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The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series(TM) Edges Down in February

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 March 2006, 12:00 CST

NEW YORK, March 21 /PRNewswire/ -- There were 1,987,000 new online job ads posted in February, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series. The February number represents a drop of 175,000 jobs (8.1 percent) from January, which was up sharply from December. January and February combined show that the average number of new online job ads for the first two months of 2006 is in line with the monthly levels in the late summer of 2005.

Adjusting the number of ads for the size of the labor force, there were 1.33 online job ads per 100 persons in the U.S. labor force in February and 1.44 in January 2006. This was similar to August 2005 (1.43) and July 2005 (1.32).

"The labor market picture remains a bit cloudy," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist with The Conference Board. "There are some bright spots where the job market may be picking up, but it's by no means a clear picture. Based on the online activity and other labor market indicators, it is hard to say that the job market is heating up. Consumers are growing increasingly concerned about the short-term health of the economy and their job prospects. In February, consumers' expectations for the economy and the job market over the next six months were down significantly, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index.

The monthly figures reported in the Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series(TM) are the sum of the number of unduplicated new first-time online job ads for each day of the calendar month. This new monthly series began in April 2005.

Regional and Metropolitan Area Results

The number of new unduplicated online job ads dipped in all nine census regions in February compared to the January level. The largest declines were in the East South Central (Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee) and East North Central (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin) regions, down 9.1% and 8.9%, respectively. The smallest dip was 7.0% in the West South Central region which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

"Looking at individual metropolitan areas, there are some bright spots, especially on the west coast," said Goldstein. In the first two months of 2006, San Jose, San Diego and Portland all posted new online ad volume that was above late summer/early fall levels. Going across the country, other metropolitan areas showing relative strength in January-February include Minneapolis-St. Paul and Denver. "In the West South Central region, in addition to New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Austin and Dallas may be showing some strength. However, on the east coast, Washington D.C. is the only metropolitan area where this year's online ad volume hints at any strength compared to last summer's levels," Goldstein noted.

San Diego Tops the Nation in Online Job Ads

Adjusting jobs ads for the size of the local labor force, San Diego with 3.17 job ads per 100 persons in the labor force leads the way among the 52 metropolitan areas for which data is published, followed closely by Denver (3.04), and San Francisco (3.01). The lowest number of online job ads per 100 persons in the labor force in February was in Detroit (0.68), followed by Rochester, NY (0.87).

ABOUT THE NEW ONLINE JOB SERIES

The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series(TM) measures the number of new, first-time online jobs posted on more than 1,200 major Internet job boards and smaller job boards that serve niche markets and smaller geographic areas.

Like The Conference Board's long running Help-Wanted Advertising Index of print ads (which has been published since 1951), the new online series is not a direct measure of job vacancies. The level of ads in both print and online may change for reasons not related to overall job demand.

The Conference Board, as a standard practice with new data series, considers the estimates in The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series(TM) to be developmental. As a not-for-profit business research organization, The Conference Board is publishing the early months of this series for use by the media, analysts, researchers and the business community. Persons using this data are urged to review the information on the database and methodology available on our website and contact the economists listed at the top of this release with questions and comments.

Background information and technical notes on this new series are available on The Conference Board's website: http://www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedOnline.cfm. The underlying data for this series is provided by Wanted Technologies, Inc. CareerBuilder, Inc. provides financial support for the series.

About THE CONFERENCE BOARD

Non-partisan and not-for-profit, The Conference Board is one of the world's leading business membership and research organizations. The Conference Board produces The Consumer Confidence Index and the Leading Economic Indicators for the U.S. and other major nations. These barometers can have a major impact on the financial markets. The Conference Board also produces a wide range of authoritative reports on corporate governance and ethics, human resources and diversity, executive compensation and corporate citizenship. Our conference and council programs bring together more than 10,000 senior executives each year to share insights and learn from each other. Visit The Conference Board's award-winning website at http://www.conference-board.org/.

About WANTED Technologies Inc.

Founded in 1997, WANTED Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of real- time sales and business intelligence. Through its proprietary data mining and aggregation technology, WANTED delivers concise, accurate and actionable data, aimed at helping to increase sales and profitability for its clientele throughout North America. WANTED was recently bestowed the Model of Excellence Award by the InfoCommerce Group in recognition of online business innovation. For more information, visit http://www.wantedtech.com/.

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job site with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Tribune Company, Gannett Co., Inc., and Knight Ridder, Inc., the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 550 partners that include 165 newspapers and leading portals such as MSN and America Online. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/.

The Conference Board

CONTACT: Ken Goldstein, +1-212-339-0331, or June Shelp, +1-212-339-0369

Web site: http://www.conference-board.org/http://www.careerbuilder.com/http://www.wantedtech.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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