AUSTIN JOB POSTINGS REPORT MARCH 2017

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

INSIGHTS

• Lots of hiring. 4,200 more people employed between January 2017 and February 2017.

• Many job openings, but fewer than a year ago. 37,300 Available Job Postings during March 2017, or 5,600 less compared to March 2016.

• Demand for Tech talent remains high. Software Developers-Applications replaced Registered Nurses as the top posted occupation in March 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 41,700. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 3.7% or 41,700 unemployed in February 2017. This represents an increase of 2,700 unemployed compared to January 2017 which had a 3.5% unemployment rate or 39,000 unemployed. In January and February of 2017, the number of unemployed was greater than the number of Available Job Postings, which has not been the case since February 2015.

• More jobs ahead. Several companies recently announced new location or expansion plans in the Austin MSA including about 670 jobs. The list includes Baylor Scott & White Healthcare, FloSports, Gerson Lehrman Group, VolitionRx and Yeti Coolers.

• Austin net job growth ranks 14th. The Austin MSA reported an annual job growth rate of 2.7% or 27,000 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in February, making Austin the 14th 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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017, a mid-monthly timeframe closely associated with federal jobs numbers.

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

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

There were approximately 37,300 Available Job Postings during the March 2017 monthly reporting period, a decrease of about 5,600 Available Job Postings compared to March 2016. About 6,900 or 19 percent of the Available Job Postings during the March reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations.

Other occupational groups not reflected in this report that account for another 11% or 3,800 of Available Job Openings are Construction and Extraction Occupations (3%), Architecture and Engineering Occupations (3%), Education, Training and Library Occupations (3%) and Healthcare Support Occupations (2%).

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 3.7% or 41,700 unemployed in February 2017. This represents an increase of 2,700 unemployed compared to January 2017 which had a 3.5% unemployment rate or 39,000 unemployed. In February 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 2.7% or 27,000 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in February, making Austin the 14th fastest growing major metro.

Leisure and Hospitality added the most jobs (4.1% or 4,800) in the last 12 months - while the fastest growing industry was transportation, warehousing and utilities (5.8% or 1,000 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".

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 March 2013 through March 2017.

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

Note: The data for March 2017 would be the sum of all posted ads from February 14, 2017 to March 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 35,400 in March 2013 and is 37,300 in March 2017.

TOP 20 JOB POSTINGS

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

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

Software Developers-Applications is 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.

Not shown in the chart above, Pharmacy Technician, Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, Physical Therapists and Radiologic Technologists all saw a 50 or more year-to-year increase in postings. First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Web Developers, Retail Salesperson, Customer Service Representatives, Computer Systems Analysts and Network and Computer Systems Administrators saw a 160 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 February 14, 2017 to March 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.

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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017.

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

The Computer and Mathematical Occupations saw approximately 840 less Available Job Postings compared to the same period last year. Computer Systems Analysts, Web Developers, Computer User Support Specialists and Network and Computer Systems Administrators saw 130 or more decrease postings, when compared to March 2016.

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 February 14, 2017 to March 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 Amazon and ACCENTURE have seen a 100 or more year-to-year increase in postings under this category. The top five employers posting in this category with the largest year-to-year increases in postings are Amazon, ACCENTURE, IBM, Bazaarvoice, Inc., TexcelVision, Inc. and Deloitte.

The Denver-Aurora-Broomfield MSA has 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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017.

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

Pharmacy Technicians, Radiologic Technologists and Physical Therapists saw 50 or more year-to-year increase in postings while Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses had a decline of about 120 postings compared to the same period last year.

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 February 14, 2017 to March 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 Austin Medical Center, St. David's Medical Center and the North Austin Medical Center have seen a 150 or more year-to-year increase in postings under this category.

Most of the year-to-year increases in this occupational category are for Pharmacy Technicians, though the demand is easier to fill in our region. Compared nationally, the Austin MSA has a higher hiring difficulty for Dental Hygienists, Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians and 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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017.

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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017, 2,455 job postings required “Java” as a skill and 30% or more of those 2,455 job postings also had other required/optional skill(s) such as “Python", "JavaScript (JS)" and "Linux".

Hard skills that are not on this list but have seen an increase of 200 or more postings are Agile Software Development, Amazon Web Services, Geriatrics and Storage Area Network (SAN).

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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017.

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 February 14, 2017 to March 13, 2017, 3,955 job postings required “Certified Registered Nurse” as a certification and 30% or more of those 3,955 job postings also had other required/optional certification(s) such as “Basic Life Support (BLS)”.

Certifications that saw an increase of 200 or more postings are Commercial Driver's License (CDL), Basic Life Support (BLS) and Certified Registered Nurse (RN).

TOP EMPLOYERS

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

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

Austin Medical Center, ACCENTURE, St. David's Medical Center, IBM 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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