QUARTERLY LABOR MARKET REPORT WAYNE COUNTY Q1 2015

SUMMARY

The labor force in Wayne County has been on a slow and steady decline for several years. Q3 2014 represented a brief increase in labor force numbers, but Q4 2014 displayed yet another decline. There were 9,266 less participants in Q4 compared to Q3 2014, a 1.1% decrease. Consequently, the decrease in labor force outpacing the increase in employment has played a large role in the county’s unemployment rate dropping two percentage points from 2013 to 2014. The average unemployment rate for 2014 was 9.5%.

Software developers displaced tractor-trailer truck drivers as the most in-demand occupation in Wayne County for Q1 2015. Software developer job ads increased by 1,077 up to 2,100 between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015 while truck driver postings decreased to 1,447. Registered nurses remained the second most in-demand occupation for Wayne County with 1,657 postings this quarter. New to the top ten are business intelligence analysts (657 postings) after online ads more than doubled since Q4 2014.

Total online job postings in Wayne County grew from 38,383 in Q4 2014 to 41,068 in Q1 2015, about a 7% increase. This is the third highest number of postings for a quarter since Q1 2011 and the second consecutive quarter of growth for employer demand. Posting growth was greatest for IT occupations while Retail & Hospitality actually decreased.

ANALYSISSoftware developers displaced tractor-trailer truck drivers as the most in-demand occupation in Wayne County for Q1 2015. Software developer job ads increased by 1,077 (105%) up to 2,100 between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015 while tractor-trailer truck drivers postings decreased 25% 1,931 to 1,447. Registered nurses remained the second most in-demand occupation for Wayne County with 1,657 postings this quarter. New to the top ten are business intelligence analysts (657 postings) after online ads more than doubled since Q4 2014 .

TOP JOBS Q1 2015

WAYNE COUNTY Q1 2015 DEMAND OVERVIEW

2

*This report includes top jobs and postings over time highlights for clusters that have made major shifts ormovements in the past quarter. The data is updated each quarter based on the clusters with the most noteworthy changes. For complete top jobs lists, educational attainment, and wage information, please see the regional reports or contact WIN's Research Director Colby Cesaro at colby.cesaro@win-semich.org.

HIGHLIGHTS

ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS

Between Q3 2013 and Q4 2014 IT postings decreased by about 425 postings per quarter in Wayne County, on average, however, in Q1 2015 postings increased by 2,675 , a 53% jump. This is the highest recorded number of job postings related to IT occupations since online posting data has been collected (Q1 2011). Like most of the WIN Region, Wayne County is experiencing tremendous demand growth for IT positions.

IT POSTINGS OVER TIME

ANALYSIS

Q1 2015 marks the second consecutive quarter where health care job postings have increased in Wayne County. Health care job ads increased by 691 to 5,089, up from Q4 2014’s 4,398 postings. This is a 15.7% increase in postings and marks the highest recorded number of postings related to health care since online posting data has been collected (Q1 2011).

HEALTH POSTINGS OVER TIME

3

LABOR MARKET OVERVIEW

ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS

ANALYSISThe labor force in Wayne County has been on a slow and steady decline for several years. Q3 2014 represented a brief increase in labor force numbers, but Q4 2014 displayed yet another decline. There were 9,266 fewer participants in Q4 compared to Q3 2014, a 1.1% decrease. Consequently, the decrease in labor force outpacing the increase in employment has played a large role in the county’s unemployment rate dropping two percentage points from 2013 to 2014. The average unemployment rate for 2014 was 9.5%.

EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FORCE

ANALYSISTotal online job postings in Wayne County grew from 38,383 in Q4 2014 to 41,068 in Q1 2015, about a 7% increase. This is the third highest number of postings for a quarter since Q1 2011 and the second consecutive quarter of growth for employer demand. Much of the growth in postings is driven by increased demand for IT and health care workers.

TOTAL POSTINGS OVER TIME

4

POSTING TRENDS BY CLUSTER

ANALYSIS

Postings in Wayne County increased for four of the five clusters analyzed by WIN between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015. Posting growth was the greatest for IT occupations while Retail & Hospitality was the only cluster to experience a decrease in postings in the region. IT replaces Retail & Hospitality as the most in-demand cluster in Wayne County with 18.7% of online job ads in Q1 2015. This is an impressive jump in share of 5.7 percentage points while Retail & Hospitality’s share fell 1.7 percentage points to 16.4%. The Health care cluster has experienced three consecutive quarters of posting growth and now shares 12.4% of online ads this quarter.

The five occupation groups analyzed by WIN comprise 56.4% of online job postings in Wayne County.

5

TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER

ANALYSIS

ANALYSIS

ANALYSISMechanical engineers remain as the most in-demand engineering occupation in Wayne County with 547 online job ads. This is an increase of 137 postings over Q4 2014, indicating that more positions are becoming available or that employers are having an increasingly difficult time finding the talent they need to replace recently retired workers. Other top occupations include electrical engineers (443 postings) and commercial and industrial designers (359 postings). Postings for civil engineers decreased by 103 postings between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015.

ENGINEER & DESIGNER TOP JOBS

ANALYSISFirst-line supervisors of production and operating workers maintain the top position for skilled trades in Q1 2015 with 211 online postings. This occupation accounts for nearly one out of every five skilled trades posting in Wayne County. Other top postings include inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (141 postings) and CNC machinists (102 postings).

SKILLED TRADE & TECHNICIAN TOP JOBS

6

ANALYSISSimilar to the WIN region, Registered nurses dominate health care online postings in Wayne County. This occupations alone accounts for nearly one out of every three online job ads related to health care in Q1 2015. Other top occupations include nursing assistants (327 postings) and medical assistants (245 postings). Postings for physical therapists dropped from 203 in Q4 2014 to 147 in Q1 2015 (a 28% decrease), possibly indicating that at least some employers are finding talent to fulfill open positions.

HEALTH CARE TOP JOBS

ANALYSISLike most of the WIN region, Software Developers, Applications dominate IT postings in Wayne County. The 2,100 postings for this occupation in Q1 2015 represent more than 25% of IT online ads. Further, postings for Software Developers more than doubled between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015. The next most in-demand IT occupation is Computer Systems Analysts with 853 postings. Other top occupations include Business Intelligence Analysts (647 postings) and Computer Systems Engineers/Architects (511 postings).

IT TOP JOBS

TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER

7

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RESEARCH AND DATA, VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

WWW.WIN-SEMICH.ORG/DATA-RESEARCH