There
is no clearer picture that the U.S. economy is a see-saw than in the job
numbers. After months of steady gains in job opportunities and hiring, November
reminds us all there are bumps on the asphalt playground.
On the plus side, job vacancies rose modestly by
47,000 in November for technical and health-care-related occupations, according
to a monthly report from The Conference Board.
“In November, demand for workers continued to be
positive, albeit moving at a disappointingly slow pace for the last few
months,” said June Shelp, vice president at The Conference Board. “November was
a surprisingly quiet month throughout the nation, with most states posting
small gains/losses in advertised vacancies.”
After an October that saw an increase of 14,700 job openings in computer and mathematical science
vacancies, November saw slimmer gains of 2,500, according to data in The
Conference Board report. Computer and math job categories have the lowest
supply-and-demand rates of any occupation at .26 more vacancies than unemployed
people.
For more, read the eWeek article: Job Vacancies Up a Tick, Unemployment Rises in November.