Index: Job Postings Today, Employment Tomorrow?

The  Monster Employment Index, analyzed by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC), rebounded in February with a gain of 5 points – coinciding with a drop in Connecticut’s unemployment rate to 8% in January.  The increase of 4.3% (from 116 to 121) was less than 6% for New England and 7.5% for the U.S., in the index of mostly high-tech jobs offered online. According to Monster, Connecticut’s online technical jobs index increased by 5 points from 116 to 121 between January 2012 and February 2012. New England increased by 7 (from 116 to 123) and the U.S. by 10 (from 133 to 143).  Connecticut’s February 2012 index is 6 percentage points above a year ago. New England’s index is only 5% higher while the U.S. was again nearly 11% more than the February 2011 index.

The Monster Employment Index is a monthly gauge of online job demand based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities. The Index is a leading indicator showing the willingness of firms to offer job opportunities; more opportunities assume additional job hires in the future.  CERC is a nonprofit, public-private partnership that provides objective research, marketing and economic development resources aimed at strengthening Connecticut's business environment.