Austin Job Postings Report April 2017

Posted on 05/03/2017 by Kwee Lan Teo

AUSTIN JOB POSTINGS REPORT APRIL 2017

AUSTIN - ROUND ROCK - SAN MARCOS MSA
(MARCH 14, 2017 to APRIL 13, 2017)
austinchamber.com/jobpostings

INSIGHTS

  • Lots of hiring. 9,200 more people employed between February 2017 and March 2017.

  • Many job openings, but fewer than a year ago. 39,600 Available Job Postings during March 2017, or 4,900 less compared to April 2016.

  • Job postings in April 2017 is lower than April of past three years. The Austin MSA saw more than 40,000 Available Job Postings in 2014, 2015 and 2016 but is below 40,000 in April 2017.

  • Demand for Tech talent remains high. Software Developers-Applications replaced Registered Nurses as the top posted occupation in March 2017 and again in April 2017. The annual median wage for Software Developers-Applications in the Austin MSA increased from $99,420 to $105,150, according to the recently released data by the BLS.

  • Plenty of middle wage jobs available. Ten of the Top 20 occupations posted require less than an associate's degree as the typical education needed for entry and all but two of the top occupations posted pay an annual median wage of $30,000 or more in the Austin MSA.

  • Unemployment tops 41,300. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 3.6% or 41,300 unemployed in March 2017. This represents an decrease of 700 unemployed compared to February 2017 which had a 3.7% unemployment rate or 42,000 unemployed. In February and March of 2017, the number of unemployed was greater than the number of Available Job Postings, which has not been the case since March 2015.

  • More jobs ahead. Several companies recently announced new location or expansion plans in the Austin MSA including about 725 jobs. The list includes Accent Food Services, BigCommerce, ModSquad, MW Builders, Mythic, Peregine Semiconductor, TG, TurnKey Vacation Rentals and Babson Diagnostics.

  • Austin net job growth ranks 10th. The Austin MSA reported an annual job growth rate of 3.3% or 32,700 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in March making Austin the 10th fastest growing major metro.


The following job market report is designed to provide insight into current employer demands, skills and occupations in the Austin MSA.

TOP JOB POSTINGS

The chart and table below lists the available unique ads in major occupation groups from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017, a mid-monthly timeframe closely associated with federal jobs numbers.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

Major Occupational Groups Available Ad Volume New Ad Volume Advailable Ads
Year-to-Year Percentage Change
Available Ads
Year-to-Year Difference
Computer & Mathematical Occupations 7,393 3,199 -1.50% -113
Office and Administrative Support Occupations 3,926 2,135 -18.20% -873
Sales & Related Occupations 3,780 1,713 -16.10% -728
Healthcare Practitioners & Technical Occupations 3,631 1,188 -9.50% -382
Management Occupations 3,562 1,454 -7.80% -302
Business & Financial Operations Occupations 2,412 999 -9.40% -249
Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations 2,121 1,291 -23.70% -660
Transportation & Material Moving Occupations 1,845 1,316 -17.10% -380
Installation, Maintenance & Repair Occupations 1,716 1,112 -8.10% -151
Construction & Extraction Occupations 1,277 1,084 -11.50% -166
Others (13) 7,957 5,039 -10.10% -890
Total (23) 39,620 20,080 -11.00% -4,894

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

There were approximately 39,600 Available Job Postings during the April 2017 monthly reporting period, a decrease of about 4,900 Available Job Postings compared to April 2016. About 7,400 or 19 percent of the Available Job Postings during the April reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations. Slightly more than half of the Available Job Postings are New Job Postings for April 2017.

The Major Occupational Groups that saw the largest decline in the volume of Available Job Postings compared to April 2016 are Office and Administrative Support Occupations, Sales and Related Occupations and Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations. Computer and Mathematical Occupations had the largest volume of New Job Postings for April 2017.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 3.6% or 41,300 unemployed in March 2017. This represents a slight decrease of 700 unemployed compared to February 2017 which had a 3.7% unemployment rate or 42,000 unemployed. In March 2016, the unemployment rate was 3.1% or 34,400 unemployed. Approximately 65% of unemployment insurance (UI) claimants that are actively seeking a job in Travis County have less than an associate's degree, according to Workforce Solutions Capital Area.

The Austin MSA reported an annual job growth rate of 3.3% or 32,700 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in March, making Austin the 10th fastest growing major metro. Education and Healthcare added the most jobs (5.5% or 6,300) in the last 12 months - while the fastest growing industry was Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (6.4% or 1,100 jobs).

The U.S. News & World Report named Austin as the "Best Place to Live in the U.S." in 2017. Savills calls Austin "one of the 22 Cities at the Forefront of Global Tech" while SmartAsset named Austin as one of the "10 Best Cities to Raise a Family". Austin also comes in 3rd on Gallups' "Good Jobs Rate" ranking based on the percentage of adults who work for an employer full-time. Indeed ranked Austin No. 4 on its "25 Best Cities for Job Seekers" list.


