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Digging Up Coal Mining Hiring Trends

By Ashley Rowe on April 28, 2013 in Oil Gas and Mining.

Coal mining employment over the past 2 years was the highest it has been in 15 years, according to a report by the Mining Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). The growth in coal mining employment is attributed to increasing exports and decreased productivity; increasing usage of underground mining requires more workers per unit of production. A 4-year high in coal mining hiring demand was reached in August 2011 with about 230 job ads posted online. In March, computer and mathematical occupations had the highest demand followed by architecture and engineering occupations. When comparing March 2013 to March 2012 the number of jobs advertised in the coal mining industry declined 2%, despite overall employment growth.

Job Ad Volume by Most In-Demand Coal Mining Occupations

Job Ad Volume by Most In-Demand Coal Mining Occupations
SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

The most advertised job titles include:

  1. Accountant
  2. Electrician
  3. Senior Accountant
  4. Customer Service
  5. Mining Engineer
  6. Certified Underground Electrician
  7. Geologist
  8. Administrative Assistant
  9. Section Foreman
  10. Production Foreman

Farmington (NM) and Pittsburgh (PA) currently have the greatest demand for coal mining jobs. These metro areas are home to BHP Billiton and CONSOL Energy. Recruiting conditions in Pittsburgh are likely to be more difficult than the national average. Pittsburgh scores a 43 on our Hiring Scale while the national average is 33. Our Hiring Scale ranks difficulty from 1 – 99, with 99 representing the hardest-to-fill. Farmington is likely to have more favorable recruiting conditions scoring a 24.

Hiring Scale for Coal Mining in Pittsburgh, PA

Hiring Scale for Coal Mining Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

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Are Retailers Being Cautious About Hiring?

By Ashley Rowe on April 21, 2013 in Retail.

According to the BLS's March jobs report, retail trade declined by 24,000 after averaging 32,000 jobs per month over the prior 6 months. Economists are concerned job growth is slowing, particularly in the retail sector. Reduced retail hiring may indicate that consumers are spending less in stores which demonstrates a weakening economy. Bloomberg suggests that retailers have been cautious about hiring because of the sequester in Washington and the increase in payroll taxes which may tighten consumers' budgets. Have retailers been cautious about hiring? The overall job ad volume in 2012 was 22% higher than 2011, with October 2012 marking a 4-year high. In March, the retail trade sector posted over 408,800 job ads online. Although hiring demand decreased over the past 6 months, partially due to a post holiday season decline, March job ad volume was still 1% higher than the same time last year.

Hiring Demand in the Retail Sector – 4 Year Hiring Trend

Hiring Demand in the Retail Sector
SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

In March, the highest volume of job ads was posted by home centers and department stores. Automotive parts and accessories stores had the greatest increase in demand over the same time last year.

Industries with the Highest Demand and Their Year-Over-Year Growth

  1. Home Centers +27%
  2. Department Stores (except Discount Department Stores) -13.8%
  3. Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores +26.3%
  4. Pharmacies and Drug Stores +122.7%
  5. Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores +166.8%
  6. Hobby, Toy, and Games Stores +7.3%
  7. All Other General Merchandise Stores +37.6%
  8. Discount Department Stores -27.8%
  9. Family Clothing Stores +24.9%
  10. New Car Dealers +28.4%

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers, Retail Salespersons, and Cashiers are the most commonly advertised job titles by these industries. Cashiers had the biggest increase in-demand over the past year, rising 38%. The largest volume of job ads appeared in New York (NY), Chicago (IL), and Los Angeles (CA). Each of these cities experienced a decline in demand when comparing March 2013 to March 2012. Below is a heat map of ad volume throughout the US. The cities with the highest job counts are shown below in dark blue.

Heat Map of Job Volume in the Retail Sector

Heat Map of Job Volume in the Retail Sector

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

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Is Construction Hiring Meeting Predictions?

By Ashley Rowe on April 20, 2013 in Construction.

