Demand for Online Labor Remains Flat Over the Month

A joint research report from The Conference Board, WANTED Technologies, and HAVER ANALYTICS has revealed that online job vacancies were virtually unchanged in November sitting at 4,719,900. The Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series  found that the supply/demand rate for online positions is 2.6 unemployed persons per vacancy. The most recent data from October showed that online unemployment was 7.5 million above the number of posted vacancies.

Online labor demand in November fell in 20 states, mostly in the Northeast, however all states except Vermont have improved over the year. Labor demand fell by nearly 31,000 in the Northeast during November with nearly 10,000 lost jobs in both New York and New Jersey. Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, and New Hampshire also posted losses while Maine and Rhode Island posted negligible increases. Northeastern online unemployment was undoubtedly affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The South recorded a 15,000 job increase in online labor demand with Texas making up the lion’s share of gains (10,800 jobs) and a 17.2 percent rise over the year. Other states experiencing double-digit percentage gains were North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. Louisiana and South Carolina experienced lesser gains while Arkansas and Tennessee lost 500 and 300 jobs, respectively.

Midwest online demand rose by 2,900 in November with Michigan leading the way at 5,400 vacancies, an 18.5 percent increase over the year. Illinois and Wisconsin also saw double-digit gains. Losers for the month were Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, North Dakota, and Indiana. Demand in the West rose 1,900 for the month with Colorado up 4,900 jobs over the year, Arizona up 16,400, and 68,100 for California. The only losing state was Nevada losing 4,500 vacancies.