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"By Anne Fisher, contributor\nFORTUNE &amp;#8212; Strange but true: Despite the fact that unemployment is stuck at around 9%, which translates to about 15 million Americans out of work, nearly 3 million job openings in the U.S. are going unfilled, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why? The biggest reason is a mismatch between the qualifications employers are looking for and the skills job hunters have.\nSo which skills are most in demand? Here are 10 of the hottest:\n1. Information technology. When career site Indeed.com recently analyzed millions of job postings on its web site, researchers found that the fastest-growing category of keywords \u2014 including HTML5, Android, mobile app, and social media \u2014 were in IT, and a new survey by tech job site Dice.com bears that out: About 65% of hiring managers said they hope to add tech staff in the first half of 2012. Roughly a quarter of those (27%) said they want to expand their IT headcount by more than 20%.\nOpenings for software developers who specialize in applications will rise by more than one-third (34%) by 2018, says Best Jobs for the 21st Century, a new book by job market analyst Laurence Shatkin, while companies will hire 20% more computer systems analysts. Rising pay in these fields reflects the surge in demand: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that developers of systems software, for instance, earn an average of $94,180 per year.\n2. Health care professionals. Partly due to the aging of the U.S. population, health care has been hot for a while now, and the trend shows no sign of slowing. Shatkin\u2019s research says the U.S. will need 103,900 more registered nurses every year (average salary: $64,690) well into the next decade, along with 7,860 new physical therapists per annum (average pay: $76,310). Demand for dental hygienists is up too, with a projected 36.1% growth in job openings between now and 2018 (average pay: $68,250).\n3. Health care management and support staff. Don\u2019t have the training or experience to work directly with patients? No worries. \u201CPeople often overlook the fact that businesspeople run health care companies,\u201D says Justin Hirsch, president of recruiting firm JobPlex. \u201CWith all the change happening in the system now, there is churn as well as growth. We\u2019re constantly seeing new openings in general management, finance, marketing, human resources, you name it.\u201D\n4. Engineers. Note to college students who want their pick of job offers when they graduate: Consider majoring in engineering. A whopping 88% of employers in a new poll by the Society for Human Resource Management bemoaned the difficulty of finding enough engineers to hire. Civil engineers are in demand too: Shatkin\u2019s analysis of BLS data shows a 24.3% spike ahead in jobs for people who design roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects (average annual pay: $77,560).\n5. Industrial skills. Think U.S. manufacturing is moribund? Think again. More than two-thirds (68%) of employers in the SHRM survey pointed to a shortage of qualified new hires to replace people retiring from the skilled trades: electricians, carpenters, welders. Moreover, says Justin Hirsch, \u201CWe\u2019re seeing an increase in industrial hiring in logistics, supply-chain management, and plant management.\u201D As more companies go global, demand for expertise in logistics &amp;#8212; the art and science of moving stuff efficiently from one place to another &amp;#8212; will continue to heat up.\nSee also: Will you get a raise in 2012?\n6. Life sciences and biotech. Medical innovators ranging in size from Big Pharma down to biotech startups are on a hiring binge: Shatkin sees a 40% jump in job openings for research scientists between now and 2018 (average salary: $76,700). As with health care companies in general, these employers will also need managers and support staff (see No. 3).\n7. Salespeople. Selling has historically been the closest thing there is to a recession-proof career, and this economic downturn is no exception. Since they\u2019re the ones bringing the dough in the door, salespeople are often the first to be hired and last to get laid off. Almost three-quarters (72%) of employers in the SHRM survey said they can\u2019t get enough salespeople now.\n8. Accounting and finance. Demand for accountants and finance mavens (particularly forensic accountants and compliance specialists) has been climbing steadily for the past several years, and U.S. colleges are still not turning out enough grads in these fields to fill the available openings. The SHRM survey found that more than half (54%) of employers would hire more accountants and finance experts if they could find them.\n9. Discount retailers. \u201CNot to mention any specific company names &amp;#8212; everyone knows who they are, anyway &amp;#8212; but the big national discount store companies have flourished during this recession,\u201D notes Justin Hirsch. \u201CAnd most of them are hiring managers as well as in-store personnel.\u201D\n10. Private equity firms. Recruiters report that private equity firms are actively seeking management talent for their portfolio companies \u201Cacross all industries and all functional areas,\u201D says Hirsch. \u201CThey\u2019re poaching already-employed, seasoned managers from big companies &amp;#8212; people who can step into either a turnaround situation or a pre-IPO company and make it work. These are challenging jobs, and could be a real feather in a manager\u2019s cap if he or she can bring it off successfully.\u201D\nDo unemployed executives have a shot? \u201CWith the right network, yes,\u201D Hirsch says. \u201CIt\u2019s about having great business acumen, especially a knack for coping with ambiguity, and being known for that. It helps to have the right connections.\u201D"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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