Construction jobs were considered one of the best occupations of 2013 by US News. BLS states that job growth in construction picked up last fall and since then added 169,000 jobs.  According to ADP, recent job gains averaged 35,000 per month until March, when construction employment growth slowed. Will construction hiring pick up again and continue to be one of the best occupations this year? We reviewed hiring trends to see what demand looked like.

Although the number of new jobs added in March may have declined, hiring remained strong. March represented a 4-year high in demand with just under 51,000 job ads. This is a 12% increase since we last reported on construction job ad volume in December. When comparing March 2013 to March 2012, demand rose 26% in the past year.

Construction Hiring Demand – 4 Year Hiring Trend

Construction Hiring Demand

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Project Manager is the most in-demand job title in the construction sector. Driver, which previously held that position, dropped to #4. Most of the other positions below just switched places, except for one job title that is new to the list, Truck Driver.

Most Commonly Advertised Construction Job Titles

  1. Project Manager
  2. Administrative Assistant
  3. Sales Representative
  4. Driver
  5. Carpenter
  6. Laborer
  7. HVAC Service Technician
  8. Sales Associate
  9. Truck Driver
  10. Sales

Most of these jobs are required in new single-family housing construction; plumbing heating and air-conditioning contractors; and electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors industries. Currently, Houston (TX) has the greatest demand for construction jobs followed by New York (NY), Washington (DC), and Los Angeles (CA). Orlando (FL) and Boston (MA) are among the locations with the largest increase in demand over the past year.

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Hiring at the Happiest Tech Companies in America

By Ashley Rowe on April 19, 2013 in Information Technology - XLK.

Last week CareerBliss featured their list of the Happiest Tech Companies in America, which is measured by employee reviews regarding company culture, growth opportunities, and management. We took a look at hiring demand at these companies.

Happiest Tech Companies in America

  1. Intuit
  2. Texas Instruments
  3. Avaya
  4. Google
  5. EMC Corp
  6. Intel
  7. Unisys
  8. Yahoo!
  9. HCL Technologies
  10. Advanced Micro Devices

In March, there were more than 9,600 job ads posted online at the 10 tech companies listed above. This is an 18% decline when comparing March 2013 to March 2012. Intel experienced the highest job ad volume followed by EMC Corp., Google., and Yahoo!. The chart below shows hiring demand peaking in October 2012. When we further investigated hiring trends at this time, we noticed that Intuit increased their demand for business and financial operations occupations during that period.

Hiring Demand for Happiest Tech Companies – 4 Year Hiring Trend

Hiring Demand for Happiest Tech Companies
SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

In March, Software Developers were the most commonly advertised occupation at the happiest tech companies in America. While IT and engineering positions dominate the list of the most in-demand jobs at these companies, it's interesting to see Marketing Managers as the #2 position, rising 7% in the past year. Industrial Engineers saw the most growth when comparing March 2013 to 2012, increasing 126%.

The Most Commonly Advertised Occupations at the Happiest Tech Companies in America

  1. Software Developers, Applications
  2. Marketing Managers
  3. Software Developers, Systems Software
  4. Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
  5. Computer Hardware Engineers
  6. Industrial Engineers
  7. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
  8. Information Technology Project Managers
  9. Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers
  10. Computer User Support Specialists

Of course, the happiest tech companies most commonly advertise in the tech capital, Silicon Valley. The majority of the companies listed above have offices or their corporate headquarters located here. The San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) metro area is the home of Intel's corporate headquarters and they had the greatest hiring activity in the past month. While the Silicon Valley experienced the most demand, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro (OR) metro area, also known as the Silicon Forest, had the largest growth, increasing 53% in the past year. Intel also has locations in this area. During October 2012, Intel announced plans to expand their D1X research fab, which would double the size of the existing facility in Hillsboro (OR).

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Chipping Away at Hiring by Computer Manufacturers

By Ashley Rowe on April 14, 2013 in Manufacturing.

News last week discussed the death of the PC and how worldwide shipments fell 14% during the first few months of 2013. This decline has been blamed on consumers switching from PCs to mobile devices, rising interest in touch devices, and difficulty adapting to a new user interface. What does this mean for electronic computer manufacturing hiring?

