Simply Hired Blog

Employment Outlook: Job Growth Increases in all 50 Major Metro Areas

 Great job growth news!

In March, according to Simply Hired's April Employment Outlook, nationwide job openings increased by 8.4% month-over-month and 23.2% year-over-year. 

Job openings increased in all 50 major metro areas in March. One quarter of metro areas experienced double-digit growth, with Salt Lake City (14.2%) Indianapolis (12.6%) and Albuquerque (12.5%) enjoying the largest gains.

Job openings also increased in 17 out of 18 industries in March. The largest gains were seen in manufacturing (15.2%) and government (14.4%). Agriculture experienced double-digit growth for the third month in a row. The only industry to see a decrease during March was legal. A large majority of occupation catagories (19 out of 24) experienced growth in job openings in March. Healthcare led the pack as the top hiring industry during March. 

"March marks the ninth time in 11 months we have seen incrases in job openings across the country, showcasing a strong patten of growth for the economy," said James Beriker, president and CEO of Simply Hired. "Each of the top 50 metros experienced job-opening growth and nearly all industries also experienced growth. As we move into spring, this is a great sign for the economy." 

Read the complete Employment Outlook Report. 

Job Openings Increase Nationwide in February Reports Simply Hired

Simply Hired reported in its March 2013 Employment Outlook that for the eighth time in 10 months the U.S. has experienced growth in job openings. In February, job openings increased 8.5 percent month-over-month and 19.6 percent year-over-year. Nationwide job competition held steady at a ratio of three unemployed persons for every one job opening.

Job openings increased in all 50 major metros in February. One quarter of metros experienced double-digit growth, with Nashville (14.0 percent), Austin (13.6 percent) and Las Vegas (13.1 percent) facing the largest gains. 

16 out of 18 industries experienced job growth in February, the largest gains being in the agriculture (21.6 percent) and construction (18.8 percent) industries. This is the second month in a row that agriculture experienced a double-digit gain. Year-over-year, three-quarters of industries have experienced growth.

Nearly all occupation categories (22 out of 24) experienced growth in job openings in February. Construction and extraction workers (16.5 percent) and journalists and media workers (15.6 percent) experienced the largest amount of growth month-over-month. 

These findings are part of Simply Hired's March 2013 Employment Outlook which highlights job industry and employer trends in national and regional U.S. markets. 

Job Openings Continue to Increase Nationwide in December

Today Simply Hired reported that nationwide job openings have increased for the sixth time in seven months. In November, job openings had a slight increase of 0.1 percent month-over-month and 3.4 percent year-over-year. Nationwide job competition held steady at a ratio of three unemployed persons for every one job opening. 

“We have seen consistent job opening growth during the latter half of this year, which is a very good sign that our economy is headed in the right direction,” said James Beriker, president and CEO of Simply Hired. “Since consumer confidence is continuing to increase and the ratio of unemployed persons to each job opening is holding steady at three to one, Simply Hired has an optimistic view that 2013 will be another year of steady growth.”

Job openings increased in 20 out of 50 major metros in November, however, most changes – both gains and losses – were very minimal this month. 

Half of all occupation categories (nine out of 18) experienced growth in job openings this month. The largest amount of growth was seen among educators (6.3 percent) and food workers (5.2 percent). Of the occupations that faced declining job openings, farm, fishing and forestry workers (-8.8 percent) experienced the decrease month-over-month. However, the majority of change, both gains and losses, was relatively small considering that two-thirds of all occupations changed by less than one percent.

For more on the Simply Hired report view the full press release.

SimplyHired.com Releases March Employment Outlook

Today, SimplyHired.com released its March 2012 Employment Outlook highlighting national and local market outlooks, as well as industry and employer trends. According to the report, nationwide job openings held steady and largely unchanged in February, increasing just 0.2 percent month-over-month and 5.5 percent year-over-year. Nationwide job competition also remained the same at a ratio of three unemployed persons for every one job opening.

On the local level, job openings increased in 30 of the 50 top metro areas. Metros with the largest job growth include Miami & Fort Lauderdale (10.2 percent), Austin (7.7 percent), Orlando (6.5 percent), and Detroit (5.4 percent). 

Two occupation categories increased by more than half in February: farming, fishing and forestry workers (67.7 percent) and sales representatives (53.0 percent). Other occupation categories experiencing notable job growth include personal care and services (19.4 percent) and financial specialists and accountants (16.2 percent).

For more information, read the full report and press release.

SimplyHired.com Releases January Employment Outlook

Today, SimplyHired.com released its January 2012 Employment Outlook highlighting national and local market outlooks, as well as industry and employer trends. According to the report, nationwide job openings fell slightly in December – down 1.9 percent month-over-month. However, December is a notoriously slow month for hiring, and job growth remained up 10.6 percent year-over-year when compared to 2010. 

On the local level, despite the overall slowdown in hiring, six of the top 50 metro areas experienced increases in job openings in the last month of the year. Raleigh & Durham posted the greatest increase, up 2.7 percent, followed by Birmingham, Norfolk & Newport News, Louisville, Sacramento and Oklahoma City.

Meanwhile, the transportation industry continued to enjoy a seasonal boost (up more than 11 percent month-over-month) due to the increased demand for package transport, and nine other industries experienced job growth in December. The legal industry had by far the largest growth (121.9 percent), followed by non-profit, agriculture, military, government, automotive, healthcare, education and technology.

For more information, read the full report and press release.