MONTHLY AD TRENDS

The line chart below shows the monthly total volume of online ads posted in the Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos MSA from April 2013 through April 2017.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

Note: The data for April 2017 would be the sum of all posted ads from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017. This reference period is aligned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment job search time period to provide a more accurate comparison of labor supply and labor demand.

The total number of Available Job Postings was 36,500 in April 2013 and is 39,600 in April 2017. For the past three years, there were more than 40,000 Available Job Postings in April but in 2017, it is below that mark.


TOP 20 JOB POSTINGS

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016

Software Developers-Applications is again, the top occupation posted in the Austin MSA and its annual median wage increased from $99,420 to $105,150 according to the latest data released by the BLS.

Management Analysts, Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers, Marketing Managers, Information Technology Project Managers, Software Developers-Applications and Pharmacy Technicians all saw a 70 or more year-to-year increase in postings. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Registered Nurses, Customer Service Representatives, Retail Salespersons, Tellers and Web Developers saw a 150 or more year-to-year decrease in postings.


TOP 20 JOB POSTINGS AND HIRING DIFFICULTY

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings and its hiring difficulty in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: Wanted Technologies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Hiring Scale views the difficulty-to-fill indicator on market conditions. It calculates a score for each position that the employer is trying to fill. Several factors affect the hiring scale score that include the supply of available candidates, the overall demand for employers for people in the position, the location, the occupation, local unemployment rates, job site source, offered pay level, etc. The Hiring Scale scores jobs from 1 to 99 based on their projected difficulty-to-recruit.

Ten of the Top 20 occupations posted require less than an associate's degree as the typical education needed for entry and all but two of the top occupations posted pay an annual median wage of $30,000 or more in the Austin MSA.

The Austin MSA has a higher hiring difficulty for Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners, Management Analysts, Maintenance and Repair Workers-General and Registered Nurses when compared nationally. Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants, Computer Systems Analysts, Computer User Support Specialists and Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers are easier to recruit here when compared nationwide. Customer Service Representatives, Retail Salespersons, Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants and Computer Systems Analysts are the easier-to-hire occupations in the Austin MSA.


TOP 20 TECH JOB POSTINGS

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings under Computer and Mathematical Occupations in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016

Computer Systems Engineers/Architects saw the largest year-to-year increase in Available Jobs Postings, followed by Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers, Information Technology Project Managers and Software Developers-Applications.

The annual median wages in this occupational category saw an increase of $3,490 from $79,980 in 2015 to $83,470 in 2016.

Computer and Mathematical Occupations saw approximately 110 less Available Job Postings compared to the same period last year.


TOP 20 TECH JOB POSTINGS AND HIRING DIFFICULTY

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings and its hiring difficulty under Computer and Mathematical Occupations in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: Wanted Technologies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Hiring Scale views the difficulty-to-fill indicator on market conditions. It calculates a score for each position that the employer is trying to fill. Several factors affect the hiring scale score that include the supply of available candidates, the overall demand for employers for people in the position, the location, the occupation, local unemployment rates, job site source, offered pay level, etc. The Hiring Scale scores jobs from 1 to 99 based on their projected difficulty-to-recruit.

The Austin MSA has an easier time recruiting Statisticians, Software Developers-Systems Software, Computer Network Architects, Operations Research Analysts and Computer Systems Analysts.

Companies such as Amazon, ACCENTURE and IBM have seen a 100 or more year-to-year increase in postings under this category. The top employers posting in this category with the largest year-to-year increases in postings are Amazon, ACCENTURE, IBM, Deloitte, SailPoint Technologies and Forcepoint.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA, Denver-Aurora-Lakewood MSA and Raleigh MSA all have a higher hiring difficulty in this occupational category compared to the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA.


TOP 20 HEALTHCARE JOB POSTINGS

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings under Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016

Pharmacy Technicians, Physical Therapists and Radiologic Technologists saw the largest year-to-year increase in Available Job Postings while Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses saw the largest decline.CVS Health posted the most openings for Pharmacy Technicians.

The annual median wage for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations in the Austin MSA also decreased slightly from $60,740 in 2015 to $60,500 in 2016.


TOP 20 HEALTHCARE JOB POSTINGS AND HIRING DIFFICULTY

The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings and its hiring difficulty under Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Source: Wanted Technologies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The Hiring Scale views the difficulty-to-fill indicator on market conditions. It calculates a score for each position that the employer is trying to fill. Several factors affect the hiring scale score that include the supply of available candidates, the overall demand for employers for people in the position, the location, the occupation, local unemployment rates, job site source, offered pay level, etc. The Hiring Scale scores jobs from 1 to 99 based on their projected difficulty-to-recruit.

Companies such as HCA-The Healthcare Company, Austin Medical Center and St. David's Medical Center have seen a 100 or more year-to-year increase in postings under this category.

All the top occupations in this category pay an annual median wage of more than $30,000 in the Austin MSA, except for Veterinary Technologists and Technicians. Half of these top posted occupations require an associate's degree or less as the typical level of education needed for entry into the occupation.