After reaching a 4-year high in demand during the third quarter of 2012, the number of jobs advertised by computer manufacturers has declined. During the first quarter of 2013, hiring demand decreased 16% when compared to the same period in 2012, bringing job volume to the lowest point in about 3 years.

Hiring Demand for Electronic Computer Manufacturing – 4 Year Hiring Trends

Electronic Computer Manufacturing Hiring Demand

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Computer and mathematical, business and finance, and management occupations are the most advertised fields by computer manufacturers. Despite outpacing other fields, demand for IT occupations decreased 44% when comparing the past 90 days to the same time period in 2012. Below are the most commonly advertised job titles in this industry.

  1. Software Engineer
  2. Senior Software Engineer
  3. Software Developer
  4. Assembler
  5. Software Development Engineer
  6. Systems Engineer
  7. Project Manager
  8. Software Systems Engineer
  9. Solution Representative Brand Specialist
  10. Service Information Developer III

The job titles seen most frequently are Software Engineers and Developers. Assemblers demonstrate that robots aren't taking over the assembly line in electronic computer manufacturing and that employees are required to wire, install, adjust, and build electronics. An unfamiliar job title on the list may be Solution Representative Brand Specialist, which is an alternative title for a Sales Representative.

Over the last 90 days, Los Angeles (CA) experienced the most demand, followed by Columbus (OH) and San Jose (CA). Of the cities with highest job volume, San Diego (CA) experienced the largest growth over the same period last year. It's to be expected that the Silicon Valley and nearby cities lead in hiring demand as they're home to many tech companies. It was unexpected to see Columbus among these locations. When further investigating demand in the Columbus metro area, we found that the majority of job ads were posted by IBM for their Dublin office, which is the home of IBM's new advanced analytics center. In November, IBM had announced their plan to hire 500 employees at this office.

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Will Canada's Oil Sands Produce More Jobs?

By Abby Lombardi on March 26, 2013 in Canadian Employment, Energy.

Oil sands (or tar sands or bituminous sands) is an unconventional source of energy being leveraged in a handful of countries, including Canada. Similar to other alternative energy sources, like shale gas, these projects often come with controversy surrounding costs, environmental issues, and job creation. With plans to increase oil sands production from 1.6 million barrels a day to 3.5 million barrels by 2025 and the prospect of bringing more jobs to Canada, we thought it would be interesting to look at recent hiring demand for professionals with this specific experience.

In the past 90 days, there were approximately 200 jobs available online that specified working with oil, tar, or bituminous sands projects. As one would probably expect, with most of the deposits located in Alberta, the far majority of these positions are concentrated in this province. Fort McMurray, Calgary, and Edmonton had the highest number of jobs posted online in the past 90 days related to oil sands projects.

Not surprisingly, the field that most commonly requires experience or knowledge of this alternative energy is Engineers. Mining Engineers, Geological Engineers, and Chemical Engineers appear most often. Other fields with high demand include Security Guards, Construction Esitmators, and Sales, Marketing, and Advertising. Below are the 10 most commonly advertised job titles for oil sands positions:

  1. Project Engineer
  2. Project Managers
  3. Administrative Assistant
  4. Senior Mechanical Engineer
  5. Senior Project Manager
  6. Process Operator
  7. Mechanical Engineer
  8. Electrical Engineer
  9. Geotechnical Engineer
  10. Administrator

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Will Software Developers Revive US Manufacturing?

By Ashley Rowe on March 16, 2013 in Computer/Math/IT, Manufacturing.

We've been tracking manufacturing hiring trends and noticed that America is likely to surpass worldwide competition. Reuters recently claimed that, "the major reason why U.S. manufacturing is so well positioned for a renaissance is software that can bring the real and virtual worlds together in a way that erases all boundaries between the two." Software connects every function enabling manufacturers to streamline the process and increase productivity. Since software can potentially be the key to America's manufacturing resurgence, we investigated hiring demand for Software Developers in manufacturing.

