10 years, however, we will see the types of occupations open reflecting the transition to the Imagination Age."

Many Imagination Age jobs likely will involve computing, but we might not know exactly what they are for a while. The Institute for the Future forecasts that 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't been invented.

Health care workers still are needed in Knoxville

Health care is one of the biggest industries in the area, Longmire told Knox News, so its spot atop the list is expected.

Of the more than 1,300 open positions in health care in the area, many are at Covenant Health, one the area's largest employers with 12,350 employees and contractors and 1,000 working students.

Including Covenant Health, four of the 20 largest employers in the Knoxville area are health care companies, according to the 2023 Knox News Book of Lists. Those four combine to employ about 23,000 people in the area.

"Tennessee is one of the most attractive states to move to. Our lower cost of living and beautiful landscape are bringing more individuals and families to Tennessee," Covenant Vice President of Human Resources Debi Welch wrote in an email. "However, this increases the stress on the infrastructure for goods, services, and healthcare as the need outpaces current availability."

There are several other factors. Tennessee is one of the unhealthiest states, and baby boomers require more care as they age.

Welch said clinical jobs like respiratory therapists, nurses and surgical technologists are in high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nursing jobs have expanded past traditional medical settings, and nurses are needed for at-home care, free-standing emergency rooms, surgery centers and more.

Covenant Health is always trying to "recruit the best talent on the market," Welch said.

Job openings can be found at www.covenanthealth.com/careers, and the company hosts quarterly job fairs.

Teachers and education workers need support and money

The Knoxville area has a robust education industry, including Knox County Schools and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, which were the second and third largest employers in 2023, according to the 2023 Book of Lists. Together, the two employed over 19,000 people.

Knox County Schools primarily needs full-time teachers, educational assistants and special education assistants, said Alex Moseman, Knox County Schools executive director of human resources talent acquisition.

At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, KCS had over 500 vacancies it needed to fill, especially in high schools.

For the rest of this school year, KCS has 109 openings (54 certified positions and 55 classified jobs, including assistants, janitors and food servers), and it has 196 openings (148 certified and 48 classified) for the 2024-25 school year.

The district's biggest challenges are recruiting and hiring teachers, the same as many other school districts across the country.

Compensation, ultimately, is the best way to keep and retain teachers. Knox County Schools employees make nearly 9% less than the market minimum, according to Florida-based company Evergreen Solutions, which recommended the district raise the minimum pay for certified teachers to just over $47,000 annually, up from $44,800.

KCS leaders will propose a pay increase to the Knox County Board of Education in April. If it is approved, teachers would be on track to make $50,000 a year by the 2026-27 school year as required by state law.

Moseman said KCS has been investing heavily in teacher compensation. But they also want to make sure they invest in teaching assistants, janitors and other classified staff, whom he called the "glue" of schools.

To find employment opportunities at KCS, visit knoxschools.munisselfservice.com.

Amazon leads warehouse industry in Knoxville

In December, the transportation and warehousing industry ranked seventh on the list of industries with the most job postings but dropped out of the top 10 in January. Amazon's hiring spree is contributing to that.

Amazon spokesperson Divina Mims told Knox News the company hasn't had any challenges hiring at its Alcoa fulfillment center, which employs about 2,500 people.

The Knoxville Amazon facility, where East Towne Mall used to be, is still in the company's plans, Mims said. However, there still isn't an opening date. It's been estimated that the facility could bring 730 jobs to Knoxville.

If you're interested in working at Amazon, you can text TYSNOW to 77088 to get updates on open positions or visit www.amazon.com/jobswithus.

Knox News reporter Areena Arora contributed to this story.

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Find Knoxville jobs in health care, manufacturing, retail