- Index slips one point lower in January, reflecting continued moderation in U.S. online recruitment activity to start the year
- Year-on-year, the Index is now down 3 percent, the most marginal rate of decline since the beginning of the recession in 2008
- Offerings in education; arts, entertainment and recreation rise, while construction and wholesale trade contract from last month
- Online job demand falls by varying degrees in all of the 28 major metro markets monitored by the Index
The Monster Employment Index edged down one point in January, while the annual rate of decline moderated to an almost-flat 3 percent, as the Index appears close to emerging from a period of negative annual growth that spans back to January 2008.
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 was nearly on par with its year-ago level in January, as last year’s declining trends began to shift towards stabilization in a number of industries,” said Jesse Harriott, senior vice president and chief knowledge officer at Monster Worldwide. “With the economy returning to a stage of positive growth, we’ve seen subtle signs of firming in hiring trends, even for sectors like finance in recent months.”
Public Administration Registers Large Monthly Gain in Online Job Demand in January; Construction and Wholesale Trade Edge Down
Outside of the small agriculture and utilities sectors, Public administration led all industries with an 11-point gain in January.
Arts, entertainment, and recreation notched a rare increase in January, as demand edged up from late-2009 lows. The educational services industry also rose in January, starting the new year with relatively heated demand for additional workers. Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction edged up on the month amidst improved labor market conditions in the primary sector.
In contrast, construction and wholesale trade continued to slide from the recent high seen in the November Index, contrasting with the industry’s typical seasonal trend. Online recruitment activity also dipped in the accommodation and food services; management of companies and enterprises; and administrative and support industries in January.
Utilities; educational services; real estate; and transportation show greater online job availability compared to a year ago, while arts, entertainment, and recreation continues to decline on an annual basis in January.
Personal Care Occupations See Increase in Online Job Availability in January; Community and Social Services; Food Preparation and Serving Fall
In January, online hiring demand rose in seven and remained flat in five of the 23 occupational categories monitored by the Index. Occupations related to personal care and service; and farming, fishing and forestry registered the strongest monthly rises in online job availability in January.
Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media also edged upward, coinciding with the somewhat positive trends in online demand for the arts industry as a whole. The category however experienced a mild decline on a year-over-year basis. Education, training and library also experienced a strong surge in the January Index and is now up 19 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, community and social services; and food preparation and serving occupations edge down by unseasonably sharp degrees in the January Index.
Education, training and library led all occupational categories in terms of year-over-year growth with a 19 percent annual rise in opportunities. Farming, fishing and forestry; transportation; and sales and related occupations also reported more online job offerings than a year ago.
Online Job Availability Rises in One U.S. Census Bureau Region in January
Online job demand rose in the East South Central region in January. New England was unchanged from December’s level, in contrast to the typical seasonal decline in recruitment seen in this region. South Atlantic noted a 2 point decline, but is likewise in contrast to the deep seasonal declines the region usually exhibits in the January month. Mountain showed the mildest net decrease in online demand over the past 3 months. On the year, East South Central is the only region to improve.
Among the states and the District, nearly half registered increased or steady online job opportunities in January led by New Hampshire, while Louisiana experienced the steepest decline. New York, the largest state by population, exhibited positive gains from a year-ago in the Index.
All of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets Register Decreases in January
During January, online recruitment activity slowed in all major metropolitan markets. Houston and Tampa registered the most marginal reductions, while Washington D. C. saw the steepest decline in January.
Year-over-year, 25 of the 28 markets continued to report fall. Portland and Pittsburgh noted positive growth while Indianapolis remained flat.