In February, there were more than 8,500 job ads posted online for Software Developers in the manufacturing industry, representing 8% of all Software Developer demand. Despite declining 9% in the past year when comparing February 2013 to February 2012, hiring for Software Developers in manufacturing is 61% higher than demand seen at this time 4 years ago.

Most In-Demand Software Developer Job Titles

  1. Software Engineer
  2. Senior Software Engineer
  3. Systems Engineer
  4. Embedded Software Engineer
  5. Applications Engineer
  6. Associate Software Engineer
  7. Senior Software Engineer
  8. Principal Software Engineer
  9. Senior Embedded Software Engineer
  10. Software Development Engineer

On average, it is likely to be moderately difficult to recruit Software Developers in manufacturing, scoring a 59 (out of a possible 99, where 99 indicates hard-to-fill.) 5 metro areas score below 20 on our Hiring Scale.

Best Cities to Recruit Software Developers and Their Hiring Scale Scores

  1. Sioux Falls, SD – 5
  2. Santa Rosa, CA – 14
  3. Rochester, MN – 15
  4. Green Bay, WI – 16
  5. Allentown, PA – 18

Each of the cities listed above are currently experiencing low hiring demand. In locations with higher demand, such as San Jose (sc0re 65) and San Diego (score 63), recruiting conditions are likely to be more difficult. Below is the nationwide heat map of hiring difficulty. Green indicates metro areas with the most favorable recruiting conditions.

Hiring Scale Heat Map for Software Developers in Manufacturing

Hiring Scale for Software Developers in Manufacturing

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

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Springing Ahead Into Home Improvement

By Ashley Rowe on March 10, 2013 in Retail.

This weekend we turned our clocks ahead reminding us that spring is just around the corner and it's time for some home improvements. In anticipation of spring home improvement business and increasing sales, Home Depot expects to hire 80,000 seasonal and permanent employees nationwide and Lowe's plans to hire 45,000. Since the biggest home improvement chains are increasing hiring, we thought we'd look at overall building materials and supplies dealer hiring to see what industry-wide demand looks like.

The building materials and supplies dealer industry increased hiring 60% when comparing January 2013 to the same time last year. According to Dispatch.com, Home Depot and Lowe's say that "the uptick in hiring can be linked to the housing rebound and the resulting interest in remodeling and landscaping." In January 2013, there were more than 33,500 job ads posted online, marking a 4 year high. Nationwide, which metro areas have the most demand for home improvement workers?

Metros with the Most Building Materials and Supplies Dealer Job Ads

  1. New York, NY
  2. Atlanta, GA
  3. Chicago, IL
  4. Los Angeles, CA
  5. Dallas, TX
  6. Philadelphia, PA
  7. Washington, DC
  8. Detroit, MI
  9. Houston, TX
  10. Boston, MA

On average, Recruiters and hiring managers aren't likely find these jobs difficult-to-fill. Although hiring has increased, the supply of candidates in the workforce remains large enough to meet demand. The building materials and supplies dealer industry scores a 21 on our Hiring Scale, out of a possible 99, where 99 denotes hard-to-fill. The most difficult recruiting environment is likely to be in Rapid City, SD. However, conditions in this metro area are just moderately difficult, scoring a 53. The cities with the best recruiting conditions include:

  1. Anderson, SC
  2. Danville, VA
  3. Rome, GA
  4. Dalton, GA
  5. Anniston, AL
  6. Decatur, AL
  7. Bay City, MI
  8. Rocky Mount, NC
  9. Palm Coast, FL
  10. Muskegon, MI

Each of these cities score a 6 or 5 on our Hiring Scale. Find out what your city scores with a free trial of WANTED Analytics.

Already an Analytics user? Log in here. We've added the building materials and supplies dealer industry for you. Just add your location and any other requirements. Then, select 'Generate Report' to view hiring demand and talent supply data.

Financial Planning Firms Investing in Hiring

By Ashley Rowe on March 9, 2013 in Finance - XLF.

