Online job openings surge in Ohio

Online help wanted ads in Ohio increased 2 percent in September and rose to the highest level in at least eight years, according to data released this week by the Conference Board.

Last month, employers advertised about 197,500 job vacancies online in the state, up 3,400 from August, according to seasonally adjusted data produced by the organization.

It was the most online job postings since at least May 2005, which is as far back as the organization’s Help Wanted Online data series goes.

“For Ohio workers, this means that there are many more job opportunities available each month for the job seekers than in the past,” said Jeanne Shu, manager of the report. “However, there are also many more unemployed trying to compete for these positions than there were before the recession.”

Employers in the state this year have significantly ramped up efforts to find workers using the web.

Four of the top five months for online job postings in Ohio in the last eight years have occurred this year: September (197,500 job postings), January (196,900), February (196,300), August (194,100) and June 2012 (189,400), the board said.

Ohio is among the top five states for growth in online labor demand, relative to their pre-recession highs, Shu said.

“For the U.S., there were over 5 million online ads posted in September with Ohio employers posting close to 200,000 of these,” she said. “While 2013 has been a very slow year showing very little additional growth in labor demand, we are still maintaining historically relatively high levels of employer labor demand.”

Nationally, online job ads rose by 209,700 to 5.18 million, which was the largest increase since December.

“The 210,000 gain for September is the first optimistic sign this year that employers are seeking additional workers,” said June Shelp, vice president of The Conference Board, in a prepared statement.

Online labor demand increased in 45 states last month.

About the Author