WORKFORCE INTELLIGENCE NETWORK QUARTERLY REPORT LENAWEE COUNTY 路 Q2 2015
CONTENTS Labor Market and Demand Overview Occupational Clusters Advanced Manufacturing: Skilled Trades & Technicians Advanced Manufacturing: Engineers & Designers Information Technology Health Care Retail & Hospitality Agriculture
Labor Market and Demand Summary Data Notes and Sources
GEOGRAPHY
Prosperity Region 9 includes 6 counties: Hillsdale, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw. This report focuses on Lenawee County.
SECTION ONE LABOR MARKET AND DEMAND OVERVIEW
TOP 20 JOBS IN DEMAND APRIL - JUNE 2015
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers were Lenawee County’s top in-demand job again during Q2 2015, with 142 online job ads, up from 113 during Q1. Employer demand for these workers is almost 3 times greater than it is for other in-demand occupations. The next in-demand jobs for Lenawee County were registered nurses (52 postings), retail salespersons (37 postings), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (21 postings), and manufacturing & wholesale sales representatives (21 postings).
EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR FORCE OVERVIEW
EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR FORCE
Employment in Lenawee County grew 1.8% between Q1 2015 and Q2, from 45,048 to 45,864. The county labor force grew at a slower rate (1.0%) between quarters, from 47,724 to 48,223. Because employment is growing at a faster rate than labor force participation, the 11.8% decrease in unemployment between quarters can be attributed to people gaining jobs. Between quarters Lenawee County’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.6% to 4.9%.
EMPLOYER DEMAND APRIL - JUNE 2015
Total job postings in Lenawee County were up during Q2 2015, increasing 13.2% from Q1’s 894 postings. Lenawee County employers posted 1,030 online job ads from April through June. This increase in employer demand is consistent with the increase demand seen in 5 of the 6 occupational clusters WIN analyzes for Lenawee County.
SECTION TWO OCCUPATIONAL CLUSTERS
LENAWEE COUNTY DEMAND OVERVIEW
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SKILLED TRADES AND TECHNICIANS WIN’s technicians/skilled trades category includes jobs related to advanced manufacturing. Southeast Michigan has more demand for skilled- trades labor, such as CNC machinists and welders, than almost anywhere else in the country. In 2014, skilled trades employment reached 18,385 individuals in Region 9. NOTE: Skilled trades related to construction and repair are not included in this cluster, as the focus is on advanced manufacturing. Postings for first-line supervisors of production and operating workers tripled from 5 to 16 between Q1 2015 and Q2, making this occupation the most in-demand Skilled Trades occupation for Lenawee County. Q1’s top occupation, welders, cutters, and welder fitters experienced a drop in postings from 8 in Q1 to 2 in Q2. Postings for computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic, also dropped from 5 to 2 between quarters. Demand for this particular occupation fell during Q2 across many regions analyzed by WIN.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SKILLED TRADES AND TECHNICIANS: TOP JOBS
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SKILLED TRADES AND TECHNICIANS: ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
Postings in the Skilled Trades cluster in Lenawee County increased 25% between Q1 2015 and Q2. The 52 online job ads that employers posted for these occupations during April, May, and June account for 5.0% of all online job ads in Lenawee County.
Many of the Skilled Trades workers demanded by Lenawee County employers are already highly concentrated in the region. For example, tool and die makers have a location quotient (LQ) of 7.54, meaning that this type of worker is 6.54 times more concentrated in Lenawee County than across the rest of the nation. An occupation like production workers (LQ = 1.46) has a concentration in Lenawee closer to the national average where the national average is LQ = 1.00. Skilled trade jobs allow workers to earn a living wage with the median hourly rate above $15 for several in-demand jobs. Management roles in Skilled Trades, like first-line supervisors of production and operating workers, have high median wages, making $25.15 an hour. Starting wages (10th percentile) are not as competitive for every job, but all positions offer upward wage growth. Most of the in-demand Skilled Trades jobs in Lenawee do not require a post-secondary degree but do require on-the-job training. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers may be expected to have a postsecondary non-degree award. Many of Lenawee County’s most in-demand Skilled Trades occupations do not have enough students graduating from related degree and certificate programs to satisfy employer demand. Also note that many degrees can prepare a person for multiple jobs, therefore the completions data presented may not be informative for many Skilled Trades occupations.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SKILLED TRADES AND TECHNICIANS: TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
SKILLED TRADES AND TECHNICIANS: TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS Jobs in the manufacturing industry can range from assembly and production, to skilled trades and technicians, designers and engineers, and even computer-related occupations such as software development. This section focuses on engineers & designers, which represent 10,508 employed individuals in Region 9. Demand for engineers in the region has been consistent, and employment has been growing quickly. Top in-demand occupations for Lenawee County’s engineering cluster remain relatively unchanged. Industrial engineers still top the list during Q2 2015, with 15 online job ads between April and June. Postings for electrical engineers had increased between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015 and has sustained that level, so this occupation also retains a top spot with 5 postings.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS: TOP JOBS
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS: ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
Postings in the Engineering & Design cluster in Lenawee County grew slightly between quarters, from 37 ads in Q1 2015 to 43 during Q2. Q2’s level of postings is the highest seen for this cluster since analysis began in Q1 2011. Postings in the Engineering & Design cluster account for 4.2% of all online job ads in Lenawee County.
