Supply/Demand Ratios – Jobs. Trends. Insight.

Best Places for Sales Managers to Search for Work

By Charles Thibault on September 14, 2009 in Sales.

In this week's Supply/Demand Ratios focus, we examine the best places for Sales Managers to look for work. (Please note that "Marketing Managers", standard occupation code 112021, are treated separately by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and our S/D Ratios.)

Sales Managers are one of the most important occupations in a corporation. Sales Managers include such positions as "Vice President of Sales", "Director of Sales", "Regional Sales Manager", or even "Business Development Executive". With an annual average salary of $110,00 Sales Managers are the 24th highest paid occupation in the US (out of more than 800). Taking out dentists, surgeons, physicians and associated specialties, Sales Managers are the 11th best paid workers in the United States.

Like most occupations, Sales Managers have been hit hard by the economic downturn. There were 18,000 online job ads for Sales Managers in the United States in August 2009 – a drop of 7,000, or 30% compared to the 25,000 online job ads posted last August. However, it is still possible for Sales Managers to find work: there are 333,000 Sales Managers in the US, which means that in August alone there was one job ad for every 19.5 Sales Managers.

: Source: WANTED Analytics

Four cities in New York State – New York, Binghamton, Rochester, and Buffalo – figure in the top 10 cities for Sales Managers to look for a new position, according to our S/D Ratios data. The Albany area is ranked 18th.

Other interesting areas are Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Boston MA, Denver CO, and Pittsburgh PA.

: Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

: Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Modification to Supply/Demand Ratios Improve Results for Job Seekers

By Charles Thibault on August 18, 2009

WANTED has slightly modified the construction of its Supply/Demand Ratios to improve results for job seekers.

Specifically, the linear construction of the index did not accommodate for the fact that larger markets represent more opportunities for job seekers compared to smaller markets, even at identical per capita "job posting rates".

The Supply/Demand Ratios are meant to represent a "probability scale" of finding a job in a specific market. More job ads implies a greater "variety" of jobs, which in turn increases the likelihood that any one worker will be able to find a suitable job in that market. In addition, larger markets tend to have more employers. Even if companies from two different cities behave the same in terms of the average number of listed job vacancies, a larger number of companies simply represent a better aggregate employment opportunity. (If a worker gets turned down by an employer for a job, chances are he'll get turned down again if he applies to a different but similar position at the same company).

For example, our previous method would have treated two markets of different sizes as the same:

10 job ads for 100 workers in Market A = 0.1 job ads/worker

20 job ads for 200 workers in Market B = 0.1 job ads/worker

Since both these "Local Hiring Demand Ratios" would have been divided by the same "Average National Hiring Demand Ratio", per our methodology, their Supply/Demand Ratios would have been identical.

Our new non-linear specification for both the Local Hiring Demand Ratio and National Hiring Demand ratio allows the larger market to have a "better" Supply/Demand Ratio:

10 job ads for 100 workers in Market A = 0.1 'non-linear' job ads/worker

20 job ads for 200 workers in Market B = 0.112 'non-linear' job ads/worker

This modified calculation generates a 12% difference.

Registered Nurses in Demand in Texas, South-West

By Charles Thibault on August 17, 2009 in Health Care.

Hring Demand for Registered Nurses is strong in the US South-West. Major cities in Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, the state of Washington, and Colorado display Hiring Demand for Registered Nurses that is greater than the national average, according to our Supply / Demand Ratios.

Registered Nurses are not only the most important health care practitioners, they are also one of the most important occupations in the entire United States. There are over 2.5 million Registered Nurses in the US, which places them fourth in terms of total employment after Retail Salespersons, Cashiers, Office Clerks, and Food Preparation Workers. They come second in terms of economic importance: with an average annual income of $65,000, more than $165 billion is paid out in wages every year to RNs, second only to General and Operations Managers who have the advantage of an average salary of $108,000.

The following table shows the 15 areas where Registered Nurses (SOC 291111) are in greatest demand based on our S/D Ratio:

Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Those looking for the best places to start a job search can refer to our Supply/Demand Ratios homepage.

Best Places to Look for Work – Financial Analysts

By Charles Thibault on August 11, 2009 in Business/Finance.

The best place for Financial Analysts (SOC 132051) to search for work is the combined Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD area, taking into account both the Supply/Demand Ratio and the total count of online job ads.

Three major cities in Florida exhibit strong Hiring Demand for Financial Analysts: Tampa (S/D 190), Jacksonville (S/D 185), and Orlando (S/D 159).

Other areas that show strong demand for Financial Analysts are Omaha, NE (S/D 227); Portland, OR (S/D 204); San Diego, CA (S/D 169); or even St.Louis, MO (S/D 163).

