Austin Job Postings Report September 2018
Posted on 10/15/2018 by Kwee Lan Teo
AUSTIN JOB POSTINGS REPORT SEPTEMBER 2018
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AUSTIN - ROUND ROCK - SAN MARCOS MSA
(AUGUST 14, 2018 to SEPTEMBER 13, 2018)
austinchamber.com/jobpostings
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INSIGHTS
- There were approximately 41,600 Available Job Postings during the September 2018 monthly reporting period, 180 less postings when compared to September 2017. 8,800 or 21 percent of the Available Job Postings during the September reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations, which also had the largest year-to-year increases in postings.
- Approximately 44 percent or about 18,200 of Available Job Postings are New Job Postings with Computer and Mathematical Occupations, Management Occupations, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations and Business and Financial Operations Occupations leading in this category.
- 15,100 or 36% of all Available Job Postings pay an annual median wage of between $30,000 to $65,000 in the Austin MSA for September 2018. Of these 15,100 posted jobs in this category, 3,800 or 25 percent would require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree while 9,800 or 58 percent would require a high school diploma or less. The top 10 posted occupations or approximately 5,700 postings, in this annual median wage range of $30,000 to $65,000 category, all require an entry level education of less than an associate's degree.
- The region's Master Community Workforce Plan's top-line target is to ensure that in the five years between 2017-2021, an additional 1,800-plus Austin residents currently in poverty receive training, credentialing, and are placed in jobs paying at least $40,000 in technology, healthcare and skilled trades. Austin added 33,600 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in August, making Austin the 8th fastest growing major metro.
- 60 percent of the approximate 17,200 unemployment insurance (UI) claimants in FY 2018 that are actively seeking a job in Travis County have less than an associate's degree, according to Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
- 8,800 or 21 percent of the Available Job Postings during the September reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations.
- According to the Travis County Poverty Brief, the American Community Survey 2012-2016 data shows that 32 percent or 355,874 of Travis County residents have an income under 200% of the poverty threshold.
- More jobs ahead. Companies have recently announced new location or expansion plans in the Austin MSA, representing almost 660 jobs. The expansion list includes Walmart, Summit Stoneworks, Skills Fund, H-E-B, Four Hands, FirstClose, Facebook, Bungalo and Aeglea BioTherapeutics . Employers such as Jasper PIM (Toronto, Canada), Essentium (College Station, TX) and Clear (New York NY) are the companies that have announced new location plans in Austin.
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 list the available unique ads in major occupation groups from August 14, 2018, to September 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 (as a Percent of Available Ads in the same occupational group) | Available Ads Year-to-Year Percentage Change | Available Ads Year-to-Year Difference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Computer and Mathematical Occupations | 8,848 | 3,713 (42%) | +13.50% | +1,053 |
Sales and Related Occupations | 4,182 | 1,620 (39%) | +5.50% | +218 |
Management Occupations | 4,142 | 1,543 (37%) | +11.00% | +412 |
Office and Administrative Support | 3,945 | 1,852 (47%) | -6.70% | -285 |
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations | 3,625 | 1,218 (34%) | -5.00% | -191 |
Business and Financial Operations Occupations | 3,155 | 1,228 (39%) | +14.30% | +395 |
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations | 1,902 | 1,022 (54%) | -14.10% | -311 |
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations | 1,709 | 1,027 (60%) | -8.30% | -155 |
Installation, Maintenance and Repair Occupation | 1,539 | 842 (55%) | -10.60% | -183 |
Architecture and Engineering Occupations | 1,303 | 431 (33%) | +2.90% | +37 |
Others (13) | 7,273 | 3,663 (50%) | -13.90% | -1,170 |
Total (23) | 41,623 | 18,159 (44%) | -0.40% | -180 |
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)
There were approximately 41,600 Available Job Postings during the September 2018 monthly reporting period, 180 less postings when compared to September 2017. 8,800 or 21 percent of the Available Job Postings during the September reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations which also had the largest year-to-year increases in postings.
