Online Labor Demand Dips Slightly in February

March 3, 2011 – Online advertised vacancies dipped by 27,400 in February to 4,245,600, according The Conference Board’s Help Wanted OnLine Data Series. Labor demand has risen 1.41 million since the series' low point in April 2009. This increase offsets approximately 80 percent of the 1.76 million drop in ad volume during the two-year downturn period from April 2007 through April 2009. “Total labor demand paused in February, but the number of new, first-time advertised vacancies continued to rise and is an indication that employers are continuing to look for workers,” said June Shelp, VP at The Conference Board. “Nationally, new ads were up 86,100 in February, and that is a positive sign in contrast to the last few years when advertised vacancies either dropped or remained unchanged from January to February.” Among the top 10 occupation groups with the largest numbers of online advertised vacancies, labor demand for computer and science workers increased by 9,500 in February to 584,800. Business and financial operations positions decreased by 6,400 to 246,200 advertised vacancies during the month.