Seattle ranks high on managerial hiring index -- Career Center Blog

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource Classifieds | seattletimes.com

November 6, 2010

Seattle ranks high on managerial hiring index

Post a comment |
E-mail |
Print
- Share:

By Randy Woods
NWjobs

A few days ago, we saw a dramatic example of change, with Republicans picking up a whopping 64 seats in the midterm elections to take back control of the House of Representatives. Here in this Washington -- in the Seattle area, specifically -- there has been another significant change that has not been reported as widely, but may make local job seekers a lot happier, regardless of party affiliation.

According to the latest CareerCast.com/JobSerf Employment Index, created by two online employment search firms, Seattle had more managerial positions available per capita in October than it had before the Great Recession began in 2007. Seattle's index score rose 14 percent to 106 last month, ranking it in fourth place on the list of cities with the highest hiring levels in the country. The 14 percent rise was second only to that of the Denver area (18 percent).

"Seattle has always been a consistent star," says Jay Martin, chief operating officer of Texas-based JobSerf. "It's almost always in the top five."

Here's how Seattle fared on the CareerCast/JobSerf list of the 10 U.S. cities with the highest per-capita hiring levels for October:

1. Washington, D.C. - 178
2. Boston -142
3. San Francisco - 118
4. Seattle - 106
5. Baltimore - 94
6. Atlanta - 88
7. New York City - 81
8. Chicago - 80
9. Denver - 78
10. Dallas - 67

This index is calculated by counting the number of available managerial job openings each month from a wide range of job boards across the U.S. and adjusting the results on a per-capita basis, Martin says. CareerCast.com and JobSerf.com then measure this employment activity against a base score of 100, which represents the volume of job openings during the same month in 2007. A score higher than 100 means that there are more available jobs than in 2007, he says, while one below 100 means that job seekers have fewer opportunities available.

Seattle's 106 score, which is well above the national average of 99.5, has been part of a steady trend of job activity growth, Martin says. Six months ago, the index stood at 90; in October 2009 it was just 55. This represents an annual index growth of 93 percent.

"When you look at city statistics about job growth, usually it's government jobs first, technology second," Martin explains. "That's why D.C., with the federal government, and Boston, with its tech sector, are always way ahead of the pack. The Bay Area has also been up over 100 points since May, and now it looks like Seattle has finally caught up with its own big jump."

While JobSerf does not have figures on what particular industries are responsible for index changes within each participating city, Martin did say that a resurgent aerospace sector is one likely cause of Seattle's recent rise in the index, along with the significant military presence in the Puget Sound region.

Then there's the undeniable influence of a certain software firm in Redmond. "The best part about the Microsoft effect is that while it attracts so many people into its orbit from all over the country, it also flushes out people who stay in the region and start their own businesses," Martin says. "Microsoft is helping to push the money out there into new ventures, which has given Seattle such a great reputation as a technology magnet."

These numbers, of course, only measure managerial hiring, so not every job seeker will be able to land a new position by tomorrow. However, they are yet another sign that well-qualified Puget Sound residents with impressive resumes are in one of the best places in the country to take advantage of the steadily improving economy. Hopefully that's something to help brighten the outlook for job seekers here at the end of Daylight Saving Time.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.