WANTED's Supply/Demand Ratios™ measure Hiring Demand for an occupation relative to the number of workers already employed in that occupation in a geographic market. S/D Ratios are measured on an index scale, with values greater than 100 indicating Hiring Demand stronger than the national average.

S/D results are summarized in this table and "heat map", both of which are available on our Supply/Demand Ratios page.

Source: WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Uncle Sam Wants YOU! to Work in Washington, DC

By Charles Thibault on August 4, 2009

Strong Hiring Demand in Washington, DC has pushed Supply/Demand Ratios up for two-thirds of workers in the nation's capital. S/D Ratios are strong in IT, engineering, and specialized business occupations. WANTED's Supply/Demand Ratios measure Hiring Demand for an occupation in a local market, controlling for the national average Hiring Demand for that occupation.

Even as the overall count of new job ads dropped by 19,000 in the United States in June, the number of job ads rose by 3,000 in Washington. The following graph compares the number of new job ads in the US and in the nation's capital, posted on a monthly basis. It is clear from the graphical evidence that as US Hiring Demand fell, it rose in Washington.

Source: WANTED Analytics 2.0

S/D Ratios – A Closer Look at "General and Operations Managers"

By Charles Thibault on July 27, 2009 in Business/Finance.

WANTED's Supply/Demand Ratios measure Hiring Demand relative to supply of labor. Hiring Demand is measured relative to the number of qualified workers in a geographic area, on an occupation-by-occupation basis. Supply/Demand Ratios are centered around 100, with values greater than 100 signaling greater than average Hiring Demand for that occupation.

This week, we take a look at "General and Operations Managers", Standard Occupational Classification code 111021. According to the BLS there were almost 1,700,000 General and Operations Managers employed in the US in 2008. Even though it is not the most common occupation in terms of total employment, it carries the most economic weight. With an average yearly income of $107,970, more than $183 billion in wages are paid out every year to these managers, more than any other occupation.

Before jumping into geographical specifics, how have General and Operations Managers fared, generally speaking? After consistent upward trending in Hiring Demand for these managers in 2007, Hiring Demand softened throughout 2008. Since then, Hiring Demand has rebounded quite nicely and is growing again, according to WANTED Analytics 2.0.

Source: WANTED Analytics 2.0

Workers seeking General and Operations Manager positions within the top 20 US Marketsshould focus on New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, or even Miami. Some markets are quite weak, including Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houson, and Pheonix.

Want a Job? Pack Your Bags for the Best Places to Look for Work

By Bruce Murray on June 26, 2009

If you are a Physical Therapist Assistant, finding a job should be easier in Seattle, WA. If you are a Computer Systems Analyst looking for work, Dayton, OH is the place for you. A Landscaper? Try Killeen, TX.

Employers advertise more than three million jobs each week, but locations with a demand for jobs are not always locations with a supply of qualified workers. This localized mis-match—more jobs and not enough workers, or more workers and not enough jobs—is one of the many reasons US unemployment is predicted to reach ten percent in the coming months.

WANTED Technologies has calculated the gap between local demand for workers and supply of workers and identified cities where the demand exceeds supply by the greatest margin. WANTED's Supply/Demand Ratios^TM calculate this gap for each occupation and metro area in the US and maps the results.

Local Occupational Hiring Indicators - LOHI

WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios

Each month, WANTED summarizes all the job ads for each occupation that appear on online job boards and compares that to the number of employees in each occupation and city, as estimated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The difference between the demand and supply in each occupation and city is compared to the national average for that occupation. Cities where the mix of demand and supply exceed the national average are good bets for people looking for work.

The following table lists cities where the difference between demand and supply for selected occupations exceeds the national averages by the highest margin.

WANTED Supply/Demand Ratios™ (S/D Ratios)

Occupation	Highest Supply/Demand Score	Supply/Demand Score (National Average = 100)
Landscaping Workers	Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX	1188
Truck Drivers, Heavy & Tractor-Trailer	Danville, VA	973
Secondary School Teachers	Lakeland, Fl	756
Customer Service Reps	Flagstaff, AZ	513
Hairdressers & Cosmetologists	Las Vegas-Paradise, NV	503
Security Guards	Lancaster, PA	439
Mgrs. of Production Workers	Boulder, CO	433
Paralegals & Legal Assistants	Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA	397
Genl. Maintenance & Repair Workers	Bend, OR	395
Construction & Building Inspectors	San Antonio, TX	334
Financial Services Sales	Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	326
Supervisors of Food Prep. Workers	Anchorage, AK	315
Registered Nurses	Las Vegas-Paradise, NV	295
Social & Human Service Assistants	Albuquerque, NM	293
Mechanical Engineers	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL	287
Computer Systems Analysts	Dayton, OH	278
Accountants	Santa Barbara-Santa Maria, CA	260
Sales Managers	Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	242
Biological Technicians	Salt Lake City, NV	215
Physical Therapist Assistants	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	161