Austin Job Postings Report January 2018
Posted on 03/01/2018 by Kwee Lan Teo
AUSTIN JOB POSTINGS REPORT JANUARY 2018
AUSTIN - ROUND ROCK - SAN MARCOS MSA
(DECEMBER 14, 2017 to JANUARY 13, 2018)
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INSIGHTS
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About 59 percent of all Available Job Postings for 2017 required some form of postsecondary education as the level of education needed for entry into the job posted.
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35,500 Available Job Postings during January 2018, about 740 less postings than January 2017. Office and Administrative Support Occupations saw a 670 decrease in year-to-year Available Job Postings, followed by Computer and Mathematical Occupations which had 340 decrease. Available Job Postings in January has historically been lower than other months of the year, followed by December.
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Education, Training and Library Occupations continues to see an increase of year-to-year postings by about 280, mostly for Teacher Assistants, Preschool Teachers, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers and Special Education Teachers. This is followed by Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations which saw a 260 year-to-year increase, mostly for Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses and Speech-Language Pathologists.
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Microsoft Office is a hard skill tracked in this most recent report and is an important hard skill to acquire based on the demand seen.
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The share of New Job Postings compared to Available Job Postings is approximately 41 percent in January 2018.
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According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 2.7% or 30,800 unemployed in December 2017, lower than the 3.2% or 35,500 back in December 2016.
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In January 2017, 45 percent of Available Job Postings were Less than 30 days old. In January 2018, only 39 percent of Available Job Postings are Less than 30 days old, meaning that employers are having to post jobs for a longer period of time.
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The level of hiring difficulty for Software Developers, Applications is the same as Registered Nurses.
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More jobs ahead. Companies recently announced new location or expansion plans in the Austin MSA, representing about 409 plus jobs. The expansion list includes Hyliion (Pittsburgh, PA), LKQ, Parsley Energy, Silicon Laboratories, TrendKite and WeWork.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018, 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 | Available Ads Year-to-Year Percentage Change |
Available Ads Year-to-Year Difference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 5,934 | 2,116 | -5.40% | -336 |
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations |
4,282 | 1,215 | 6.50% | 262 |
Office and Administrative Support Occupations |
3,468 | 1,567 | -16.00% | -663 |
Sales and Related Occupations | 3,458 | 1,432 | -4.20% | -151 |
Management Occupations | 3,329 | 1,249 | -0.40% | -13 |
Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 2,515 | 886 | 5.30% | 127 |
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 1,749 | 804 | -8.80% | -169 |
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 1,601 | 947 | 3.80% | 58 |
Installation, Maintenance and Repair Occupations |
1,213 | 621 | -7.00% | -91 |
Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 1,178 | 545 | 17.30% | 178 |
Others (13) | 6,766 | 3,058 | -6.40% | -196 |
Total (23) | 35,493 | 14,503 | -2.00% | -738 |
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)
There were approximately 35,500 Available Job Postings during the January 2018 monthly reporting period, about 740 less postings when compared to January 2017.
About 5,900 or 17 percent of the Available Job Postings during the January reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations, which also saw the largest decline in year-to-year Available Job Postings.
The Major Occupational Groups that saw the largest increases in the volume of Available Job Postings, when compared to January 2017, are Education, Training and Library Occupations and Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations. 41 percent or 14,500 are New Job Postings.
According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 2.7% or 30,800 unemployed in December 2017, lower than the 3.2% or 35,500 back in December 2016. Approximately 63% 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. According to the American Community Survey 2011-2015, there are 76,142 employed individuals living below the poverty line and 99,296 families living at less than 200 percent of poverty.
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 January 2014 through January 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)
Note: The data for January 2018 would be the sum of all posted ads from December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018. 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.
In January 2017, 45 percent of Available Job Postings were Less than 30 days old. In January 2018, only 39 percent of Available Job Postings are Less than 30 days old, meaning that employers are having to posting jobs for a longer period of time.
TOP 20 JOB POSTINGS
The chart below lists the top 20 unique available job postings in the Austin – Round Rock – San Marcos MSA from December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016
Registered Nurses and Retail Salespersons both saw a 100 or more increase in year-to-year postings. Office Clerks, General, Customer Service Representatives, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand and Network and Computer Systems Administrators had a 100 or more decrease in year-to-year 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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

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 Score scores jobs from 1 to 99 based on their projected difficulty-to-recruit.
Half of the Top 20 occupations posted, or about 5,700 postings, require less than an associate's degree as the typical education needed for entry. Retail Salespersons and Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners posted an annual median wage of less than $30,000 in the Austin MSA. First-Line positions in retail, food preparation and office administration do pay an annual median wage of close to $40,000 and above, it would also require some years of related work experience. First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers is the hardest to fill in the First-Line positions.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016
Information Technology Project Managers and Computer and Information Research Scientists and Software Developers, Applications saw the largest year-to-year increase in Available Job Postings.
Network and Computer Systems Administrators, Web Developers and Computer Systems Analysts saw the largest decline in year-to-year Available Job Postings.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

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 Apple, Inc., Merck, Booz Allen Hamilton, Home Depot and General Electric posted 40 or more year-to-year increase in postings under this category.
Compared nationwide, the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA has a lower hiring difficulty for Computer and Mathematical Occupations. The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria MSA, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell MSA, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA, Boston-Cambridge-Newton MSA, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA and the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood MSA have a higher hiring difficulty in this occupational category when 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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2016
Registered Nurses, Speech-Language Pathologists, Nurse Practitioners and Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses saw the largest increase in Available Job Postings while Critical Care Nurses, Pharmacy Technicians and Family and General Practitioners saw the largest decline in year-to-year postings.
All the Top 20 occupations in this category pay an annual median wage of more than $30,000 in the Austin MSA.
Seton Family of Hospitals, TX, Ascension Health and Baylor Scott & White had an increase of 80 or more year-to-year Available Job Postings.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.

