Moderate economic and job growth is forecast for the coming months despite January’s two-point decline in the Help-Wanted Advertising Index, The Conference Board reported today.

The index, which measures job offerings in major U.S. newspapers, now stands at 32, down from an upwardly revised 34 in December, and is well below the 38 reading recorded a year ago.

In the last three months, however, help-wanted advertising rose in eight of the nine U.S. regions, with the largest increases reported in the New England (35.8 percent), East North Central (24.3 percent) and Mountain (21.9 percent) regions. The Pacific region declined 6.9 percent.

“The labor market was strong in the final months of 2006. The forward indicators of labor market activity suggest moderate economic growth will continue to deliver new jobs into the late winter and early spring months,” said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at The Conference Board. “The latest data shows that job advertising in print was up a little in December, and held on to most of that increase in January.”

The JOLTS data (Job Opening and Labor Turnover), which had remained stubbornly flat throughout most of 2006, finally showed a little improvement in December, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“These data all add up to a picture of a labor market with a little more spark now than a few months ago,” Goldstein said. “That’s remarkable, considering that the labor market and the economy were put through very sharp changes in energy costs and a significant slump in the housing market.”

In January there were 3.14 million online advertised vacancies, a decline of 6 percent from December, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series. Over the year, online advertised vacancies were up 12 percent for the nation as a whole. Last month there were 2.06 advertised vacancies online for every 100 persons in the national labor force, down slightly from 2.19 the month before, but up from 1.89 a year ago.

The Conference Board surveys help-wanted print advertising volume in 51 major newspapers across the country every month. Because ad volume has proven to be sensitive to labor market conditions, this measure provides a gauge of change in the local, regional and national supply of jobs.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×