Job Openings Rise To Highest Point Since Sept.'08

[Purveyor]

(04-13) 08:06 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Businesses in February posted the largest number of job openings in more than two years, evidence that hiring is picking up as the economy grows.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that employers advertised 3.1 million available jobs that month, the most since September 2008. That was the height of the financial crisis, when Lehman Brothers collapsed.

The competition for those jobs is easing, though still intense. The department's report shows that there were 4.4 people, on average, competing for each available job in February. That's down from nearly 7 in July 2009, but still above the approximately 2 to 1 ratio that exists in a healthy economy.

A rise in employment advertisements is the latest sign that companies are stepping up hiring. The private sector in March added more than 200,000 jobs for a second straight month, the first time that's happened since 2006. And the unemployment rate fell to 8.8 percent, the lowest level in two years.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/04/13/national/w072842D73.DTL

[nc4bo]

1. I've got some questions

such as, are these the same jobs that existed before the great recession or are they new positions. If they are previous jobs, is the pay rate/benefit/job description the same? If they are new than are they paying less, providing same benefit(if any)?

It's nice to know jobs are being created and filled but what good are they if they are at lower rates, less benefits or are expected to perform more duties for the same or less pay. That's not exactly good news.

Just curious, tis all.

[pinqy]

5. There's no way to tell

BLS just can't get that kind of detail, especially from a sample survey. Basically, the question is "on the last day of the month, how many positions are you actively advertising that you intend to fill within the next X days?" You really can't get more detail than that without taking forever to process it all.

[polichick]

2. Good news!

[daa]

3. So from the trough of job-openings:

Job openings up ~50%
Hires up ~10%
Quits about even
Layoffs down ~20%

scratches head

Comment from Calculated Risk by JP

[ProgressIn2008]

4. That's good news. What kind of jobs? Full time, with benefits?

Living wage? Are fewer people competing for available jobs because of the smaller size of the labor market?

[JoePhilly]

6. The search for why this is bad news begins .....

[nc4bo]

7. It depends on whether you'll just settle for a job or whether you're settling for a job that

will support the needs of you and your family.

It's that simple. At this point it seems we're all just happy to hear goodie-goodie news of job availability, not the quality of the job. Things are so tough right now many of us will settle for just about anything coming or going.

There's definitely something wrong with that if you're working like a dog for a pittance and you STILL can't manage to live comfortably.

And the definition of comfortably should be changed to reflect the times as being enough salary to feed, house, provide medical care and some type of retirement security for you and a family.