LIVE FEED: What do we know and what can we do.
As we continue to navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19 and the impact that it will have on jobs and hiring across various markets, there is an overwhelming amount of information to be consumed. That said, with the help of our clients, vendors, and partners, we’re working to digest and streamline the things that you need to know and offer up some thoughts and suggestions on what we can do as a collective.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Last week was a particularly positive week for Call Centers, Healthcare, and IT, all of which recovered from previous below-average weeks in some capacity. Warehousing saw another sub-par week, retail seemed to have bottomed out, and transportation rebounded very slightly.
This week, the positive trends have continued and numbers have been significantly more stable than past weeks.
Call Centers:
- Almost no change in CPAs, CPCs, and applies
- Number of clicks ↑ 41%
- Slight drop in average number of jobs
- Average applies per job ↑ 30%
Healthcare:
- CPAs, applies, and clicks saw no changes greater than 9%
- CPCs ↑ 18%
- Negligible changes in average number of jobs and average applies per job
IT:
- CPAs, CPCs, and clicks increased very slightly
- Applies ↓ 8.8%
- Negligible change in average number of jobs
- Average applies per job ↓ 7%
Warehousing bucked this week’s trend and experienced significant changes, all of which were positive:
- CPAs ↓ 24.6%
- CPCs ↓ 26.8%
- Applies ↑ 32%
- Clicks ↑ 36%
- Average number of jobs increased
- Average applies per job ↑ 20%
Retail experienced negligible changes from previous weeks.
Transportation also bucked this week’s trend, but unfortunately, experienced mostly negative changes:
- CPAs ↓ 49%
- Applies ↓ 12%
- Clicks ↓ 53%
- CPCs ↑ 2%
- Average applies per job increased significantly
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Call Centers are continuing to decline across nearly all measures. The only measure that rose this week was CPA (16% ↑); CPCs, applies, and clicks decreased this week by 16%, 40%, and 39.5%, respectively. The average number of jobs fell slightly and, in tandem, the average applies per job fell, too, by 30%. Finally, postings for call center and customer services positions are decreasing by 16% MoM, with the West Coast and New York seeing the most significant declines.
Healthcare, which experienced slight increases last week, is now seeing some minor dips. Applies fell by 17%, clicks by 24%, and CPCs by 16%, while CPA climbed 11%. Furthermore, there were decreases in both the average number of jobs and average applies per job, which fell by 24%. When examining the healthcare industry as a whole, we’re seeing a 24% surge in job seeker searches. Job postings are up as well – by 7% compared to 2019 – however, this number is beginning to decline.
IT has broken its consistent streak this week, as its measures are falling almost across the board; the only measure to remain consistent is CPC. CPAs, applies, and clicks decreased by about 67%, 41%, and 53%, respectively, and, unfortunately in this context, a decreasing CPA is not a positive sign. Both the average number of jobs and the average number of applies per job declined, with the latter sustaining a far more significant fall of about 40%. On the other hand, job postings, which have recently been declining at a rate of 10% MoM, actually increased slightly over the course of the past month.
The downtrend that Warehousing experienced last week is carrying over into this week; however, it continues to be one of the healthiest verticals. While CPAs rose by 5.5% and CPCs by 8.2%, applies and clicks fell by 31% and 32%, respectively. The average number of jobs fell quite significantly, but other measures increased: average applies per job is up by 54%, job postings by 20%, and job seeker searches for warehousing positions by 52%.
Retail, specifically in-store, is continuing to trend downwards; however, consumer trends and online retail are flourishing. US consumers are taking advantage of the online marketplace, and 60% of this demographic is shopping at least as frequently as they were before the pandemic started. Additionally, online retail activity has shifted, with searches in the fitness, computer, and game categories spiking, and those for apparel and accessories dropping significantly.
Finally, Transportation saw positive trends almost across the board this week. CPAs rose slightly, CPCs fell by 6%, applies rose by about 52%, and, due to a significant increase in the average number of jobs, clicks shot up by an impressive 366%.
