Q3 2015 lenawee county short report optimized

QUARTERLY REPORT LENAWEE COUNTY Q 2015

SUMMARY LENAWEE Q 2015 DEMAND OVERVIEW The labor force and employment both decreased at a rate of 1.8% between Q2 and Q3 2015. The labor force dropped to 47,386 individuals (down 882) while employment decreased to 45,005 workers (down 837). Since both fell at the same rate, employment remained at 5.0%, just below the state average of 5.4%.

Despite the decrease, 2015 average employment has surpassed previous annual averages.

Meanwhile, should the labor force increase in Q4—as it historically has in Lenawee County—the 2015 average should be on par with 2014.

Online postings in Lenawee County experienced minimal growth between Q2 and Q3 2015. Online ads in the county increased from 1,030 in Q2 to 1,035 in Q3. Postings have generally been increasing since a historic low of 268 in Q4 2012. Ads in Lenawee County have now averaged near 1,000 over the past five quarters. The lack of sudden drop-offs in postings is a welcomed sign of economic stability in the county.

Seven of the top ten occupations from Q2 remained in the top ten for Q3 2015. Occupations that fell out included health technologists, supervisors of production workers, and customer service representatives. New to the top ten were physical therapists, cashiers, and food preparation workers.

Truck drivers remained the most in-demand occupation in Lenawee County despite postings being cut in half between quarters. Retail & Hospitality dominated online postings in the county during Q3 2015 with six of the top ten in-demand occupations. *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 Q 2015

ANALYSIS Seven of the top ten occupations from Q2 remained in the top ten for Q3 2015. New to the top ten were physical therapists, cashiers, and food preparation workers.

Truck drivers remained the most in-demand occupation in Lenawee County despite postings being cut in half between quarters.

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HIGHLIGHTS IT POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Online ads for the Information Technology cluster bounced back after a drop during Q2 2015.

Postings nearly doubled from 23 in Q2 to 44 in Q3 (+91%). The 44 online ads during Q3 marked a historic high in Lenawee County, surpassing the record of 35 in Q1 2015.

SKILLED TRADE & TECHNICIAN POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Online postings for the Skilled Trades occupation cluster increased for a third consecutive quarter during Q3 2015. Postings jumped from 52 in Q2 to 75 in Q3 (+44%). The 75 online ads during Q3 2015 for Skilled Trades nearly surpassed the historic high of 76 in Q3 2011.

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LABOR MARKET OVERVIEW EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FORCE

ANALYSIS The labor force and employment both decreased at a rate of 1.8% between Q2 and Q3 2015. The labor force dropped to 47,386 individuals (down 882) while employment decreased to 45,005 workers (down 837).

Since both fell at the same rate, employment remained at 5.0%, just below the state average of 5.4%.

TOTAL POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS Online postings in Lenawee County experienced minimal growth between Q2 and Q3 2015. Online ads in the county increased from 1,030 in Q2 to 1,035 in Q3. Postings have generally been increasing since a historic low of 268 in Q4 2012.

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POSTING TRENDS BY CLUSTER

ANALYSIS Online postings increased for half of the six occupation clusters analyzed by WIN in Lenawee County during Q3 2015. A boost in ads for Retail & Hospitality occupations largely drove the minimal growth seen in overall postings for the county. Online postings also increased for the Skilled Trades and IT clusters. Retail & Hospitality continued to dominate online postings with 28.4% share of total postings during Q3 2015.

Combined, the six clusters analyzed by WIN accounted for 62.2% of all online ads in Lenawee County during Q3 2015.

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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER SKILLED TRADE & TECHNICIAN TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Seven of the top ten Skilled Trades occupations from Q2 remained in the Q3 top ten.

New to the top ten were structural metal fitters, water treatment plant operators, and packaging operators while CC tool operators, dental lab technicians and gas plant operators fell out. Postings for welders increased from 2 in Q2 to 13 in Q3; this occupation is now the most in-demand of the Skilled Trade cluster in Lenawee County.

HEALTH CARE TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Unlike surrounding counties, registered nurses was not the most in-demand Health Care occupation in Lenawee County during Q3 2015.

Postings for this occupation decreased from 52 in Q2 to 27 in Q3, possibly indicating that employers successfully filled open positions in the county. Physical therapists was the most in-demand Health Care occupation during Q3 after postings tripled from 8 in Q2 to 27 in Q3.

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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER ENGINEER & DESIGNER TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS Industrial engineers remained the most indemand Engineer & Designer occupation in Lenawee County despite postings dropping from 15 in Q2 to 12 in Q3. This was the only Engineering occupation to experience double-digit ads in both Q2 and Q3.

Continued low postings numbers for other engineer occupations indicate that employer demand is not high in Lenawee County.

RETAIL & HOSPITALITY TOP JOBS

ANALYSIS The top three Retail & Hospitality occupations from Q2 remain unchanged in Q3.

Retail salespersons continued to top the list with 53 ads in Q3. Three of the top ten R&H occupations were for supervisor or managerial positions, indicating job advancement for experienced workers in this cluster.

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