Job Openings on the Rise in First Month of 2012, SimplyHired.com Reports

World’s Largest Job Search Engine Releases February 2012 U.S. Employment Outlook

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--()--SimplyHired.com®, the world’s largest job search engine, today released its February 2012 Employment Outlook highlighting national and local markets, as well as industry and employer trends. Nationwide, job openings increased slightly in the first month of 2012, up 1.5 percent month-over-month and 9.2 percent year-over-year.

“The job market has stabilized a lot compared to a few years ago,” said Gautam Godhwani, CEO of SimplyHired.com. “This month’s immediate increase in job openings following the holidays indicates that 2012 should be a great year for hiring.”

Job competition holds steady.

With unemployment down to 8.5 percent, nationwide job competitiveness maintained a 3:1 job seeker to job opening ratio in January, the same as December and November. Job competition ratios in the top 50 metros also remained steady, with only two metro areas—St. Louis and Grand Rapids—increasing in competitiveness.

Most industries increase hiring.

Fifteen of eighteen industries experienced job growth in January, led by the agriculture industry (35.3 percent). Other industries with significant month-over-month growth include non-profit (27.9 percent), hospitality (17.0 percent), military (13.0 percent) and legal (12.6 percent).

Decreased hiring in seasonal industries.

Following the holiday season of October, November and December, hiring in seasonally-affected industries declined in January. Job openings in transportation and retail decreased significantly, down 33.3 percent and 29.0 percent respectively. Retail hiring should spike again in the summer months.

About SimplyHired.com

With over eight million job listings, Simply Hired (www.SimplyHired.com) is the world’s largest job search engine -- 25 times the size of the biggest job board. Servicing 17 million monthly users across 24 countries, SimplyHired.com powers jobs on more than 25,000 network partner sites, including LinkedIn, CNNMoney, Washington Post and Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Reaching passive as well as active candidates, the SimplyHired.com network delivers millions of targeted job applicants and boasts one of the lowest cost-per-hire rates in the industry. The company is based in Sunnyvale, California and is funded by Foundation Capital and IDG Ventures.

Contacts

Schwartz MSL
Andrea Hawley, 415-512-0770
SimplyHired@schwartzmsl.com

Release Summary

Job Openings on the Rise in First Month of 2012, SimplyHired.com Reports World’s Largest Job Search Engine Releases February 2012 U.S. Employment Outlook

Contacts

Schwartz MSL
Andrea Hawley, 415-512-0770
SimplyHired@schwartzmsl.com