Today, SimplyHired.com released its July employment outlook highlighting national and local market forecasts, and industry and employer trends.
Nationwide job openings declined slightly this month, dropping -3.8% month-over-month from May. Despite the decrease, job openings were still up 21.9% from June 2010. The national job competition ratio continued to improve this month, dropping from 5:1 to 4:1 (ratio of job seekers per open job).
Decreasing job openings resulted in considerable movement in the Job Competition ranking. Nine metros became more competitive (Miami & Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, New York, Memphis, Greenville, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Raleigh & Durham), while five other metros became better for job seekers (West Palm Beach, Pittsburgh, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento).
Energy prices have not risen to the extreme rates feared by analysts, renewing confidence in the transportation industry. While most other industries had negative changes in job openings, transportation continued to increase, up another 19.1% (12.9% last month). Jobs for drivers, pilots and other transportation workers grew 6.4%. As long as oil prices remain level, this hiring increase is likely to continue.
For more information, check out the full report below.
