Macomb Q3 2015 Short Report_optimized.pdf

QUARTERLY LABOR MARKET REPORT MACOMB COUNTY Q3 2015

SUMMARY

MACOMB COUNTY Q3 2015 DEMAND OVERVIEW

The top jobs list seldom changes from quarter to quarter. According to online job postings during Q3 2015 no new occupations entered the top ten in-demand jobs list for Macomb County. The top ten occupations did, however, shift in ranking order. Software developers for applications shifted from first to fourth after a drop in postings while retail salespersons jumped to first with 685 online ads during Q3. Half of the top jobs in Macomb Country require a Bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions. The Retail & Hospitality occupation cluster dominated the top jobs list with four of the ten. Combined, these top ten occupations accounted for 28% of all online postings in Macomb County during Q3 2015.

Both the labor force and employment increased in Macomb Country during Q3 2015. The labor force increased by 7,888 individuals to 420,822 (+1.9%) while employment increased by 5,201 workers to 393,849 (+1.3%). Since the labor force increased at a greater rate than employment, unemployment did increase by 0.5 percentage points to 6.4%. While the labor force did increase this past quarter, it did not surpass past peaks in previous years—the labor force historically peaks in July in Macomb County.

Meanwhile, employment continued its gradual rise. There have not been more than 394,000 workers in Macomb County (August 2015 estimate) since November 2006. Should the gap between the labor force and employment continue to shrink, however, employers will have an increasingly difficult time finding talent for open positions.

Employer demand in Macomb County—according to online job postings—reached another historic high during Q3 2015. The 15,386 online ads this past quarter surpassed Q2’s record of 13,819 (+11.3%). Q3 2015 also marked a fourth consecutive quarter of posting growth within the county. Since the end of Q3 2014, online ads have increased an average of 1,470 per quarter (+15.4%/quarter). *

This report includes top jobs and postings over time highlights for clusters that have made major shifts or movements in the past quarter. The data is updated each quarter based on the clusters with the most noteworthy changes. For complete top jobs lists, educational attainment, and wage information, please see the regional reports or contact WIN's Research Director Colby Cesaro at colby.cesaro@win-semich.org.

TOP JOBS Q3 2015

ANALYSIS According to online job postings during Q3 2015 no new occupations entered the top ten in-demand jobs list for Macomb County. The top ten occupations did, however, shift in ranking order. Software developers for applications shifted from first to fourth after a drop in postings while retail salespersons jumped to first with 685 online ads during Q3. Half of the top jobs in Macomb Country require a Bachelor’s degree for entrylevel positions. The Retail & Hospitality occupation cluster dominated the top jobs list with four of the ten. Combined, these top ten occupations accounted for 28% of all online postings in Macomb County during Q3 2015.

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HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH CARE POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Postings for the Health Care occupation cluster reached new heights in Macomb County once again in Q3 2015. The 2,041 online ads this past quarter marked not only a historic high but also a fourth consecutive quarter of growth.

Health Care postings in Macomb County and throughout Southeast Michigan have been growing recently largely due to intense demand for registered nurses.

RETAIL & HOSPITALITY POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Online postings for the Retail & Hospitality occupation cluster increased to 3,366 during Q3 2015, up from 2,514 in Q2 (+33.9%). This high level of ads marked a historic high for the county, surpassing the previous record of 2,946 online ads for Retail & Hospitality occupations during Q3 2013.

Historically, employer demand for these occupations decreases substantially during Q4.

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LABOR MARKET OVERVIEW EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FORCE

ANALYSIS Both the labor force and employment increased in Macomb Country during Q3 2015. The labor force increased by 7,888 individuals to 420,822 (+1.9%) while employment increased by 5,201 workers to 393,849 (+1.3%). Since the labor force increased at a greater rate than employment, unemployment did increase by 0.5 percentage points to 6.4%. The labor force did not surpass the peak from Q3 2014.

There have not been more than 394,000 workers in Macomb County (August 2015 estimate) since November 2006.

TOTAL POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Employer demand in Macomb County— according to online job postings—reached another historic high during Q3 2015. The 15,386 online ads this past quarter surpassed Q2’s record of 13,819 (+11.3%).

Q3 2015 also marked a fourth consecutive quarter of posting growth within the county. Since the end of Q3 2014, online ads have increased an average of 1,470 per quarter (+15.4%/quarter).

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POSTING TRENDS BY CLUSTER

ANALYSIS Online postings increased to 15,386 during Q3 2015, up from 13,819 in Q2 (+11.3%). Just 43% of that growth can be attributed to occupations within the five clusters analyzed by WIN. Retail & Hospitality drove growth with postings increasing to 3,366, up from 2,514 in Q2 (+33.9%). The Health Care and Skilled Trade clusters also saw demand growth while Engineers & Designers and IT had fewer postings in Q3 than in Q2.

Combined, the five occupation clusters analyzed by WIN accounted for 59.3% of all online postings in Macomb County during Q3 2015.

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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER ENGINEER & DESIGNER TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS The ten most in-demand Engineer & Designer occupations from Q2 remained in the top ten list for Q3 2015. The top half of the list maintained ranking order between quarters while the bottom half saw some rearrangement.

Chemical engineers was the sole occupation in the list to have more online ads during Q3 than in Q2.

SKILLED TRADE & TECHNICIAN TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Nine of the ten top posting occupations for Skilled Trades & Technicians from Q2 remained in the top ten for Q3 2015. New to the top ten list were press machine setters/operators for metal and plastics while casting machine setters for metal and plastic fell out. The top four occupations maintained their ranking order while some rearranging occurred in the bottom half of the list.

Just half of the top ten Skilled Trades occupations witnessed an increase in employer demand during Q3 compared to Q2.

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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER HEALTH CARE TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Nine of the top ten posting occupations for the Health Care cluster from Q2 remained in the top ten for Q3 2015. New to the top ten were pharmacy technicians while physicians and surgeons fell out. Unlike some of the other clusters, Health Care experienced posting growth in Macomb County during Q3 2015. Consequently, just one occupation—health technologists—had fewer online ads in Q3 than in Q2.

Registered nurses continued to dominate Health Care postings, now accounting for 30% of all postings in its cluster.

IT TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Nine of the top ten posting occupations for Information Technology from Q2 remained in the top ten for Q3 2015. New to the top ten list were software quality assurance engineers and testers while web developers fell out. Just three of the occupations in this list had more postings in Q3 than in Q2 2015—software quality assurance engineers, computer programmers, and computer systems engineers. Despite a decrease in postings, the top four IT occupations maintained their ranking from Q2.

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