When is Hot Cold?

Over the past two weeks both Forbes magazine and the Monster Employment Index showed Pittsburgh to be one of the best job markets in the country. As good as that sounds it does not mean the job market in Pittsburgh is currently great. It is just better than most other areas of the U.S. The Monster Employment Index names Pittsburgh a top 5 market while the Forbes article includes Pittsburgh as one of the 10 Best job markets as of December.

The Monster index at the same time showed a dramatic decline for Pittsburgh during December and based on what we are seeing currently this trend will continue into January. Without question the best job categories continue to be Healthcare and Education. We are also seeing some strength in Protective Services and Drivers.

By far, here in Pittsburgh as with most of the country, the weakest demand is in Retail and Sales. We continue to monitor closely the local environment and will report changes as we se them.

Hourly Jobs Pace Job Growth in Country’s Hottest Job Market – Pittsburgh

Although we have experienced a seasonal decline in help wanted demand over the past couple of weeks (Memorial Day though the end of June tends to be one of the slowest periods of the year for companies recruiting workers) our metro area continues to be one of the sunniest places to be when it comes to seeking employment. While documented job growth for the Pittsburgh Region is up almost 9,000 jobs from April 2007, we continue to see the opportunities being presented by then need for replacement workers. One of the hottest categories for both new jobs and turnover replacement is in the hospitality industry (hotels and restaurants).

Fortunately the strength is fairly broad based. According the Monster Online Employment Index for April; “On an annual basis, seven of the 28 monitored markets are showing more online job opportunities than a year ago, with Pittsburgh again ranking as the Index’s top growth market year-over-year, a position it has held for three consecutive months”.

Nursing and Allied Healthcare continue to add jobs month by month and locally the demand for drivers has not abated. In what is one of the devastated industries around the country, fanacial services are regaining strength here, including with the announcement just today of an additional 135 jobs to be added by BONY/Mellon for their Treasury Services division.

Pittsburgh continues to weather the economic slowdown better than most predicted just 6 months ago.

Pittsburgh Job Market Hot-Hot-Hot

The Monster Employment Index was released today for March and again Pittsburgh’s online recruitment activity continues one of the largest growth rates in the country, reflecting the broad-based need for workers across most job categories. Up 4% in March over February, the Index also shows a healthy increase of 9.2% over March of 2007 while nationally numbers are down 10% from 2007.

Weak job categories included Sales, Protective Services, Management, and Food Prep. The strongest growth year over year has come in Healthcare, Healthcare Support, Construction, Production and Installation, Maintenance and Repair.

“Online Job Availability Rises in 10 of the Top 28 Major U.S. Metro Markets”

During March, online recruitment activity rose in 10 of the 28 U.S. metro areas
monitored by the Index, with Portland showing the largest increase, fueled by higher demand for healthcare and public service professionals. Seattle was the second strongest market on the month, followed by Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cleveland. Meanwhile, Boston and San Francisco registered the sharpest declines, reflecting lower online recruitment activity for white-collar occupations.

On an annual basis, six of the 28 markets are now showing greater online job availability compared to a year ago, with Pittsburgh ranking as the top growth market year-over year for the second consecutive month. Houston and Dallas remained among the top five amid continued high demand for healthcare, military and management occupations. In contrast, Los Angeles has registered the steepest drop over the past 12 months, burdened by fewer opportunities in construction.”

Monster Employment Index Names Pittsburgh One of Top Four Local Markets for Online Job Growth in 2007

Pittsburgh, along with Seattle, St. Louis and Houston were the Monster Local Job Index’s highest growth markets for 2007 in online job postings. Although down from the hot November level, December’s reading was still up 25 points from December of 2006.

"Approximately half of the Index’s decline in December 2007 from November can be attributed to seasonality as employers naturally scale back their hiring activities during the final month of the year,” said Steve Pogorzelski, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Customer Development at Monster Worldwide. “The Index has consistently shown a seasonal slowdown every December since its inception, which is usually followed by a sizable rebound in the months that immediately follow.

For a complete industry by industry run down for Pittsburgh, click here.

Click on the chart to enlarge.

Pittsburgh Region Second Highest Job Growth Area for Online Recruitment in September

According to the Monster Local Employment Index Pittsburgh has become the second fastest growth market in the country for online recruitment. Particular strength was cited for the blue collar, hourly jobs arena including food prep, transportation and skilled technical jobs (mechanics, maintenance, repair).

