MONSTER WORLDWIDE 
By Online job availability declined in 14 of the top 28 U.S. metro markets and remained flat in another 10 cities during July, reflecting slower online recruitment activity at the height of the summer season, according to the Monster Local Employment Index. The Index is based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from more than 1,500 different Web sites, including Monster®.
?July is typically a slow month for online recruitment, so it's not surprising for a majority of the top U.S. metro areas to have registered either a slight drop-off, or little movement at all, in online job availability during the past month,? said Steve Pogorzelski, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Customer Development at Monster Worldwide. ?The fact that 26 of the 28 Index markets tracked are still showing positive year-over-year growth continues to point to healthy employer demand for workers across most major metropolitan regions.?
Houston, which edged up two points in July, saw the sharpest monthly increase in online job recruitment activity among the 28 markets, fueled by significantly higher demand for healthcare workers and increased online opportunities in the service sector. The Houston area is the only Index market that resisted a downward move during the previous three months. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations registered the strongest gain in online job availability among all occupational categories in Houston last month, reflecting a continued shortage of nurses in the area. In the services sector, the food preparation and serving category rose in July, following declines in May and June. Similar recoveries from the softer second quarter were seen in installation, maintenance, and repair; and building/grounds cleaning, and maintenance. On a year-over-year basis, these categories remain the fastest growing categories in the Houston market.
The Index for Portland remained flat last month, however, online recruitment activity in the area has risen three points, or three percent, between April and July. With April being the traditional peak recruitment month, the majority of markets saw online job availability go flat or decline in subsequent months. The growth in the Portland market over this period is a positive sign for the regional job market and is further supported by the area's shrinking unemployment rate, which hit a seven-year low for the month in May according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The office and administrative support; and food preparation and serving categories, typically populated by lower level job opportunities, registered an accelerated annual growth rate during the normally quiet summer months suggesting robust local business conditions. Recent growth in the Portland economy may be attributed to the recent local housing boom, which could be delivering equity and spending power to Portland homeowners at a much later time than other major metropolitan regions.
Los Angeles registered the sharpest dip in online recruitment activity in July, falling four points, or four percent. The decline in Los Angeles is an extension of the general moderation in recruitment activity following the elevated levels seen during the late-winter and spring months. Protective service was the only occupational category to show increased demand in the Los Angeles area in July. In contrast, online demand for office and administrative support; and production occupations turned lower, with each category showing negative over-the-year growth for the first time since the Index's inception.
Meanwhile, Minneapolis also declined in July, falling four points, or three percent, on sharply lower online recruitment activity in the white-collar segment, particularly among business and financial operations: and computer and mathematical (IT) occupations. Demand for healthcare positions in Minneapolis also dipped lower last month, contrasting the national trend, while opportunities for personal care and service occupations also plunged. Nevertheless, the Index for Minneapolis remains up six percent year-over-year and has seen a mostly upward growth trend in 2007.
Online job availability declined in St. Louis for the first time in seven months. Much like Minneapolis, reduced demand for healthcare occupations helped weigh down the Index for St. Louis, which showed far fewer online opportunities for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations compared to June. Blue-collar occupations proved to be another area of weakness for St. Louis, with construction recruitment continuing to soften as the season progresses. Community and social services occupations also saw a strong drop in recruitment activity in July, however, the category remains up 14 percent over the year.
Online job demand in the Capital region remained mild in July with Baltimore and Washington, D.C. both showing only moderate improvement in terms of their respective annual growth rates. The Index for Baltimore, which remained flat last month, is up only two percent over the year, as well as over the past three months. Meanwhile, the Index for Washington D.C., which fell two points, or two percent, last month, is showing just three percent growth over the year. Fewer opportunities for white-collar occupations has held both markets back with below-average trends in online recruitment for business and financial operations; legal; and office and administrative support occupations.
Following moderate declines in both June and July, online job availability is now down over the year in both San Diego and Tampa ? the only two Index markets showing year-over-year declines. Reduced demand for construction and finance occupations is the main source of the drag in both markets, reflecting the adverse impact of the housing decline and fallout from the sub-prime mortgage industry. Both markets have seen upward trends in their respective jobless rates and a loosening of their previously tight local labor conditions.
In all, 26 of the 28 Index markets are showing increased online job availability on a year-over year-basis. Overall results for the top 28 U.S. metro markets over the past 13 months are as follows:
| JUL 07 | JUN 07 | MAY 07 | APR 07 | MAR 07 | FEB 07 | JAN 07 | DEC 06 | NOV 06 | OCT 06 | SEP 06 | AUG 06 | JUL 06 | ||||||||||||||
| Atlanta | 118 | 118 | 117 | 117 | 115 | 113 | 106 | 109 | 110 | 111 | 110 | 108 | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Baltimore | 104 | 104 | 106 | 106 | 106 | 105 | 101 | 105 | 106 | 107 | 106 | 107 | 102 | |||||||||||||
| Boston | 106 | 108 | 111 | 107 | 105 | 104 | 102 | 103 | 105 | 108 | 107 | 107 | 100 | |||||||||||||
| Chicago | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 110 | 109 | 102 | 105 | 109 | 110 | 108 | 107 | 104 | |||||||||||||
| Cincinnati | 107 | 107 | 107 | 107 | 106 | 108 | 103 | 105 | 108 | 106 | 106 | 105 | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Cleveland | 116 | 115 | 117 | 116 | 115 | 113 | 106 | 110 | 113 | 113 | 108 | 109 | 105 | |||||||||||||
| Dallas | 121 | 123 | 126 | 122 | 118 | 114 | 108 | 107 | 111 | 110 | 110 | 109 | 107 | |||||||||||||
| Denver | 120 | 119 | 120 | 117 | 113 | 108 | 104 | 108 | 112 | 112 | 112 | 113 | 109 | |||||||||||||
| Detroit | 107 | 107 | 108 | 107 | 108 | 108 | 103 | 106 | 110 | 109 | 108 | 108 | 104 | |||||||||||||
| Houston | 134 | 132 | 132 | 131 | 126 | 122 | 115 | 117 | 120 | 120 | 117 | 115 | 112 | |||||||||||||
| Indianapolis | 108 | 110 | 111 | 113 | 109 | 108 | 103 | 104 | 109 | 108 | 108 | 107 | 107 | |||||||||||||
| Kansas City | 118 | 119 | 118 | 117 | 113 | 111 | 108 | 110 | 114 | 114 | 113 | 111 | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Los Angeles | 109 | 113 | 117 | 117 | 115 | 110 | 103 | 103 | 104 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 104 | |||||||||||||
| Miami | 111 | 111 | 113 | 112 | 111 | 108 | 104 | 105 | 107 | 108 | 106 | 105 | 103 | |||||||||||||
| Minneapolis | 115 | 119 | 117 | 115 | 112 | 110 | 108 | 110 | 114 | 116 | 113 | 111 | 109 | |||||||||||||
| New York City | 110 | 110 | 110 | 111 | 109 | Share
© Business Wire - 2007
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