Advertiser Watch: Unitedhealth Group, Hewlett-Packard, Liberty Mutual, Gap Inc., Yahoo!

Charles Thibault — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:24:44 +0000

Every week, WANTED Technologies produces what we call a "Gazelles Report". The Gazelles Report lists companies whose number of online job ads has spiked. We look at the number of jobs posted over the past month, and compare that to what we've seen in the past year. If the number of job ads is significantly different that what we've observed in the past year – in a statistical sense – that triggers a "Gazelles alert". In our Advertiser Watch feature, we look at 5 companies that appeared in this week's Gazelles report, focusing mostly on publicly traded companies.

Source: WANTED Analytics

Unitedhealth Group (NYSE:UNH) has shown consistent upward trending in both the number of new online job ads and its stock price. The correlation between Hiring Demand and Unitedhealth stock price has been 0.47 since the start of the year. Unitedhealth Hiring Demand has grown 5% this month, leading into the normal seasonal dip seen in late December. Not surprisingly, the top occupations that UNH posts for are "Medical and Health Services Managers" and "Registered Nurses". "Computer Systems Analysts" come in third.

Graph: Unitedhealth Group Historical Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) has seen a steady rise in its stock price supported by increasing levels of Hiring Demand. HP is posting almost twice as many jobs this month compared to its historical monthly average (89% more). Hiring Demand for "Computer Systems Analysts" spiked in November.

Graph: Hewlett-Packard Historical Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

Liberty Mutual (privately held), an insurance company, has seen steady Hiring Demand growth over the past 4 years. Looking at the 4-year monthly time-series graph, it is clear to see how the company has shown stable growth since December of 2005. "Insurance Sales Agents" are the most hired-for position at Liberty Mutual.

Graph: Liberty Mutual Historical Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS) stock was hit pretty hard during the recession, losing half its market capitalization. Since March, however, Gap Inc stock has moved back into the $20 range. Hiring Demand at Gap has been 60% stronger over the past month compared to its one-year average, despite the usual seasonal drop in Retail Hiring Demand that starts in late October. Its stock price has softened by 15% ($3) since the first week of November, however.

Graph: Gap Inc. Historical Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

Finally, we look at Yahoo! Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO). Hiring Demand at Yahoo also has a strong December seasonal component, but its Hiring Demand has been growing nicely since April, and is almost back to pre-recession levels. "Applications Computer Software Engineers" and "Marketing Managers" are the two most advertised-for positions at Yahoo. The correlation between Yahoo stock price and its Hiring Demand has been 0.35 over the past two years, but that relationship improves to 0.64 when looking at the past year only. Its Hiring Demand is now 125% greater than its one year average, suggesting future gains in its stock.

Graph: Yahoo! Inc. Historical Hiring Demand

Source: WANTED Analytics

Jobs. Trends. Insight. » Gap Inc.

Advertiser Watch: Unitedhealth Group, Hewlett-Packard, Liberty Mutual, Gap Inc., Yahoo!