Online Labor Demand Up 232,000 In June: Conference Board

(Newsroom America) -- Online advertised vacancies rose 232,000 in June to 4,947,100, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Data Series released today.

Following little growth in the first two months of the second quarter, June closed out the quarter with a strong gain. The Supply/Demand rate stands at 2.7 unemployed for every vacancy.

"Online labor demand in the first half of 2012 increased by an average of 104,000 per month, but about one-third of both the States and the 100 largest metro areas are still below their pre-recession highs for labor demand," said June Shelp, Vice President at The Conference Board.

"As of June, almost half of the occupational groups have Supply/Demand rates at or below 2.0. However, most of these are in the professional categories, such as business and finance, healthcare professionals, and management. Although we've seen improvement, other categories like construction, building and grounds maintenance, and personal care are still struggling with high Supply/Demand rates."

June was a positive month for online labor demand in 44 of the 50 States in the U.S. Among the nine Census regions, the largest gain (relative to the size of the region) was in the Mountain region (Nevada, Arizona, Colorado), where online advertised vacancies rose 28,300, or 8.6 percent. The smallest gain was in the East South Central region (Mississippi, Kentucky), up 6,800, or 3.4%.

Among the 20 largest States, online labor demand in the South rose 93,000 in June. Texas was up 23,500 in June, posting its tenth consecutive monthly gain and an increase of 16.2 percent in the first half of 2012.

The June increase included increased online ads for a diverse list of jobs that included nurses, truck drivers, web developers, and elementary school teachers.

Florida was next with a gain of 15,400 that, in addition to nurses, included web developers and paralegals. Maryland increased by 8,400; Virginia, by 8,000; North Carolina, by 7,500; and Georgia, by 6,800, its fourth consecutive monthly gain. Among the smaller States in the South, South Carolina gained 4,000; Louisiana gained 3,100; and Tennessee gained 1,300. Arkansas lost 200.

In the West online labor demand rose 75,500 in June. California, the largest State rose 35,300 (or 7 percent) in June and was up 74,000, or 16 percent, in the first half of 2012. Arizona was next with a gain of 9,300 that included gains for computer software engineers and electricians. Labor demand in Washington rose 6,300. Colorado gained 4,700. Among the smaller States in the region, Nevada increased by 4,900; Oregon, by 3,300; and Utah, by 2,700.

Online labor demand in the Midwest rose by 56,600 in June. Michigan gained 11,300 in June and was up 13.1 percent in the first half of 2012. The monthly gain for June included more ads for diverse occupations including industrial engineers, truck drivers, and lawyers. Illinois was next with a gain of 9,600 for a four-month gain of 23,000. Ohio rose by 7,900; Minnesota, by 6,600; Wisconsin, by 4,900; and Missouri, by 4,300. Among the smaller Midwest States, Indiana gained 6,200 and Kansas rose 3,900 while North Dakota fell by 2,100 and South Dakota lost 200.

Online labor demand in the Northeast rose by 56,200 in June. New York rose 17,400 in June for its fifth consecutive monthly gain. Massachusetts rose 10,100, its seventh consecutive monthly gain, and included increases for a variety of computer occupations and accountants. New Jersey gained 8,100. Pennsylvania gained 5,600. Among the smaller States in the Northeast, labor demand increased by 4,000 in Connecticut; 1,300 in Maine; 1,200 in New Hampshire; and 900 in Rhode Island.

Among the top ten occupational groups with the largest numbers of online advertised vacancies, labor demand for Computer and Mathematical Science workers rose 42,400 to 651,200. The rise was due to increases in demand for Web Developers, Computer Applications Software Engineers, Computer Support Specialists, and Network and Computer Systems Administrators.

The number of advertised vacancies in this occupational category continues to outnumber job-seekers by 4.5 to 1 (0.22 S/D based on May data, the latest unemployment data available).

Labor demand for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical occupations rose 28,800 in June to 615,800. Largely responsible for the gain were increased advertised vacancies for Registered Nurses and Physical therapists. The number of advertised vacancies in this occupational category continues to be quite favorable with demand outnumbering job-seekers by over 2 to 1 (0.44 S/D).

Labor demand for Sales and Related workers rose 15,400 to 634,600 and was led by an increase in demand for Financial Services Sales Agents, Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives, and First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Non-Retail Sales Workers. The number of unemployed in this occupational category continues to outnumber the number of advertised vacancies by over 2 to 1 (S/D of 2.09), but is substantially below the four unemployed for every available advertised vacancy in June 2009.

Business and Financial Operations positions increased by 15,300 to 283,000 advertised vacancies in June. Personal Financial Advisors, Accountants, Loan Officers, and Personnel Recruiters were among the advertised vacancies that showed increases. In this field there are 1.13 unemployed workers for every advertised vacancy.

Demand for Management occupations rose 13,200 to 471,600. Responsible for the rise was higher demand for Medical and Health Services Managers, Sales Managers, and Marketing Managers. The number of unemployed in these occupations was 1.50 unemployed for every advertised vacancy in June and was significantly below the almost three (2.9) unemployed for every advertised vacancy at the HWOL series high in October 2009.

Office and Administrative Support occupations rose 12,800 to 516,400 with a gain of 89,500 since January. Largely responsible for the June increase was higher demand for Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, Medical Secretaries, and General Office Clerks. The number of unemployed in these occupations remains above the number of advertised vacancies with 3.07 unemployed for every advertised vacancy.