Signs suggest that the long deterioration in the employment situation may have fiinally ended. First there was the announcement of positive job numbers, the first in more than a year. Now, a new job-vacancy report provides further evidence that Washington's job situation may have finally hit bottom. Although job openings fell an estimated 2 percent between spring 2009 and fall 2009, according to Employment Security's Fall 2009 Washington Job-Vacancy Survey, that decline was substantially less than the 32 percent drop during the same period a year earlier.
"Two percent is a very small drop, especially compared to last year, and possibly an indicator of job growth on the horizon," said Dave Wallace, chief economist for the Washington state Employment Security Department.
According to the survey, job openings last fall were highest in the metropolitan areas of King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties. Health care, retail, professional and technical services, and hospitality had the most vacancies.
The survey is done twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. More than 18,500 Washington employers were surveyed last fall about their job vacancies for the latest report. The survey indicated Washington companies had an estimated 32,037 openings, compared to 32,635 openings in spring 2009, and 50,593 openings in fall 2008.
The health care sector added 1,271 vacancies between the spring and fall surveys, continuing to lead all industries in terms of available jobs.
An estimated 43 percent of all openings were in King County, 9 percent in Pierce County and 7 percent in Snohomish County. About 6 percent of the vacancies were in Spokane County, while another 6 percent were located in Southwest Washington.
The survey also illustrated the value of education. The median wage rises according to the level of education required, with job openings that require graduate degrees averaging pay of $29.57 per hour.
About one fourth of the jobs available required a graduate degree. Although close to half of the jobs available required no education, they paid a median wage of just $11.71 per hour. Openings that required a high school diploma paid $17.08 per hour.
As in many past recoveries, small companies are proving to be the engine for growth, with the most jobs available.
The full report is available online at http://www.workforceexplorer.com/admin/uploadedPublications/10229_JVSOct_09Rep.pdf.