Friday, April 24, 2020
This week, we are not seeing spectacular performances across any vertical.
Call Centers saw CPAs rise by 8% since last week, while CPCs (↓ 15%), clicks (↓ 5.5%), and applies (↓ 24.7%) fell.
Healthcare rebounded slightly from its very poor performance the previous week. CPAs decreased by 5%, while clicks, applies, and CPCs all increased, by 11.5%, 27%, and almost 10%, respectively. The number of job postings in the healthcare industry is down by 6% compared to 2019, but these numbers are growing month over month.
IT has remained fairly consistent, but is seeing falls in clicks and applies, as well as a very minor increase in CPA (↑ 0.33%). Job posts are only 5% less than the previous year and are increasing.
Logistics is unfortunately experiencing its first downturn, as applies are down by 26%, clicks are down by 17%, and CPAs and CPCs are up by 20% and 6%, respectively. The average number of jobs has increased, but the average number of applies per job has decreased; however, postings are still up by 2% compared to 2019.
Unsurprisingly, retail is continuing to perform poorly week after week, and in-store retail will continue to suffer until quarantine is lifted. For non-store retail, particularly online, this is not the case. Non-store retail is doing exceedingly well, and job postings are up by 7% compared to last year.
Finally, transportation is trending in the wrong direction, with applies and clicks down by 56% and 62%, respectively. CPAs have increased by 10.21%, while CPCs have increased by 5%. Job postings in this industry are down by only 0.8% compared to the previous month, but are down by a shocking 57% as compared to the previous year.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Is the tech industry immune to COVID-19? – When comparing data from Q1 of 2019 to data from Q1 of 2020, it appears that COVID-19 is having less of an effect on the tech industry than it is on others.
A significant portion of the top employers in Q1 are tech companies, including Lockheed Martin, Infosys, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, and Amazon, whose tech job postings increased by 100% between February and March.
In terms of trends within tech occupations, the demand for cybersecurity engineers has spiked. With cybercriminals on the rise during COVID-19, more and more employers are looking to hire for this specific role; consequently, job postings for the role increased by 20% from February to March. Posts for Systems Engineers, Database Administrators, and Systems Administrators also surged, by 11%, 9%, and 7%, respectively. On the other hand, after spiking earlier in the quarter, job posts for Software Developers and Front-End Developers decreased, suggesting that employers may be shifting their focus from new projects to maintenance.
Job seekers seem to be catching on to these trends, as searches have increased dramatically for “Amazon remote,” (↑ 651%) “Amazon work from home,” (↑ 596%) and “COBOL” (↑ 707%).
Sources: Dice, Indeed Hiring Lab
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Over the course of the first week and a half of April, we have seen a great range of performance by vertical.
Retail seems to be faring extremely poorly, with apply totals down by 32%, click totals down by 43%, and a decrease in average number of applies per job. Job postings in this industry are down 11% month over month and 27% compared to last year.
Healthcare took a small hit during the week of 4/03 to 4/10, with clicks and applies declining by 35% and 52%, respectively, in comparison to the previous week. The average number of jobs has dropped as well, and with it, the average number of applies per job, from 0.56 to 0.43. Job postings are down by 6% compared to last year; however, they are up by 7% compared to February.
Transportation is seeing an increase of 14% in apply totals and a decrease of 3% in click totals. CPAs and CPCs are also dropping, but, taken in conjunction with the other data, this is not necessarily a negative. The average number of applies per job have climbed, the average number of jobs has remained consistent, and job postings are up 3% month over month and down by 54% when compared to 2019.
Logistics and Warehousing have been experiencing a consistent weekly rise in applies (about 45%), as well as a consistent weekly drop in CPAs (about 25%). Clicks decreased slightly and CPCs increased slightly over the end of March and very beginning of April, but neither of these finds are cause for concern. The average number of applies for jobs rose from 0.13 to 0.24. Even with a small drop in the average number of jobs. Finally, job postings are increasing 0.2% month over month, and are down by only 3% in comparison to last year.
