Employment Index Reports Uptick in U.S. Hiring

February 1, 2011 – Managerial recruitment activity showed improvement in January with a gain of 3.8 points over December 2010, according to the November CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index, which measures managerial recruitment activity online. The January 2011 Index stands at 103.7, rising 32.9 points since January 2010. Louisville led all cities month, with an 11 percent increase in managerial hiring, followed by San Diego with a six percent hiring increase. Washington, D.C. and Baltimore showed serious declines in hiring, with Baltimore dropping 16 percent and D.C. with a 12 percent decrease in hiring. Houston (-nine percent), Detroit (- nine percent), and Phoenix (-eight percent) were among the other cities that showed significant losses in January. Houston and Phoenix saw the largest drop in hiring per capita ranking, both falling four spots, followed by Minneapolis, which dropped three spots and St. Louis, which dropped two spots. “The hiring boom that is being forecast for 2011 could start to bring the economy back into gear and provide employment for many Americans, including manager-level jobs on up,” said Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com. “Certainly with the Northeast, Midwest and Southwest reaching their highest levels since March 2008, it’s a promising sign, and we are hopeful that this upward trend will continue in the ensuing months.”