The Business and Financial Operations Occupations and Management Occupations also had significant increases in year-to-year postings.
The Major Occupational Groups that saw more than 400 year-to-year increases in Available Job Postings, when compared to September 2017 are Computer and Mathematical Occupations and Management Occupations.
Approximately 44 percent or about 18,200 of job postings are New Job Postings with Computer and Mathematical Occupations, Management Occupations, Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations and Business and Financial Operations Occupations leading in this category.
According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 3.0% or 35,800 unemployed in August 2018, with 800 less people unemployed when compared to the previous month. The unemployment rate was 3.3% or 37,900 unemployed in August 2017. The current labor force for the Austin MSA is 1,179,200, an increase of 27,800 into our regions' labor force, when compared to the same time last year.
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 September 2014 through September 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL), Texas Workforce Commission
Note: The data for September 2018 would be the sum of all posted ads from August 14, 2018, to September 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.
The Austin MSA had approximately 6,700 more Available Job Postings than the number of unemployed for August 2018. There has been more Available Job Postings than the unemployed in the Austin MSA each month since May 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 August 14, 2018, to September 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2017
Software Developers-Applications, Web Developers, Marketing Managers, Sales Representatives-Services-All Other, Management Analysts, Computer and Information Systems Managers and Sales Managers saw a 100 or more increase 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 August 14, 2018, to September 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 includes 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.
Occupations that post a Hiring Difficulty of over 80 are technology-related jobs and/or require management experience such as Information Technology Project Managers, Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, Web Developers, Marketing Managers and Software Quality Assurance and Engineers.
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 August 14, 2018 to September 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2017
Computer and Mathematical Occupations saw about 1,100 year-to-year increase in Available Job Postings. Software Developers, Applications saw the greatest share of the year-to-year increase in Available Job Postings.
Occupations that had a 80 or more increase in year-to-year postings were Software Developers-Applications, Web Developers, Software Developers-Systems Software and Computer User Support Specialists. Companies that have posted 40 or more jobs under this occupational category in our region are DELL, IBM, Visa, Army, Booz Allen Hamilton and EPACE TECHNOLOGIES.
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 August 14, 2018 to September 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 includes 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.
Compared nationwide, the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA now 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 August 14, 2018 to September 13, 2018.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2017
Pharmacy Technicians, Psychiatric Technicians, Psychiatrists and Veterinarians saw a year-to-year increase of 20 or more Available Job Postings.
Ascension Health, South Austin Medical Clinic PA, Baylor Scott & White Health, Adventist Healthcare andUniversal Health Services saw an increase of 30 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 August 14, 2018 to September 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.
Of the Top 20 Available Job Postings in Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations, 11 would require a bachelor's degree or more. The harder-to-hire occupations are Registered Nurses, Surgical Technologists, Physician Assistants and Psychiatrists.
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 August 14, 2018 to September 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 | 6,588 | +3,525 | Microsoft PowerPoint |
Microsoft PowerPoint | 3,501 | +3,018 | Microsoft Office |
Quality Assurance (QA) | 3,085 | +421 | |
Software Development | 3,020 | +836 | Java |
Java | 2,852 | +430 | Python, Software Development |
Python | 2,690 | +704 | Java, Linux, Software Development |
Structured Query Language (SQL) | 2,387 | +291 | Java |
Bilingual | 2,280 | +35 | |
Linux | 2,210 | +185 | Python, Java, Software Development |
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | 1,962 | +241 | Salesforce CRM SFDC |
JavaScript (JS) | 1,927 | +321 | Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Java, Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Software Development, Python |
Software as a Service (SaaS) | 1,844 | +533 | |
Salesforce CRM SFDC | 1,728 | +221 | Customer Relationship Management (CRM) |
Quality Control | 1,697 | +81 | |
Technical Support | 1,563 | -6 | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) | 1,558 | +441 | Python, Microsoft Windows Azure, Java, Linux, Software Development, DevOps |
Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) | 1,499 | +406 | Software Development, Java |
Agile Software Development | 1,487 | +322 | Software Development, Java |
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) | 1,390 | +228 | JavaScript (JS), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) |
Pediatrics | 1,368 | +229 |
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 August 14, 2018 to September 13, 2018, 3,501 job postings required “Microsoft PowerPoint” as a skill and 30% or more of those 3,501 job postings also had other required/optional skill(s) such as “Microsoft PowerPoint".