IT and Call Centers seem to be performing better than previous weeks and months, with both seeing improvements in several categories. Click and apply totals are up by 71% and almost 100%, respectively, for IT; for Call Centers, click and apply totals have increased by 117% and 15%, respectively. Both are seeing increases in the average number of jobs, but Call Centers are experiencing a slight decrease in the average number of applies per job, while IT is experiencing an increase.
For more information on COVID-19 and its widespread effects on the job market, please check back here each week.
Friday, April 10, 2020 – March Rundown
March was an undoubtedly unprecedented month; numbers and trends were unlike anything we’d ever seen before. Below, we cover the most significant statistics:
Over the course of the month of March, nationwide job listings and created job listings dipped by 6.3% and 18%, respectively, while deleted job listings rose by 22%. In every industry, there was a reduction in job listings, and, more specifically, in 96% of occupations, listings declined significantly. 99% of U.S. states saw job listings decrease, but there were a few states in particular that were hit the hardest. Oklahoma’s posts dropped by 21%; Hawaii, New Mexico, and Arkansas’ by 23%; South Dakota’s by 27%; and Nevada’s by a tremendous 28%.
Industries with the largest job listing declines in March include:
- Food Service & Accommodation (down by 104,395 jobs)
- Manufacturing (down by 67,249 jobs)
- Retail (down by 65,540 jobs)
- Finance (down by 37,994 jobs)
However, many employers still had thousands of active job posts – and some even increased their posts in number over the course of March. The companies with the most active listings include Taco Bell, Dollar Tree, and Walgreens, with 54,238, 25,796, and 15,847 listings respectively. Finally, the following employers had the largest increases in job posts in March:
- 7-Eleven, Inc. (138% increase)
- Dollar Tree (119% increase)
- Aldi (70% increase)
As we head further into April, we will not only continue to update you on the status of the coronavirus-impacted job market, we will also begin providing you with additional resources to manage these uncertain circumstances.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
As COVID-19 continues to take its toll, we are seeing the most significant drop in LinkedIn’s hiring rate since January of 2017 – it is 1.1% lower than March of 2019, and hiring has decreased by 1.3% from February 2020 to March 2020.
On the bright side, there are numerous jobs that are in high demand during the pandemic, and therefore thousands of opportunities for hiring and perhaps even job creation. The top 10 most in-demand jobs at the moment include:
- Store Associate
- System Operator
- Certified Public Accountant
- Healthcare Specialist
- Construction Worker
- Warehouse Manager
- Psychologist
- Vehicle Mechanic
- Academic Advisor
- Delivery Driver
It appears that, in addition to these in-demand jobs, there may be hope on the horizon. As China’s lockdown comes to end, they seem to be trending towards increasingly normal hiring trends and practices, perhaps signaling a light at the end of the tunnel.
Source: LinkedIn
Wednesday, April 1, 2020
Both job posts and created job posts have continued to decline, and unfortunately, last week’s created job post numbers were the worst since the Great Recession. It still appears that many of the jobs that are removed are not being filled; however, companies with higher job postings are filling their open roles at “a much higher rate than the previous.”
While companies such as Marriott International, UPS, and Accenture PLC are experiencing enormous downturns in active job posts, many companies have seen significant, positive changes. Please see the chart below for companies with the greatest increases, and note that a particularly interesting trend is emerging: the top 7 companies are retailers.
It is important to note that while these numbers continue to change, created jobs will indicate a “turnaround” point for this crisis. We will continue to monitor and report created jobs, as well as various other indicators, for the duration of COVID-19’s effect on the job market.
Source: LinkUp
Monday, March 30, 2020
With COVID-19’s impact on recruitment and hiring trends, we are continuing to see the performance of programmatic campaigns fluctuate, namely CPAs, CPCs, clicks, and applies.
Both Call Centers & Warehousing/Logistics are experiencing falling CPAs and CPCs with rising clicks and applies. This is consistent with the recent interest in WFH Call Center campaigns and hires, and, on the Warehousing/Logistics end, employers’ need to fill numerous roles.
