Signal49 Research’s Help-Wanted Index is an indicator of the number of new jobs advertised online. Our empirical analysis has shown that variations in the number of jobs posted online are generally followed by similar variations in employment in the ensuing months. Thus, the index can be used to predict near-term employment trends.
Document Highlights
The Help-Wanted Index declined by 2.6 points in March—its first drop in five months. While employment posted only soft growth over the second half of 2011 and the first two months of 2012, the recent upward trend in the index suggested that a turnaround was eminent—and the March numbers bore that out.
