Online Labor Demand Rises in March

April 3, 2012 – Online advertised vacancies rose 246,300 in March to 4,669,600, according to The Conference Board’s Help Wanted OnLine Data Series (HWOL). The March rise is the fourth consecutive monthly rise. The supply/demand rate stands at 2.9 unemployed for every vacancy; however, nationally there are still 8.4 million more unemployed than advertised vacancies. “The March sharp rise in labor demand continued to narrow the gap between the unemployed and available job opportunities,” said June Shelp, VP at The Conference Board. Nationally advertised vacancies are 60 percent above their levels in June 2009, the official end of the great recession. However, that increase has varied greatly among the states with some Midwestern States exceeding the national average, including Minnesota (+ 121 percent); Ohio (+ 102 percent); Wisconsin (+ 95 percent); Indiana (+ 92 percent); and Michigan (+86 percent percent). Some states where the housing market tank — including Nevada (+ 21 percent) and New Mexico (+ 24 percent) — remain well below the national average while other States like Florida (+50 percent), where the housing market was also an issue, showed more resiliency.