“We’re encouraged by the positive uptick in the Index in the past two months,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “The Index results may be a signal that companies intend to start hiring again. While the labor market continues to be challenging for those looking for work, we are encouraged to see early signs of what may be a return to consistent job growth.”
Real Estate, Rental and Leasing; Construction Register Large Monthly Gains in Online Job Demand in March; Public Administration and Information Edge Down
Online recruitment activity rose in 12 of the 20 NAICS industries. Construction led all industries on a month-over-month basis with an 11-point gain in March. Transportation and warehousing rose for the second consecutive month. This rise in online job demand coincides with an increase in most shipping/transportation metrics in recent months, including those for port activity, trucking, and rail freight. Meanwhile, online job opportunities in retail trade registered an eight-point increase in March with employers stepping up hiring after a seasonal lull at the beginning of the first quarter. This rise demonstrates a steady recovery in hiring activity in this sector, also reflected by a rise in retail sales figures issued by the Department of Commerce. Manufacturing also continued to rise in the Index and is up by two percent annually, coinciding with a rise in durable goods orders, again reported by the Department of Commerce.
Public administration; information; and professional, scientific, and technical services saw a decline in online job demand in March, in contrast with the usual initiation of recruitment cycles that have historically been seen in early springtime.
On an annual basis, mining; as well as real estate and rental and leasing led all industries, with online demand in real estate edging to its highest level in more than one year. While existing home sales volumes have seen a downward trend in the past three months, there is evidence that non-real estate rental and leasing activity is on a potential upswing. Still, online job availability continues to indicate a weak labor market for the sector relative to the 2007 and 2008 periods.
Thirteen Occupational Categories See Increases in Online Job Availability in March; Four Remain Flat; Community and Social Service; and Protective Service Decline
In March, online hiring demand rose in construction; and transportation occupations as reflected by growth in their industries as a whole. Health care and social assistance also registered a gain in March to reach its highest level in five months in the Index with the healthcare practitioners group exhibiting the most notable expansion in opportunities. Meanwhile, occupations in the sales and related sector held steady in March, suggesting that the gains in the broader retail trade industry were not only limited to sales positions, but also managerial and technical occupations.
In contrast, online demand for occupations related to community and social service; protective service; and business edged down in March.
Transportation and warehousing led all occupational categories in terms of year-over-year growth with a 19 percent annual rise in opportunities closely followed by sales and related which continued to remain above year-earlier levels. Business and financial; education; and production occupations also reported more online job offerings than a year ago.
Online Job Availability Rises in Four of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in March
During March, demand rose in four U.S. Census Bureau regions while two remained flat. Pacific and Mid Atlantic registered the largest gains, climbing three points each. West South Central remained unchanged in March, but displays the largest three-month rise among all divisions. On an annual basis, Middle Atlantic exhibited the most improvement.
Among the 50 states and the District, 18 registered increased online job opportunities in March, led by Delaware and North Carolina. The Midwest states of Nebraska and North Dakota noted steep monthly declines. New York led all states by measure of year-on-year growth in online job demand, while California’s annual growth rate displayed notable improvement in March. Nevada continues to exhibit the steepest annual decline.
All 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Monitored By The Index Register Increases in March
During March, online recruitment activity rose in all major metropolitan markets, with Orlando, Portland and Cleveland registering the largest gains. Opportunities in Orlando expanded notably not only for blue-collar and service functions like transportation and material moving; and food preparation and serving, but also for professional occupations like business and financial operations; and IT.
Meanwhile, California’s major metro markets continued their steady recovery, with Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco all edging up in March, and exhibiting double-digit growth from a three-month view. The California metros saw increased opportunities in occupations related to construction and extraction, as well as high tech occupations like life, physical, and social sciences; and business.
On a year-over-year basis, 25 of the 28 markets reported positive growth, while four remained flat. Portland and Orlando continued to
note the most substantial gains in online demand on the year, while Washington, DC exhibited the steepest annual decline, weighed down by a deceleration in public sector recruitment as well as private sector recruitment for professionals in occupations like legal and IT.
