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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Online job ad data paint mixed picture

Advertiser Staff

There's mixed news about Hawai'i's online advertised job vacancies, with numbers off from last year, but up from last month.

Figures released by the Conference Board show there were 15,800 online ads for positions here this month.

That seasonally adjusted figure is down substantially from the 18,400 ads reported in March 2008, according to Conference Board data, and mirrors a downturn in the economy that's sent joblessness soaring here.

However, there was some good news — job vacancy ads rose from February to March. The Conference Board said Hawai'i's March tally was up by 800 online ads compared with February.

The New York-based business research group said nationally, declines in Web job ads had slowed from those in December and January.

"The next two months, April and May, are when employers typically ratchet up their spring hiring, and these months will be a good indication of whether labor demand is beginning to turn around," said Gad Levanon, Conference Board senior economist, in a statement.

The group also reported that total ads per 100 people in the civilian labor force in Hawai'i declined from March 2008, but increased from February.

On Friday the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism reported Hawai'i's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate reached 6.5 percent in February, the highest in more than 30 years.