- Index edges down four points in December, reflecting mild seasonal lull in U.S. online recruitment activity
- Year-on-year, the Index is now down 12 percent, the most modest rate of annual decline in the past 18 months
- Offerings in healthcare and government increase, while hospitality and retail sectors retract
- Online job demand declines across 26 major metro markets with Cincinnati recording the sharpest drop
The Monster Employment Index edged down four points in December, amid a relatively mild seasonal fall in online recruitment activity. On a year-over-year basis, the Index is now down 12 percent, the mildest rate of annual decline seen during the past 18 months indicating slight stability in underlying employer demand for workers at the end of the year.
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 decline in the Index during December is typical due to end-of-year seasonality. However, the improvement in the annual rate of decline lends evidence to a slight firming in underlying employer demand for workers at the end of the year” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “Despite a challenging economic climate, hiring conditions seem to continue to stabilize, if not already slowly improving.”
Public Administration Registers Largest Monthly Gain in Online Job Demand in December; Wholesale Trade Declines
The public administration industry registered the highest increase in online job demand in December recovering from a 26-month low. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting also rose in December, adding 3 points. Healthcare and social assistance edged up while arts, entertainment, and recreation remained flat on the month.
In contrast, wholesale trade saw a four-point drop but was nearly flat year-on-year (-2 percent) in the Index, a state not seen since April 2008. Online recruitment activity also dipped in the utilities; retail trade; and transportation and warehousing industries in December.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the only industry category showing greater online job availability compared to a year ago, while Arts, entertainment, and recreation saw the largest year-over-year decline.
Healthcare Support Occupations See Greatest Increase in Online Job Availability in December; Management; and Business and Financial Operations Fall
In December, online hiring demand rose in six of the 24 occupational categories monitored by the Index. Healthcare support registered the strongest monthly rise in online job availability in December with a 15-point increase. Demand also strengthened for protective service; military specific; and legal occupations, fuelled by government hiring.
Meanwhile, management; and business and financial operations registered notable falls in December, while sales and related occupations saw a downward correction following three months of elevated seasonal demand.
Farming, fishing and forestry continued to lead all occupational categories in terms of year-over-year growth with a 16 percent annual rise in opportunities. Education, training, and library also reported more online job offerings than a year ago.
Online Job Availability Reduces in All Nine U.S. Census Bureau Regions in December
Online job demand fell in all nine U.S. Census Bureau regions in December, and all nine remain down year-over-year. Mountain experienced the most moderate rate of decline, while New England experienced the steepest fall largely due to a decline in the state of Massachusetts where online worker demand reduced to a 5-year low.
Meanwhile, all regions showed sustained decrease in online job offerings over the fourth quarter as a whole as well on a year-over-year basis, with East South Central and West South Central recording the smallest and largest rates of annual decline, respectively.
Twenty Six of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Decreases in December
During December, online recruitment activity decreased in twenty six markets while Cleveland and Minneapolis remained flat. Minneapolis was the only market to note a net uptick in online recruitment activity over the fourth quarter as a whole, gaining 2 points between September and December. Despite the slight dip in December, online demand in Phoenix has remained steady over a 6-month period largely due to increased demand in business and financial operations and architecture and engineering occupations.
Meanwhile, Sacramento and Washington, D.C. saw the sharpest rate of monthly decline while Boston registered the largest fourth-quarter drop.
Year-over-year, all 28 markets continued to report falls, with Portland showing the most moderate rate of decline, followed by Pittsburgh and Miami.
