Job Vacancies Up, Job Markets Still Sluggish

Job Vacancies Up, Job Markets Still Sluggish

The job market has been stagnant or only slowly recovering over the past 12-24 months. Unemployment is still hovering close to 10%, and there is still a huge strain on the housing market with job loss being a leading factor.

Is there any relief in sight? Maybe. Research conducted by The Conference Board suggest that there are close to 4.5 million job vacancies online, with an increase of over half a million jobs this year and close to 150,000 new jobs posted in May alone.

The job opportunities do seem to be unbalanced though. Some industry segments are seeing rapid growth while others are still declining. The good news taken from looking at the whole spectrum is that jobs are coming available – but the bad news is that those jobs might not be a great fit for a significant number of applicants.

Several industry segments have seen significant growth such as technology, healthcare, environmental, industrial hygiene, and safety jobs. These segments have seen an increase in the number of job openings and postings in recent months. This news comes with pros and cons. Yes, there are more jobs available in these fields, but many of the jobs in these fields require specific technical knowledge and it is often harder to match technical jobs to the right people with the right skill sets. Professionals have advised that technically skilled people search for jobs more on niche based job boards to find jobs within their industry category.

Online job searches are at an all time high, and there is a lot of opportunity there if you can find openings that match your skill set. Job seekers however, sometimes still fail to realize that jobs are won based on several factors including education, experience, fit, and the relationship an applicant has with the employer. Studies show that close to 60% of jobs are won by people that have an inside track (or that know someone internally). When opportunity, skill set, and experience are combined with a professional relationship, there is a much higher probability of getting hired.

As online job searches grow and online jobs postings reach new record levels, it is important to understand how to network and position yourself with the best chance to win a job. More job postings and more job seekers translates into each job having much more competition, so having a relationship with a company’s representatives can go a long way.

It is an encouraging sign to see the number of available jobs growing. This could be an early indicator of job growth improving towards the end of 2011. Job creation continues to stay at the forefront of the political arena as we roll into election year, and hopefully we will see more job-friendly policy emerge, helping fuel and speed up the slow job growth we have seen since the recession officially ended.

Author Bio: Matt Brooks is a representative and fan of EHS Careers, an environmental jobs, industrial hygiene jobs, and safety jobs board. Find thousands of EH&S jobs and apply online.