The Financial Planning Association's 2012 – 2013 Financial Planning Compensation Study revealed that 43% of firms intend to hire new staff in 2013. Have employers already begun to increase their hiring for 2013? We looked at hiring trends for Personal Financial Advisors to see if recent hiring demand matches this prediction. As of January 2013, it looks like predictions are on track. January saw the highest volume of job ads posted online in the past 4 years. Over 8,000 job ads appeared online in January, representing a 21% increase over the same time last year. If this trend endures, we may continue to see new highs reached in 2013.

Hiring Demand for Personal Financial Advisors

Hiring Demand for Personal Financial Advisors

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

While the New York metropolitan area had the most job ads for Personal Financial Advisors, Detroit (MI) experienced the biggest increase in demand, growing about 80% year-over-year. Below are the metropolitan areas with the highest demand and their year-over-year growth.

Metropolitan Areas with the Most Demand for Personal Financial Advisors and Their Year-Over-Year Growth

Cities with the Most Job Ads for Personal Financial Advisors and Year-Over-Year Growth

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Recruiting conditions for Personal Financial Advisors are likely to be somewhat favorable, scoring a 39 on our Hiring Scale (out of a possible 99, 99 denoting hard-to-fill.) Our Hiring Scale shows 3 cities that score a 5, which indicates that these are the least difficult metro areas to recruit this talent. These cities are Miami (FL), Stamford (CT), and Providence (RI). Although the Hiring Scale indicates that average recruiting conditions aren't likely to be extremely difficult, some cities are experiencing challenges finding candidates. 12 cities score above 90. Recruiters are likely to encounter the most difficulty in Iowa City (IA) where the Hiring Scale scores a 95.

Hiring Scale for Personal Financial Advisors in Iowa City, IA

Hiring Scale for Personal Financial Advisors

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

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Is the US Making Manufacturing Jobs?

By Ashley Rowe on March 7, 2013 in Manufacturing.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that American manufacturing is outpacing its global competition. Featuring data released by the Institute for Supply Management, the article shows that in the last 3 months, US factory activity expanded at its highest rate since the economic recovery began. This increase is attributed to growing consumer and business spending, the housing recovery, and growing global trade. Below is a chart displaying the expansion and contraction of US manufacturing since 2008.

Manufacturing Expansion

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal

As manufacturing activity grows, we wondered if hiring is also increasing. Did job volume follow a similar pattern as manufacturing expansion? During the past 4 years, hiring demand reached its lowest point in April 2009. However, demand has grown each year since then. There were more than 191,000 job ads posted online in January 2013, which represents a 3% year-over-year increase. Will we reach a new high in demand in 2013?

Hiring Demand for the Manufacturing Industry

Hiring Demand for Manufacturing Jobs

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Employers in the manufacturing industry are most commonly advertising for the following job titles:

  1. Sales Representative
  2. Merchandiser
  3. Production Supervisor
  4. Software Engineer
  5. Manufacturing Engineer
  6. Customer Service Representative
  7. Administrative Assistant
  8. Quality Engineer
  9. Maintenance Technician
  10. Sales Manager

Currently, the most manufacturing job ads appear online in New York (NY), San Jose (CA), and Los Angeles (CA). In the New York metropolitan area, the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing sector had the highest hiring volume. The San Jose metro area saw the most job ads placed by the semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing sector. Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing had the most job ads online in Los Angeles. Nationwide, the navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing sector experienced the most demand. Below is our heat map of hiring activity throughout the nation. Dark blue indicates locations with higher job counts.

Job Volume Heat Map for the Manufacturing Industry

Job Ad Volume Heat Map of Manufacturing Jobs

SOURCE: WANTED Analytics

Are you recruiting in the manufacturing industry? Find out what hiring demand and talent supply are like in your city with a free trial of WANTED Analytics.

Already an Analytics user? Log in here. We've already added the manufacturing industry for you. Just add your location, occupation, and any other requirements. Select 'Generate Report' to view hiring demand and talent supply data.

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