This is inline with what we have seen, as well as healthcare, hospitality and sales. Although this does not directly translate into improved job growth overall, it does show a strengthening of opportunity for job seekers in our area.

Employers are telling us in Pittsburgh it has become noticeably more difficult to recruit qualified workers, while post secondary career schools are seeing a comprehensive slowdown in applications from job seekers seeking re-training. Both are symptoms of job supply and demand transitioning from a buyers market to a sellers market. Below is an excerpt from the actual report:

Online Job Demand in Pittsburgh Jumps in September, According to the Monster Local Employment Index

PITTSBURGH, October 18, 2007 – The Monster Local Employment Index for Pittsburgh notched a solid four-point gain in September as online recruitment activity and related job opportunities reached a new historical Index high. The 16-point, or 15-percent, over-the-year rise establishes Pittsburgh as the Index’s second-fastest growing major online recruitment market in the country, reflecting tight labor market conditions and sustained print-to-online migration of help-wanted advertising. Results for Pittsburgh over the past 13 months are as follows:

The food preparation and serving category registered the highest rate of increase in online job availability during September, and is the top growth category for Pittsburgh year-over-year. Pittsburgh remains the top growth market among the 28 tracked by the Index for this category, indicating high demand in the local accommodation and food services industry. Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media also posted a significant gain last month. During September, online job availability also continued to increase for major blue-collar occupations such as installation, maintenance, and repair; production; and transportation and material moving. In contrast, both protective services; and community and social services reported sharply fewer opportunities than last month. In the white-collar segment, the business and financial operations and legal categories both edged higher and remained moderately improved from a year ago. The only category showing reduced online job availability compared to a year ago is life, physical, and social science, which dipped two points, or two percent. In all, 15 occupational categories rose in September, while three declined one was flat.

Monster Online Ad Index for Pittsburgh Declines First Time Since January

Monster’s monthly index of online recruitment demand declined slightly for the first time since January for the Pittsburgh region. The index is used as a measure of recruitment activity and is leading indicator of job demand in a market. Declines this time of year are noted to be normal as retail and many other industries have not yet begun their fall recruitment campaigns and schools are still out for the summer. Year over year demand is up strongly, however, as our the Pittsburgh job market recovers from the heavy job losses by major employers like US Airways between 2002 and 2005. Here is the report:

Online Job Demand in Pittsburgh Eases Slightly in
July, According to the Monster Local Employment Index

PITTSBURGH, August 16, 2007 – The Monster Local Employment Index for
Pittsburgh dipped two points to a level of 115 in July, as gains in healthcare demand
were not enough to stem a general summer slowdown in online recruitment activity.
Nevertheless, Pittsburgh remains one of the strongest growth markets in the nation
when comparing year-over-year online recruitment trends, reflecting historically tight
labor market conditions and sustained print-to-online migration of the help-wanted
advertising market.

The latest Index findings demonstrate soaring recruitment demand in the healthcare
sector, which is struggling with supply shortages in certain key occupations such as
nursing. Both the healthcare practitioners and technical; and healthcare support
categories edged up last month, defying seasonal expectations. It is likely that these
recent upward trends in the healthcare categories reflect employer efforts to expand
the online visibility of long-standing, as opposed to newly created, specialized healthcare
openings in an already tight job market.
The business and professional service segment also maintained a generally strong
growth pace when accounting for seasonality. The market’s largest occupational
categories such as management; and business and financial operations edged down only
slightly from historical highs. Meanwhile, the computer and mathematical category
continued growing at a double digit annual pace, indicating high demand for IT
professionals. Still, food preparation and serving related remained the fastest growth
category year-over-year while military specific declined the most.
In all, two occupational categories rose in July, while 15 declined and two were
unchanged.

July sees a record Employment Index for the Pittsburgh Region

For the 5th straight month the demand for workers in Pittsburgh has increased, according to the July Monster Index that measures online activity for recruitment by employers by category. Blue collar occupations again lead the way in strength, with a rebound seen in white collar occupations as well. With the major building projects looming in the Pittsburgh region over the next two years the labor market could become the brightest we have seen since before September 11th. Here is the report:

Online Job Demand in Pittsburgh Edges Higher in June, According to the Monster Local Employment Index