Healthcare is performing similarly to Call Centers and Logistics/Warehousing, save for one key difference. Here, we are seeing no change in CPCs.
Transportation and IT are trending in the wrong direction, with rises in CPAs and great declines in clicks and applies. The only difference here is that Transportation CPCs are remaining consistent, while IT CPCs are increasing.
Finally, Retail remains a somewhat volatile market right now. CPAs and CPCs are rising while applies have continued to drop; however, we are seeing a slight rebound in click totals. It appears that the market is split between employers either cutting budget drastically or increasing budget significantly.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Hiring? Pausing? Freezing operations?
Whatever your current situation, we’re all experiencing uncertain, perplexing times. Companies are being forced to completely rethink the ways in which they operate, piloting work-from-home models with little to no warning. Everyone is searching for the answers to the burning questions: what works, what doesn’t, and how it’s possible to keep people engaged.
Fortunately, we’ve prepared something to help. In his latest webinar, our Chief Creative Officer, Matt Gilbert, allows you to pick his brain for the answers to these pressing questions. The EB expert explores the creation of a Work From Home/Remote Work Employer Brand and pinpoints different strategies to improve – and perhaps even embrace – this new normal.
Watch his webinar here for free:
https://bayard.zoom.us/rec/share/6Ol0DKPxyD9JQLPMq0qYRZJ-A5_peaa8gyBKqKIJmU6Z3OJpbSRcHOktvafM9kxT
Thursday, March 26, 2020:
Usually, a removed job post means that the job was filled. Now, with the spread of the virus, we’re not only seeing a steep drop in the number of jobs posted (between 50K and 100K a day to a few thousand), but we’re actually seeing job posts being removed – but these jobs are not being filled. The number of total job posts has declined significantly, from about 3.82M to 3.32M, and we will continue to see this number drop.
Cafeterias & Buffets, Passenger Car Rental, and Travel Agencies have seen massive downturns in job posts over the period from December 31, 2019, to March 22, 2020, with decreases of 92%, 87%, and 83%, respectively.
Sector-wise, transportation, and warehousing have seen large reductions in job posts over the period from December 31, 2019 to March 22, 2020, with an eye-watering 64% decrease. Also experiencing declines are the following sectors: Management of Companies & Enterprises (-31%), Utilities (-28%), Real Estate & Leasing (-24%), and Accommodation & Food Services (-22%).
Fortunately, however, some industries are experiencing upticks in job growth, which will help provide jobs for those who have lost them. These include Freight Trucking (up 147%), Individual & Family Services (up 142%), Tobacco Manufacturing (up 73%), and Waste Treatment & Disposal (up 62%), among others.
While thousands are being laid off and job opportunities are shrinking rapidly in certain sectors and industries, there is hope for growth in a select few industries.
Source: LinkUp
Tuesday, March 24, 2020:
COVID-19 has continued to affect job safety and hiring trends, and this impact is mirrored in programmatic campaigns.
In a report comparing a “normal week,” that of February 17-20, to the first two weeks of the outbreak in the U.S., new trends are emerging in a few key verticals.
For both call centers and IT, we are seeing reduced CPAs coupled with a reduction in clicks and applies. This indicates that employers are reducing their spending, and for call centers, that the absence of competition is contributing to improved costs.
Unsurprisingly, healthcare and transportation are seeing higher CPAs and lower apply counts, as the increase in competition has triggered surges in cost. CPCs, however, are just below “normalcy,” which is unexpected given the current conditions.
Warehousing and logistics jobs are experiencing lower CPAs and higher click and apply counts, which is not surprising given the highly publicized job openings in these verticals.
Finally, due to the massive budget cuts faced by employers in this space, retail has seen a slight increase in CPA and a significant dropoff in clicks and applies.
