Job Search

Online Job Openings Up 250,000

By Donald Sears ⋅ June 10, 2009 ⋅

Filed Under career advice, Hiring, job networking, job openings, job opportunities, job search advice, Layoffs, resumes, The Conference Board Help Wanted, Who is hiring, work

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Online job postings rose in May, the first rise in available jobs on online job boards since December.

Pick the description that best describes new job opportunities lately:

A. A black hole.

B. A total joke.

C. A full-time job.

D. More job openings than you think.

Surprise! If you picked “D,” you’d be correct.

The nonprofit career organization The Conference Board recently released a report known as Help-Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL)™, and the findings are actually positive. The report looks at the “number of new, first-time online jobs and jobs reposted from the previous month on more than 1,200 major Internet job boards and smaller job boards that serve niche markets and smaller geographic areas,” according to its Web site.

Here’s the gist of the report:

Advertised job openings online for May are up 250,000 for a total of 3,367,000
First increase in 6 months and largest in 2 years
Increases are found in Management, Computer/Math, Health Care, Administrative
43 U.S. states have experienced increases including California, Texas, Virginia and Georgia

While an increase in job openings doesn’t necessarily equate to hiring and the filling of new positions, it’s worth noting that large scale increases in vacancies mean that companies are loosening up a bit – even if the candidate pool has increased. The report, understandably, is keen to point out that job demand is higher than the supply. From Gad Levanon, Senior Economist at The Conference Board in the release:

“Labor demand typically leads the trend in both employment and unemployment, so positive signals on labor demand are always important. Even with the current positive signs, the likely outlook is for unemployment to continue to rise and employment to fall at more modest levels throughout the summer. In April … there were 10.6 million more unemployed workers than advertised vacancies.”

So, what’s an executive job seeker to do in an ocean of slightly-rising job supply and an abundance of competition? Start by recognizing the link between physical and mental health; take a look at yourself and be honest; and give your contacts, experience and resume the respect it deserves. And if that’s too generic or overwhelming for you, here are 12 things you can start doing today to jump aboard the getting-hired track.

(Image courtesy of woddleywonderworks via Flickr CC 3.0)