Most of the year-to-year increases in this occupational category are for Pharmacy Technicians, though the demand is relatively easy to fill in our region and typically requires a high school diploma plus moderate-on-the-job training. Compared nationally, the Austin MSA has a higher hiring difficulty for Dental Hygienists, Surgical Technologists and Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians.


TOP HARD SKILLS IN DEMAND

The table below lists the top hard skills in demand for the available jobs in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Top 20 Hard Skills in Demand by Employers Required Skill by Volume Year-to-Year
Difference
Top Related Skills (If 30% or more of the skill also reflects other required/optional skills)
Java 2,458 -236 Python,Linux, JavaScript (JS)
Quality Assurance (QA) 2,215 -818
Linux 1,917 -317 Python, Java, UNIX

Bilingual

1,831 -440
Structured Query Language (SQL) 1,709 -506 Java
Python 1,629 -52

Java, Linux, C/C++, Practical Extraction and Reporting Language (PERL)

JavaScript (JS) 1,434 -359 Java, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS),Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 1,433 -423 Salesforce CRM SFDC
Pediatrics 1,251 -110

Quality Control

1,208 -155

Salesforce CRM SFDC

1,161 -68 Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Technical Support 1,150 -376
Geriatrics 1,140 +228
C/C++ 1,133 +5

Java, Python, Linux, C#, Practical Extraction and Reporting Language (PERL)

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

1,074 -98

Java

Software as a Service (SaaS) 1,060 -50

Agile Software Development

1,017 +23 Java, JavaScript (JS)

Web Services

999 -227 Java, Representational State Transfer (REST), JavaScript (JS)
Scrum Agile Methodology 980 +46 Java, Agile Software Development, JavaScript (JS)
Preventive Maintenance 947 -77

Source: Wanted Technologies

Skills in Demand provides a real-time view of skills currently in demand by employers. For example, of the available jobs posted from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017, 2,458 job postings required “Java” as a skill and 30% or more of those 2,458 job postings also had other required/optional skill(s) such as “Python", "Linux" and "JavaScript (JS)".

Hard skills that have seen an increase of 200 or more postings are Human Resources Software, Amazon Web Services and Geriatrics.


TOP CERTIFICATIONS IN DEMAND

The table below lists the top certifications in demand for the available jobs in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Top 20 Certifications in Demand by Employers Required Certification by Volume Year-to-Year Difference Top Related Certifications (if 30% or more of the skill also reflects Other required/optional skills)
Driver's License 5,802 -473
Certified Registered Nurse (RN) 3,945 +25 Basic Life Support (BLS)
Basic Life Support (BLS) 2,921 +656

Certified Registered Nurse (RN)

Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) 1,651 -165 Certified Registered Nurse (RN)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) 1,144 -17

Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Basic Life Support (BLS)

Continuing Education (CE) 1,019 -22

Occupational Safety & Health Administration Certification (OSHA)

983 -118

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

756 -255 Driver's License

Food Safety Programs (HACCP)

723 -57
First Aid Certification 616 -55 Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Law Enforcement Agency Data Systems (LEADS) 597 -72

Certified in Nursing Administration (CNA)

575 +100

Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Basic Life Support (BLS), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN),

HAZMAT

482 -315

Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)

466 +38 Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Certified in Nursing Administration (CNA)

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

451 -29
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) 434 -56
Board Certified (BC) 426 +46 Board Eligible (BE)
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) 407 -42 Certified in Nursing Administration (CNA), Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Patient Care Technician (PCT)
Project Management Professional (PMP) 397 -27
Special Education (SPED) 356 -353

Source: Wanted Technologies

Certifications in Demand provides a real-time view of certifications currently in demand by employers. For example, of the available job postings from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017, 3,945 job postings required “Certified Registered Nurse” as a certification and 30% or more of those 3,945 job postings also had other required/optional certification(s) such as “Basic Life Support (BLS)”.

Certifications that saw an increase of 100 or more postings are Basic Life Support (BLS), Early Childhood Education (ECE), Patient Care Technician (PCT), American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) and Certified in Nursing Administration (CNA).


TOP EMPLOYERS

The table below lists the employers in the Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos MSA that posted available unique ads from March 14, 2017 to April 13, 2017.

Employer Ad Volume
DELL 975
IBM 893
HCA - The Healthcare Company 740
Ascension Health 620
ACCENTURE 524
Randstad 362
The University of Texas at Austin 347
Amazon 331
Robert Half International 300
Deloitte 296
Austin Independent School District 281
Apple Inc. 264
Scott & White 261
Apex Systems, Inc. 245
Army 232
Compass Group 229
Brookdale 208
Austin Medical Center 198
Goodwill Industries 197
St. David's Medical Center 178


Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

IBM, DELL, ACCENTURE and Amazon are the employers that have seen increase of more than 200 job postings year-to-year.


Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) Program (with data collection by Wanted Technologies)

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Related Categories: Education and Talent, Job Postings Report