Alabama continues to add construction jobs.

Employment in the state rose 9 percent year-over-year in December, according to data released by the Associated General Contractors of America.

That represents 7,100 construction jobs added in the past 12 months, ranking Alabama No. 8 among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

"Part of the reason for the positive December construction employment figures was the exceptionally harsh weather in much of December 2013 and November 2014 and milder than normal weather in December 2014," said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. "Nevertheless, the underlying trend is very positive, with construction employment expanding at more than double the rate for total nonfarm payroll jobs."

Software engineer is the most highly-sought tech job in Birmingham with more than 2,500 current job postings, according to data compiled by Birmingham-based recruiting firm ITAC Solutions,

That falls in line with the national demand, as companies around the country areseeking to fill more than 100,000 software engineer positions.

ITAC Solutions used national, state and regional data from sources including the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, TechServe Alliance and CareerBuilder to come up with the local list.