Reuters(6-29-06): U.S. newspaper help-wanted ads slipped in May

[corporatemedia]

U.S. newspaper help-wanted ads slipped in May

Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:00am ET

NEW YORK, June 29 (Reuters) - The number of help-wanted ads in U.S. newspapers fell in May, a private research group said on Thursday.

The Conference Board said its gauge measuring help-wanted ad volume in the United States was 33 in May, down from 35 in April. The index was 38 a year ago.

"Businesses remain cautious about hiring when near-term economic prospects appear soft," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the Conference Board, in a statement. "This is certainly a more negative picture going into the second half of the year, compared to the beginning of the year."

Help-wanted ads declined in all nine regions, with West South Central, West North Central and Pacific showing the biggest declines, the Conference Board said.
http://today.reuters.com/investing/FinanceArticle.aspx?type=economicNews&storyID=2006-06-29T140010Z_01_NAT002129_RTRIDST_0_ECONOMY-HELPWANTED-URGENT.XML

This is a little reported but significant indicator of the real job market.

To the best of my recollection, this is the LOWEST it has been since I've been following it (approximately 5 years).



The website for the Conference Board is:
http://www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwanted.cfm

[hadrons]

1. usually its not for help needed now, but for hires plans later ....

this way the companies have a stickpile of résumés ... looks like not too many are planning to do that

thanks Bush voters

[corporatemedia]

5. I agree in part....

there is the fishing for resumes aspect, but often the Help Wanted section of the newspaper is where entry level and low skilled workers (many of whom still do not have internet access) go to find jobs.

Remember the recent story about the increase in crime?

Connect the dots.

[pooja]

2. I have personally seen an influx of people stopping at my

business to apply. I work at a small hotel that doesn't employ that many people. The fact that anyone would even stop here surprises the hell out of me. But then again, budgets for the upcoming year aren't in full force yet, so a lot of companies don't know if they will be hiring or firing

[KansDem]

3. What about the "related story?"

Foreign newspaper help-wanted ads increase in May

Particularly in India, China, Mexico, and the like...

[rocktivity]

4. All I know is that the jobs section of my Sunday newspapers

are still thin enough to be mistaken for an Olsen twin.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Viva_La_Revolution]

13. I was using the papers for the help wanted section...

but it became a worthless exercise. I've been using online sites, (free) but there's not much out there. :(

[rocktivity]

15. It's always slow in the summer, except if you're a June grad

I have two interviews lined up, but I'm sure it's only because they're both with companies I've worked for previously.

:headbang:
rocknation

[corporatemedia]

16. The month being reported on is MAY, hardly a summer month...

and besides, as far as summer hiring, in the last two years:

month/index

2005

4 - 39
5 - 37
6 - 37
7 - 39
8 - 38

2004

5 - 39
6 - 38
7 - 38
8 - 37

I'm not sure if these figures are already "seasonally adjusted" or not. The website does not say. From these figures, I would guess they are.


But look at the nose dive in the chart in my orignial post. There may be a lot of reasons for it. I'm simply pointing out that I believe it has NEVER BEEN THIS LOW (at least during the President POS regime.)

[corporatemedia]

6. For perspective, this is where it was ONE YEAR AGO....

The Conference Board's Help-Wanted Advertising Index Dips Two Points

June 30, 2005

The Conference Board’s Help-Wanted Advertising Index – a key barometer of America’s job market – dipped two points in May. The Index now stands at 37. It was 39 one year ago.

In the last three months, help-wanted advertising declined in all nine U.S. regions. Steepest declines occurred in the Mountain (-15.4%), South Atlantic (-13.9%), and East South Central (-11.7%) regions.

<snip>

May 05 37
Apr. 05 39
Mar. 05 39
May. 04 39

That is as far back as the Conference Board pulbicly archives their press realeases. But if someone has a way of getting figures on this for the last five years, I'm certain they would show that this is the LOWEST figure this decade, something the corporate media will not report.

[AngryAmish]

7. Craigslist

Newspapers are in the buggy-whip business. This stat is misleading.

[corporatemedia]

8. Do you really believe that a 20% drop in help wanted ads...

in the last three months in the West South Central region is due to Craigs List?

"In the last three months, help-wanted advertising declined in all nine U.S. regions. Steepest declines occurred in the West South Central (-19.5%), West North Central (-17.9%) and Pacific (-17.3%) regions."

We're discussing people who are looking for jobs, not blow jobs.

If this decrease were simply due to "on-line" jobs, then the On-Line Index should be surging. IT IS NOT.

From the same story:

"New online job ads increased in May to 2,354,500, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series. The May level was 91,800, or 4 percent above the previous month and followed a sharp decline in April.

Despite the increase, the number of new ads for online jobs in May was lower than in March, which was the month with the highest count since The Conference Board launched the Help-Wanted OnLine Data series in April 2005. In May, there were 1.57 online job ads per 100 persons in the U.S. labor force, compared with 1.51 in April 2006 and 1.60 in March."


Or, for that 3 month period -

On-line jobs per 100 in labor force
Mar 1.60
Apr 1.51
May 1.57

In other words over the last three months, not only have newspaper ads taken a nose dive but on-line jobs have also decreased.

[AngryAmish]

9. Fair enough

But Craigslist is killing the newspapers in San Francisco and other places.

[corporatemedia]

11. That is very true...

but not everywhere is as teknoid (or whatever the word is) as SF.

And I agree that some of the decrease in this index is due to the general decline in the newspaper business, but not all.

There are still a huge number of job seekers who will buy the SUNDAY paper just for the help wanted section.

I remember near the beginning of the President POS regime, the index was in the upper 40s and then it dropped into the upper 30s. And now the low 30s.

Kinda tracking his approval rating???

[Tyrone Slothrop]

10. "We're discussing people who are looking for jobs, not blow jobs."

I've gotten both of my last two jobs from Craigslist -- after sending my resume out to literally hundreds of places advertising in the NYT with nary a response.

Personally, I'm not sure I'd want to work for a company that still places help-wanted ads in the paper; it means they're wasting their money and they're probably not all that savvy, technologically speaking.

[corporatemedia]

12. Well, that just means "that literally hundreds" of other jobs...

were filled NOT through Craigs List.

And I'm not sure that I would want to work for a company that didn't cover all the bases.


I'm not denying that people get jobs on-line, including Craigs List.

Congratulations to you on your success!

And the "blow job" line --- it was just a joke.

[Tempest]

14. The bottom line is that companies use both newspapers and the Internet

For recruitment and hiring.

I'm willing to bet job offers on Craig's List are also down.