Conference Board News Release (09/30/15)

Online advertised vacancies declined 138,500 to 5.3 million in September, according to the Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Series. The August supply and demand rate stands at 1.48 unemployed for each advertised vacancy, with a total of 2.6 million more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies. The number of unemployed was 8.0 million in August.

“The third quarter of 2015 closed with a small over-the-quarter decline of 21,000,” says Gad Levanon, managing director of macroeconomic and labor market research at the Conference Board. “Labor demand in 2015 started with a very strong first quarter, followed by losses in the second quarter and an essentially flat third quarter, leaving the average monthly increases in 2015 at a modest 18,000 per month. While the number of ads flattened in recent months, it remains at a very high level, suggesting a strong labor demand.”