“April marks the third consecutive month in which a majority of the 28 major markets tracked by the Monster Local Employment Index have shown greater online recruitment activity, which is a positive sign for urban area job seekers,” said Steve Pogorzelski, Group President, International at Monster Worldwide. “This gradual momentum behind the Index’s broad rise in recent months is likely a combination of the traditional spring hiring season, employers stepping up their efforts to attract the best candidates from this year’s class of graduating students, and generally tight labor conditions in the largest U.S. cities.”
Houston and Dallas posted solid gains in online job availability in April, solidifying their positions as the fastest growing major online recruitment markets tracked by the Index. Houston, which jumped five points last month, was the top Index market in terms of growth over the month of April, and has remained the top market in terms of annual growth for the past 11 consecutive months. Food preparation and serving; transportation and material moving; and education, training, and library occupations registered the largest increases in online job demand between March and April.
In terms of year-over-year growth in Houston, construction/extraction is among the top growth categories, trailing only food preparation and serving, as new developments in the housing and commercial sectors continue amid strong population trends. Office and administrative support opportunities also have increased sharply over the year, reflecting an expansion in the general business and professional services sector.
Despite the cooling of the national housing market, overall online recruitment activity in Dallas rose in April on stepped-up demand for blue-collar occupations. Strong population trends and a booming energy sector have helped spur increased demand for workers in construction/extraction, installation/repair and cleaning/maintenance occupations. The growing population base, as well as strong income and spending growth in the Dallas metro area, may be a factor in the rise in online opportunities for food services professionals in the region. On a year-over-year basis, architecture and engineering; and military specific occupations declined, suggesting that reduced defense-related hiring and renewed woes in the local tech industry may have dampened growth in the Dallas manufacturing sector this year. At the same time, expectations of slower growth in federal defense spending may also be impacting recruitment among regional defense contractors.
Los Angeles, which saw its Index rise two points and register its highest annual growth pace on record in April, was lifted by increased online recruitment activity across both white- and blue-collar occupations alike. Healthcare opportunities remain in high demand in the Los Angeles area as the city continues to lead the nation in terms of online demand for healthcare practitioner and technical occupations on an annual growth basis. Los Angeles is also the overall Index’s top market for growth in online recruitment of healthcare support positions, surpassing even traditionally strong retirement hotspots such as Miami and Phoenix.
Over the past three months, Los Angeles also is among the fastest growing markets for legal; management; computer and mathematical (IT); and architecture and engineering occupations, demonstrating a strong pick-up in demand for white-collar occupations. Online opportunities for blue-collar occupations also rose in April, as soaring trade with East Asia drove record shipments to the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports, which likely contributed to the further expansion of transportation and material moving online job offerings.
St. Louis, which edged up one point last month, is now showing the fastest rate of growth among all 28 markets tracked by the Index. Blue-collar occupations registered the strongest gains, with food preparation and serving leading all categories, followed closely by installation, maintenance, and repair; and transportation and material moving. Online job availability for white-collar occupations also increased, with business and financial operations; as well as office and administrative support occupations showing greater activity and indicating momentum in the corporate sector. Mirroring the recent strength in the Index for St. Louis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data shows that St. Louis registered the most significant increase in annual payroll growth rate among the 28 Index markets between February and March.
In contrast, the Index measured lower online job availability in Detroit between March and April, reflecting a sluggish local economy weighed down by challenges related to restructuring and layoffs in the auto industry. Detroit was the only Index market that declined last month, driven downward by fewer online opportunities in retail and sales related occupations, as well as creative occupations such as marketing, advertising and public relations. The decline in retail and sales opportunities suggests weaker consumer spending in the metro area. Over the year, online job demand for architecture and engineering; legal; and military specific occupations has also declined.
While overall online job availability in the Phoenix area remained unchanged in April, the flat reading pushed the metro area’s annual growth pace down further. As a result, Phoenix is now the slowest growth market on a year-over-year basis among the 28 metro markets tracked by the Index, a sharp contrast from the second quarter of last year when Phoenix was the Index’s fastest growing market. Online job demand in Phoenix has softened for white- and blue- collar segments alike, with key categories such as management; computer and mathematical (IT); and sales occupations demonstrating declines over the year. Other sectors contributing to the slowdown in Phoenix include construction; information; and manufacturing. The declines in each of these sectors may be a result of several different trends in the region, including a cooling housing market and efforts by local manufacturers to further embrace automated technology for production.
According to the Index, overall online job availability for sales and related occupations declined or was flat in 14 of the 28 markets in April, and nearly all the markets saw the annual growth pace for this category dip lower. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, retail sales slipped more than expected in April, and recent BLS data shows that employment in the retail trade industry has remained largely unchanged over the past year.
