Online Labor Demand Edged Down 15,500 In July

July 30, 2014

• Following a strong June increase of 155,900, July showed a small loss
• States were mixed with about half showing small gains

Online advertised vacancies showed a small drop of 15,500 to 5,044,600 in July, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Services.  The June Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.9 unemployed for each advertised vacancy with a total of 4.4 million more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies.  The number of unemployed was 9.5 million in June.

"Labor demand continues to be at historically high levels with employer demand running at about 5 million ads each month," said Dr. Gad Levanon, Director of Macroeconomics and Labor Markets at The Conference Board.  "While the average monthly increases have become more modest since early 2013, the overall trend has helped lower unemployment levels and reduced the U.S. Supply/Demand rate from a peak of 5.2 in June 2009 to 1.9 in June 2014."

In July, professional occupations showed a small gain in Computer and Math (13,400) and Community and Social Services (3,500) but a drop in Healthcare (-8,300).  The Services/Production occupations showed losses with Office and Administration (-15,700) and Installation and Repair (-9,600).

Regional And State Highlights

• Fifteen of the 20 largest states posted losses in July
• Among the 50 states, 27 experienced gains while 23 declined

July Changes For States

In July, online labor demand was up in 27 states and down in 23 states.  The West and South experienced modest gains while the Northeast and Midwest posted declines.

The West experienced a modest gain of 1,800, with an increase of 1,900 in Arizona to 95,100.  Colorado grew 300, California dropped 1,800 to 546,900, and Washington fell 1,100 to 127,600.  Among the smaller states in the West, Utah gained 2,200, led by an increase in Sales and Related Occupations and Food Preparation and Serving-Related Occupations.  New Mexico rose 700, Hawaii increased by 200, Idaho dropped 1,800, and Oregon fell 600 to 68,200.

The South grew by 1,700 in July.  Out of the larger states in the region, North Carolina rose 1,300 to 128,600.  Florida and Georiga both fell by 2,500 while Texas dropped 1,400.  Maryland and Virginia both decreased by 1,000.  Among the smaller states, South Carolina was up 3,600 to 64,600.  This was the South's largest gain, led by an increase in Education, Training, and Library Occupations and Management Occupations.  Kentucky rose 1,200.  Alabama and West Virginia increased by 1,000 and 900 respectively, while Mississippi fell by 600.

The Northeast fell 11,700, reflecting a loss of 7,100 in New Jersey.  Massachusetts dropped 3,700 to 149,400, and New York decreased by 3,400 to 303,400.  Pennsylvania rose 4,700 to 218,300.  This was the largest gain in any state and was led by an increase in Sales and Related Occupations and Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations.  In the smaller states, Maine gained 800, Vermont rose 500, and New Hampshire increased by 300.  Connecticut and Rhode Island both decreased by 100.

The Midwest dropped 2,300 in July.  The largest drop occurred in Michigan (-6,500).  Illinois fell 2,100 to 201,400.  Ohio and Wisconsin fell by 1,000 and 900 respectively.  Minnesota rose 4,400 to 123,700.  This was the largest gain in the Midwest region.  Minnesota's gain is partially due to the rise in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations and Office and Administrative Support Occupations.  Missouri fell 200.  Among the smaller states in the region, Kansas had an increase of 2,900 to 46,500, Iowa increased by 900, Indiana gained 600, and North Dakota and South Dakota inched up with gains of 400 and 100 respectively.

Metro Area Highlights

• In July, among the 20 largest metro areas, 4 (San Francisco, Minneapolis, San Jose, and Cleveland) gained and 16 declined
• Of the 52 metro areas for which Help Wanted OnLine provides monthly data, 28 lost advertisements, 21 gained, and 3 (Tucson, Louisville, and Kansas City) remained constant

Occupational Highlights

• In July, 7 of the 10 largest online job categories posted losses

Source: The Conference Board