- Year-over-year growth rate holds steady from June, suggesting no significant change in underlying demand for labor nationwide
- Index drops 3 points (2 percent) in July from June as online job availability eases with a decrease in summer hiring activity
- Education and public administration see large growth in online job demand following relatively tempered springtime hiring
- Manufacturing and transportation and warehousing industries rise in July, adding to longer-term trends that reflect continued growth in overall production and commerce
- Amongst occupations, demand increase in some professional categories, including architecture and engineering; and life, physical, and social sciences
- All metro markets tracked by the Index exhibit positive annual growth
The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of U.S. online job demand based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large representative selection of corporate career Web sites and job boards, including Monster.com®.
“The Monster Employment Index monthly contraction in July was in line with seasonal expectations considering the summer months tend to be a slower period for recruitment activity,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “Year-over-year growth remained unchanged between June and July. The fact that hiring is more robust than a year ago points to a general improvement in the nation’s hiring conditions as the economy continues its slow but steady recovery.”
Online Demand for the Education Services Industry Registers Largest Increase in July; Retail Trade and Finance Edge Down; Mining and Transportation/ Warehousing See Strongest Year-over-Year Growth
Online recruitment activity rose in eight of the 20 industries monitored by the Index between June and July, while 18 are showing positive growth trends on an annual basis.
Among the industries, education and public administration registered large monthly increases in online job availability in July. Both sectors, however, exhibited notably restrained hiring activity during the traditionally stronger springtime recruitment period. Moreover, July’s increase in demand was mainly for part-time and contract jobs, possibly providing sector employers more flexibility amid the challenging budgetary climate. Mining, quarrying, oil and gas extraction also rose in July, extending its growth trend since January, and annual growth for this category was at a robust 53 percent in July, leading all sectors. Manufacturing; and transportation and warehousing each gained 2 percent with both sectors recording fairly robust growth trends since January, coinciding with a consistent rise in manufacturing sector payrolls over the latest 6-month period.
In contrast, real estate remained the weakest trending sector in the Index, reflecting the challenging housing market conditions – with online demand falling 5 percent in July, and remaining flat year-over-year.
On an annual basis, mining; and transportation and warehousing led all industries followed by utilities and professional, scientific, and technical services.
Production and Transportation/ Material Moving Occupations Register Largest Gains in July; Protective Service Declines; Legal Registers Largest Annual Growth Rate
Overall online demand for workers rose in eight and remained flat in 3 of the 23 occupational categories in July.
Among occupations, production; and transportation and material moving registered the strongest monthly increases in online job availability in July. Online demand for healthcare support occupations also continued to edge higher, suggesting that employers may have initiated an early start to their recruiting season, which typically gets underway later in the summer.
Meanwhile, the protective service category registered the steepest decline in online recruitment activity among occupations in July. Business and financial operations; and military- specific also showed substantially fewer online opportunities.
Legal led all occupational categories in terms of year-over-year growth with a 29 percent annual rise in opportunities; this was closely followed by business and financial operations. The annual growth rates for computer and mathematical; architecture and engineering; and life, physical, and social science all accelerated in July, mirroring the trend seen in the general professional, scientific, and technical services industry sector. Meanwhile, transportation and material moving also continued its upward trend in annual growth rate.
Online Job Availability Declines in All U.S. Census Bureau Regions in July; New York Records Highest Annual Growth amongst States
During July, demand contracted in all U.S. Census Bureau regions with Middle Atlantic registering the most moderate reduction in demand. However this region continues to lead all regions from an annual growth perspective. South Atlantic was the only region to record a slowdown in annual growth rate from 17 percent to 15 percent in July.
Among the 50 states and the District, only 2 registered increased online job opportunities in July, while 6 remained flat. New York was the top state by measure of annual growth in the Index. With the exception of Alaska, annual growth was positive for every state in the Index.
All 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Monitored By The Index Register Positive Annual Growth
During July, online recruitment activity fell in 26 of the 28 major metropolitan markets, monitored by the Index. Philadelphia was the only market to exhibit growth in online job demand with a majority of the occupational categories registering expanded opportunities. Over the year, demand trends have developed notably for production, transportation, management, and office and administrative support; however, a majority of the occupational groups continue to remain below baseline levels in the Index.
In contrast, Washington, DC registered its steepest monthly fall in the Index with online recruitment levels contracting more notably than recorded typically for this time of year, especially for technical occupations like IT, architecture and engineering, and the sciences. Nonetheless, the demand for workers appears stronger than it was a year ago for the market as a whole. The major metropolitan markets of Florida also showed an unseasonal moderation in online recruitment activity. Occupationally, recruitment trends were generally similar across Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, with largest monthly declines centered around business and financial operations, the healthcare occupations, and construction.