PITTSBURGH, July 19, 2007 – The Monster Local Employment Index for Pittsburgh
climbed one point in June, extending a five-month upward growth trend in online job
availability. The up-tick last month came in defiance of seasonal expectations and pushed
the Index for Pittsburgh’s annual growth rate up to 15 percent, the highest since its
inception, reflecting further tightening in local job market conditions and solid demand
for labor.
Results for Pittsburgh over the past 13 months are as follows:

The healthcare and blue-collar work segments continue to drive the overall Index for
Pittsburgh. Installation, maintenance, and repair registered the sharpest rate of increase
in June, suggesting greater demand for workers in assorted trades. Although more
moderate, the growth trends in other blue-collar categories such as transportation and
material moving; production; and construction are similarly positive, despite reports of
continued layoffs in the goods producing sector.
Meanwhile, the white-collar segment rebounded from softer recruitment activity
recorded in May. The healthcare practitioners and technical category rose sharply,
leading all categories in the segment. Computer and mathematical (IT); architecture and
engineering; and life, physical, and social science, the segment’s weakest categories in
May, all experienced increases in online job demand and are once again at elevated
levels. In contrast, the legal category was the Index’s weakest from an over-the-year
perspective, with fewer opportunities now than in June 2006.
In total, 12 occupational categories rose in June, while six declined and one was
unchanged.

Hourly Job Growth in Pittsburgh Region Becoming a Trend

Hourly job growth led the way for total growth in Pittsburgh during May, according to the monthly jobs index from Monster. This index actually measures employer’s level of activity in recruiting new workers and is a precursor to job growth itself. This is a continuation of a trend that we saw begin in January of this year for the what could be the best hourly job market Pittsburgh has seen in 7 years. Here is an excerpt from the press release:

Online Job Demand in Pittsburgh Rises in May,
According to the Monster Local Employment Index

PITTSBURGH, June 18, 2007 – The Monster Local Employment Index for
Pittsburgh gained two points in May, extending a four-month upward growth trend
despite a general seasonal slowdown in online recruitment activity among several whitecollar
occupations. Strong demand for workers in education, manufacturing and
construction helped the Index for Pittsburgh achieve a three percent annual growth
pace for the month, the highest on record.
Results for Pittsburgh over the past 13 months are as follows:





Public sector specific occupations such as education, training, and library; and military
specific led the Index in terms of growth during the month of May. Both categories
have recorded extended growth streaks in 2007. The transportation and material
moving; and production categories also registered sharp gains, suggesting improved local
demand for manufacturing workers.
Online opportunities in the leisure and hospitality sector also increased last month.
Food preparation and serving related occupations noted the steepest year-over-year
improvement in the Index as Pittsburgh maintained its number one position for the
category among the 28 markets monitored. Sales occupations also reached a new peak
after five months of escalating online recruitment activity.
Meanwhile, the white-collar segment edged downward during May, marking an end to
the spring recruitment season for entry-level professionals. Architecture and
engineering occupations registered the most substantial downturn from the previous
month, followed closely by computer and mathematical (IT); and management. Legal
again proved to be the most atypical of the white-collar categories, following a muted
recruitment month in April with a sharp May increase.
In total, 12 occupational categories rose in May, while five declined and two were
unchanged.

Monster Index Says Pittsburgh Strong, Confirms Pittsburgh 2007 Job Growth Underway

The job board Monster came out recently with their monthly jobs index, a measure of advertised jobs during the month compared with a baseline year. As we have opined many times over the past 3 months that the Pittsburgh metro job market is finally starting to show real growth, the Monster Index backs us up! And we quote:

PITTSBURGH, May 17, 2007 – The Monster Local Employment Index for Pittsburgh
rose two points in April due to a general expansion in online recruitment activity. Over the year, the Index for Pittsburgh is up 11 points, a sharp increase from last month and the highest annual growth pace on record, suggesting strengthened local employer demand.

Categories in the blue-collar segment have shown signs of added momentum in recent
months. Growth in online job availability during April was most pronounced for
installation, maintenance, and repair occupations, but the construction and extraction;
transportation and material moving; and production categories also rose sharply on the
month, while also accelerating on a year-over-year basis.

End Quote.

We are still seeing unusual strength at the end of May, a period when recruitment typically slows down somewhat in anticipation of the holiday and vacation time coming with the end of the local school year. Of particular note are allied healthcare and commercial driver positions. But strength is mostly across the board. In speaking with a particular Human Resource Manager from a major employer in Pittsburgh (sorry, source does not want to be disclosed), an increase (though slight) in the number of recent immigrants applying is starting to be seen here, yet another symptom of increased opportunity.