- Index edged down 4 points in March, erasing the mild increase experienced in February
- Year-over-year, the Index is now down 29 percent, as hiring activity continues to decline
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting demonstrated solid growth in March
- Accommodation/ food and retail trade saw slight gains, while demand fell in almost all other industry categories
- Demand for healthcare support occupations edged higher while healthcare practitioners and technical occupations fell, suggesting that new opportunities are shifting toward lower-wage support roles
- Online job opportunities declined in all regions except East-South
- Central, which remained flat in March
- All 28 major metro markets registered a decrease in offerings
The Monster Employment Index fell 4 points in March, and is now down 29% year-over-year, indicating a continued deceleration in online recruitment activity at the end of the first quarter.
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®.
During March, online job availability rose in three of the Index’s 20 industry categories and six of the 23 occupational categories measured.
"The decline in U.S. online recruitment activity during March was a sober follow-up to February’s seasonal rise, as uncertainty in the future economic situation continued to keep employers on the sidelines of the hiring field," said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. "While online hiring activity has clearly declined on an annual basis, some areas have been less affected than others, including healthcare and public administration."
Accommodation and Food Services; and Retail Trade Industries Show Increased Online Job Demand in March
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting; accommodation and food services; and retail trade were the only three industry categories to register an increase in online job availability in March. Accommodation and food services saw a five point increase. The category’s upward growth correlates with other reports that indicate positive consumer spending trends in 2009. Retail Trade also edged up in the Index, despite mostly sobering sales figures in January and February.
In contrast, online job recruitment activity in finance and insurance; and professional, scientific, and technical services, experienced record lows in March. Construction also dipped in the Index, following a month of slightly elevated activity.
On a year-over-year basis, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the Index’s only positive growth industry category, while construction and professional, scientific, and technical services exhibit notable declines.
Online Job Opportunities for Farming, Fishing and Forestry Occupations See Largest Gain in March
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry registered the strongest gain among occupational categories as advertised opportunities expanded in March for every region. Healthcare Support also experienced a rise in online recruitment activity for the second consecutive month. From an annual growth perspective, support occupations have seen a milder dip in online demand than practitioners/technical, suggesting that healthcare providers have found ways to supplement their staff with lower-cost support workers. Food preparation and serving rose in March, possibly due to solid sales numbers in the accommodation and food services industry.
Meanwhile, occupations in healthcare practitioners and technical; and architecture and engineering categories experienced declines in March. Protective service and arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media were the only categories to extend monthly declining trends from January.
On an annual basis, farming, fishing and forestry led all categories in terms of year-over-year growth, followed by military specific – the only other sector demonstrating an increase in demand over the year.
Online Job Availability Declines in Eight of Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in March
During March, online job availability dipped in eight of the nine U.S. Census Bureau regions. East South Central remained flat on a month-over-month basis due to increased demand for workers in the state of Kentucky.
Year-over-year, all nine regions are now at lower levels of online job opportunities compared to a year ago, with the East-South Central region showing the smallest annual decline. Meanwhile, the Northeast area saw a significant fall with both New England and the Mid-Atlantic region experiencing lower demand on an annual basis.
At the state level, Kentucky and South Carolina were the only two states that registered an increase in online job availability in March, while Florida and Maryland remained flat.
All of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Declines in March
There were fewer online job opportunities in all of the top 28 metro markets monitored by the Index. Orlando, Pittsburgh and Denver experienced a moderate slowdown in online recruitment activity. Kansas City and Cincinnati also edged lower in March due to fall in demand for architecture/engineering workers, as well as office/administrative support workers.
Year-over-year, all 28 metro markets registered a negative annual growth rate with Pittsburgh exhibiting the most moderate rate of decline.