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.
Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians pays an annual median wage of $60,660 and while it requires an associate's degree, it is an occupation that is hard to fill in our region, after Surgical Technologists.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.
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) |
---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Office |
2,430
|
+2,428 | |
Quality Assurance (QA) |
2,340
|
+157 | |
Java |
1,989
|
-158
|
Python, JavaScript (JS), Linux |
Python |
1,717
|
+294 | Java, Linux |
Bilingual |
1,684 |
-131 | |
Linux |
1,577
|
-130 | Python, Java, Unix |
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) |
1,574
|
+217 |
|
Quality Control |
1,526 |
+301 |
|
Structured Query Language (SQL) |
1,383
|
-130 |
Java
|
Pediatrics |
1,233 |
+263 | |
Salesforce CRM SFDC |
1,224
|
+298 | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) |
JavaScript (JS) |
1,209 |
-188 |
Java, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Python, Structured Query Language (SQL) |
Technical Support |
1,075
|
+64 | |
Preventive Maintenance |
1,023 |
+93 | |
Software as a Service (SaaS) |
991 |
+12 |
|
Geriatrics |
967
|
-9 | Pediatrics |
C/C++ |
956 |
+57 |
Python, Java, Linux |
Bilingual Spanish | 909 | +10 | Bilingual |
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) | 906 |
+11
|
JavaScript (JS), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Java |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) | 866 |
-179
|
Java, Python, Microsoft Windows Azure, Linux |
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018, 1,989 job postings required “Java” as a skill and 30% or more of those 1,989 job postings also had other required/optional skill(s) such as “Python", "JavaScript (JS)" and Linux".
Hard skills that have seen an increase of 250 or more increase in year-to-year postings are Microsoft Office, Quality Control, Salesforce CRM SFDC, Python, Behavioral Health, and Pediatrics.
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 December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.
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
|
5,876 |
+957
|
|
Certified Registered Nurse (RN)
|
4,906 |
+1,251
|
Basic Life Support (BLS)
|
Basic Life Support (BLS)
|
4,430 |
+1,614
|
Certified Registered Nurse (RN)
|
Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
|
1,792
|
+448
|
Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Basic Life Support (BLS)
|
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
|
1,318 |
+179 |
Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Basic Life Support (BLS) |
Continuing Education (CE) | 1,169 | +200 | |
Occupational Safety & Health Administration Certification (OSHA) | 1,105 |
+138
|
|
Food Safety Programs (HACCP)
|
821 |
+66
|
|
Commercial Driver's License (CDL) | 663 | -773 | |
Accounting |
652 |
+68 |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) |
Secret Clearance |
618 |
+353 |
|
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
594 |
+294
|
Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Patient Care Technician (PCT)
|
HAZMAT
|
582 | -255 | Certified Public Accountant (CPA) |
First Aid Certification
|
547 |
+63 |
|
Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS)
|
529 |
+168
|
Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
|
Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) |
522 | +167 | Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Registered Nurse (RN) |
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
|
479 |
+45
|
Occupational Safety & Health Administration Certification (OSHA)
|
Patient Care Technician (PCT)
|
438 |
+156
|
Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Certified Registered Nurse (RN) |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) |
389 | +49 | Accounting |
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) | 381 |
+7
|
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Basic Life Support (BLS), Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC) |
Certifications in Demand provides a real-time view of certifications currently in demand by employers. For example, of the available job postings from December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018, 4,906 job postings required “Certified Registered Nurse” as a certification and 30% or more of those 4,906 job postings also had other required/optional certification(s) such as “Basic Life Support (BLS)”.
Certifications that saw an increase of 400 or more postings are Basic Life Support (BLS), Certified Registered Nurse (RN), Driver's License, Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Secret Clearance.
TOP EMPLOYERS
The table below lists the employers in the Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos MSA that posted available unique ads from December 14, 2017 to January 13, 2018.
Employer | Ad Volume |
---|---|
Ascension Health | 983 |
DELL | 777 |
IBM | 650 |
HCA-The Healthcare Company | 612 |
The University of Texas System | 514 |
Apple Inc. | 465 |
Austin Independent School District | 398 |
Deloitte | 308 |
ACCENTURE |
301
|
Seton Familiy of Hospitals, TX | 273 |
Goodwill Industries | 271 |
Robert Half International | 256 |
General Electric |
253
|
Lowe's |
232
|
Scott and White |
221
|
Compass Group |
217
|
Randstad |
217
|
BROOKDALE | 170 |
Apex Systems, Inc. | 158 |
Sears Holdings Corporation | 157 |
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)
Apple Inc., Seton Family of Hospitals, TX, DELL and General Electric are the companies that have seen an increase of more than 200 Available Job Postings year-to-year. For New Job Postings in January 2018, AutoZone, Inc. and General Electric saw a year-to-year increase of 80 or more postings.
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) Program (with data collection by Wanted Technologies)
Related Categories: Education and Talent