Online Job Listings in Metro Detroit Jump 50% in Second Quarter

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Employers in southeast Michigan posted more than 100,000 online job listings in the second quarter of this year, up nearly 50 percent when compared to the same time the year before, says a new report from the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan.

“Compared to immediate post-recession levels, we are seeing a fourth consecutive quarter of higher than usual posting behavior by employers, following the major peak we saw in (the third quarter of 2013),” says Lisa Katz, executive director of WIN. “This, in combination with recent modest hiring gains, signals potential for more hiring in the future.”

While high postings in certain sectors may signal a great need for talent, such as engineering, it may show there’s a lot of churn and turnover in employment for other industries, such as retail and hospitality. In either case, Katz says it’s important for employers to develop a strategy that moves qualified employees up the corporate ladder.

“A lot of employers are looking for that worker that already has the experience, so we see this kind of systematic shortfall,” Katz says. “But especially in emerging fields, where demand is growing very quickly, we don’t have the base level employees we need. People don’t just come with all of this experience; they come at the entry level.

“By (implementing) strategies to move people around internally, you can open up opportunities at the entry level where you give those workers experience and move them into higher positions (as time goes on).”

According to the report, the most in-demand jobs were software developers (3,798 postings); registered nurses (3,657); retail salespersons (3,251); heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (2,955); and sales representatives in wholesale and manufacturing, not including technical and scientific products (2,651).

To read the full report, click here.