Hard skills that have seen an increase of 400 or more increase in year-to-year postings are Microsoft Office, Microsoft PowerPoint, Software Development, Python, Behavioral Health, Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud Computing, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Java, Quality Assurance (QA), DevOps and Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
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 August 14, 2018 to September 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 | 7,170 | +311 | |
Basic Life Support (BLS) | 3,814 | +305 | Certified Registered Nurse (RNC) |
Certified Registered Nurse (RNC) | 3,595 | -823 | Basic Life Support (BLS) |
Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) | 1,835 | +187 | Certified Registered Nurse (RNC), Basic Life Support (BLS) |
Occupational Safety & Health Administration Certification (OSHA) | 1,372 | +142 | |
Continuing Education (CE) | 1,224 | +4 | |
Food Safety Programs (HACCP) | 1,025 | +205 | |
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) | 985 | +46 | Certified Registered Nurse (RNC), Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) |
First Aid Certification | 896 | +243 | |
Security Clearance | 782 | +105 | Public Trust Security Clearance |
Commercial Driver's License (CDL) | 780 | -127 | Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL A), Driver's License |
Accounting | 765 | +7 |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) |
Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL A) | 603 | +21 | Commercial Driver's License (CDL), HAZMAT, Driver's License |
HAZMAT | 600 | +1 | |
Project Management Professional (PMP) | 594 | +91 | |
Licensed Vocational Nurse | 538 | +119 | Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Basic Life Support (BLS), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) | 536 | +95 | Accounting |
Special Education (SPED) | 492 | +118 | |
Patient Care Technician (PCT) | 488 | +193 | Basic Life Support (BLS), Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) | 465 | -29 |
Certifications in Demand provides a real-time view of certifications in demand by employers. For example, of the available job postings from August 14, 2018 to September 13, 2018, 3,595 job postings required “Certified Registered Nurse (RNC)” as a certification and 30% or more of those 3,595 job postings also had other required/optional certification(s) such as “Basic Life Support (BLS)”.
Certifications that saw an increase of 120 or more postings are Driver's License, Basic Life Support (BLS), First Aid Certification, Food Safety Programs (HACCP), Patient Care Technician (PCT), Certification in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Graduate Registered Nurse (GRN).
TOP EMPLOYERS
The table below lists the employers in the Austin - Round Rock - San Marcos MSA that posted available unique ads from August 14, 2018 to September 13, 2018.
Employer | Ad Volume |
---|---|
Ascension Health | 1,457 |
DELL | 1,094 |
IBM | 786 |
HCA-The Healthcare Company | 741 |
The University of Texas System | 543 |
Apple Inc. | 464 |
Army | 399 |
Deloitte | 375 |
Baylor Scott & White Health | 369 |
Apex Systems, Inc. | 345 |
Randstad | 304 |
Goodwill Industries | 300 |
General Electric | 271 |
Robert Half International | 270 |
Compass Group | 263 |
Hyatt | 187 |
Home Depot | 187 |
Whole Foods | 183 |
Target Corporation | 182 |
Kelly Services | 179 |
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)
Ascension Health, DELL, IBM, Army and Visa are the companies that have seen an increase of more than 125 Available Job Postings year-to-year. For New Job Postings in September 2018, Ascension Health, Army and IBM saw a year-to-year increase of 100 or more postings.
Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) Program (with data collection by Wanted Technologies) Top
Related Categories: Education and Talent