By Mark Pender
NEW YORK (MNI) – U.S. job openings edged higher in the Dec. 1 week
based on MNI’s indicator which rose to 0.4, back above breakeven zero to
indicate a weekly rise in online recruitment volume.
But the week’s gain is no more than marginal and is only the second
gain of the last seven weeks.
The four-week average is down for a fifth week in a row, to -4.6
vs. -8.2 in the prior week.
The median percent change in job postings among the 500 companies
in the sample shows no change in the week with the four-week average for
this reading, at -0.38%, down for five weeks in a row.
But the industry breakdown did swing to the positive side with six
showing a weekly increase in volume, five a decrease, and one no change.
Transportation & warehousing and construction both swung to the
plus side. Manufacturing and professional & business services remain on
the negative side.
Job openings in the week total 255,900 or 1.2% of the 21.8 million
U.S. workers covered in MNI’s sample.
MNI’s indicator tracks individual job listings on a weekly basis
from a sample of 500 of the nation’s largest employers. A positive
reading indicates that a greater share of the companies sampled
increased their online recruitment in the week than decreased their
recruitment.
Editor’s Note: MNI compiles its job openings indicator by tracking
job postings in career sections of company websites.
** MNI New York Bureau: 212-669-6430 **
[TOPICS: MDUJP$,M$U$$$,MAUDS$]