Monday, March 23, 2020:
Bayard launches COVID-19 resume database, HiringAgain.com, to help people find work as job losses mount – HiringAgain.com is a free resumé database for people who have been impacted by the fallout of the pandemic and lost their jobs. Job seekers can visit the site, create a profile, upload their resumé, and that’s it. There is no cost and all the information provided will adhere to all privacy and data laws. What makes this resumé database unique is that employers can now know who has lost their job in this crisis and help them directly. Job boards and job search engines do not identify people impacted by COVID-19. By using the site, employers have a resumé database of people affected so they can help those who need it most. Any organization or business can use the system by visiting the site, creating a free employer account, and then use the resumé database search filters to match with jobseekers. Further, if employers wish to highlight opportunities that they are currently hiring for, users can post those jobs directly onto the site for jobseekers to view.
Resumé databases are not new; they have existed for groups such as veterans for some time. Most site users have their resume on a database but none will highlight those that are affected by the pandemic. Michael Halperin, Chief Digital Officer, states, “The model for helping people in unique situations with free resumé databases made perfect sense here. We created one for people who’ve lost their jobs in this crisis and our whole leadership group was all in.”
The service is entirely free to both job seekers to create their resumé profile and for employers to search the database and connect directly. Bayard is launching www.HiringAgain.com today as a beta version. The company plans to continuously maintain and improve the site over the next several months by enhancing functionality and addressing any known issues.
Friday, March 20, 2020:
Breakdown of job market trends in hardest-hit sectors – The more data and information becomes available, the more we’re able to hone in on the areas where COVID-19 is having the greatest impact.
A new report from conference-board.org indicates that manual service jobs have been hit hardest so far, with 15.4 million jobs (10.2% of total employment) most impacted. Full-service restaurants have taken the greatest hit in this sector, composing nearly ⅓ of that number. Other job groups include Temporary Help Services, Accommodation, Entertainment, Personal Care Services, Air Transportation, and more.
Full breakdown:
Thursday, March 19, 2020:
A major spike in Work From Home traffic – Unsurprisingly, a number of media vendors, including Indeed & Talroo, are reporting that searches for Work From Home/Telecommuting jobs are up well over 50%.
Jobseeker activity continues to increase – As we see the number of job openings fluctuate across different industries in response to COVID-19, jobseeker activity remains on a steady upward trend.
Data from the Talroo Marketplace gives us insight into the relationship between searches and clicks across many high-volume hiring verticals. In particular, warehouse searches and clicks have seen a significant spike in activity since the outbreak, with CDL-A Drivers, Customer Service, and Retail also seeing continued growth.
Virtual tools continue to aid recruitment – As we see employers adapt quickly to changing circumstances, there is a growing need to replace onsite interviews, hiring events, and career fairs with virtual equivalents.
With so many virtual communication tools available, it’s important to understand fit as it pertains to your recruitment needs. Video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Skype are ideal for internal and external business meetings, but virtual hiring providers like Brazen, InterviewStream, SparkHire, and HireVue can prove to be much more efficient for recruiters. Leveraging these providers, as well as others, can afford you the option of interview scheduling, on-demand interviewing, assessment tools, virtual career fairs, and landing pages. Not only could they prove to be useful today, but also as part of a longer-term strategy.
Wednesday, March 18, 2020:
Initial Market Trends – As we evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on job openings across the U.S., Glassdoor reported this week that job openings are down 1.5% week-over-week. While this figure may seem modest in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s important to note that this does not represent an even spread across industries and geographies, indicating various levels of crisis for employers and employees.
For example, the report details that the travel industry is most significantly affected (-17.7%), with entertainment, retail, and restaurant bars also seeing significantly reduced openings. On the flip side of that, the transportation & logistics industry has rebounded as the need for products and goods increases across the U.S.
Geographically, major cities in the states hit hardest by the outbreak are seeing a significant decrease in job openings (Seattle, WA & New York City), with Washington DC also seeing a drop. The areas seemingly unaffected by the virus are currently San Francisco, CA & San Jose, CA as job openings continue to increase.
As we all continue to learn, this situation is fluid and the impact on the hiring market will change day-to-day. We will work with our partners to bring you new information as we receive it.