Lenawee County has high employment levels in many of local employers’ most in-demand Engineering & Design occupations. Q2’s top in-demand job, industrial engineers, has a location quotient (LQ) of 4.03 where 1 equals the national average, which means that these workers are 4.03 times more concentrated in Lenawee County than they are across the rest of the country. Engineering & Design jobs pay Lenawee County workers well, with median wages for top indemand occupations at $27.99 per hour and up. Typical entry-level (10th percentile) wages for these occupations also offer workers a living wage, with all wages at or above $18.25 per hour and upward wage growth potential with experience. These well-paying jobs require advanced educational attainment, like a bachelor’s degree, for even the entry-level. The top in-demand occupations in Lenawee County do not have students completing related degrees at regional institutions. Data show only 2 graduates from manufacturing engineering programs in 2013.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS: TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
ENGINEERS AND DESIGNERS: TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Information technology jobs include occupations that are associated with entry level, technical, and professional careers related to the design, development, support and management of hardware, software, multimedia, and systems integration services. While the information technology cluster does not currently meet the employment levels of the other clusters, it is quickly growing. In 2014, IT occupational employment was 11,773 in Region 9. Top jobs in this cluster include computer support specialists, computer systems analysts, and software developers for applications. Software developers, applications, topped the list of in-demand IT occupations for Lenawee County in Q2 2015, as this occupation often does for other geographies. Lenawee County employers posted 5 online job ads for software developers, applications, 4 for search marketing strategists, and 3 each for computer programmers and network and computer systems administrators during Q2.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOP JOBS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
The IT cluster was the only WIN-analyzed cluster to experience a decline in employer demand during Q2 in Lenawee County -- postings fell to 23 from a peak at 35 during Q1 2015. Employer demand for this occupation cluster is still quite volatile in Lenawee County so postings may increase during Q3 following this dip during Q2. IT postings make up just 2.2% of total postings in Lenawee County which is lower than the share of postings of this type in other locations.
Employment in IT occupations in Lenawee County is below the national average. Lenawee County’s most in-demand IT occupation, software developers, applications, have a location quotient (LQ) of 0.31 meaning that the concentration of this type of worker is less than a third of the national average. Employment in other occupations like network and computer system administrators (LQ = 0.74) is closer to the national average, and with continued demand and successful hiring by Lenawee County employers, employment in these jobs will grow. Although Lenawee County does not have high employment numbers for IT occupations, those that are employed in these jobs are paid well. Median hourly earnings for all of Lenawee County’s in-demand IT jobs are above a living wage level of $15 per hour. Entry-level wages (10th percentile) are not as high for all occupations but offer upward wage growth opportunities. In order to get a high-paying IT job, Lenawee County residents must attain at least a bachelor’s degree. Entry-level web developers may be hired with the completion of a relevant associate’s degree. Regional institutions report that many students are graduating from programs related to the top IT jobs in the county, so Lenawee County employers have hiring options as the IT cluster continues to grow here.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
HEALTH CARE WIN’s health care occupation cluster includes jobs related to health care support and practitioners. This cluster is one of Region 9’s largest with, 48,914 employees in 2014. Employment in this cluster has been consistently growing, more health care workers needed to care for Michigan’s aging population and in response to regulatory and other changes. Registered nurses are routinely the most indemand job in this cluster. Registered nurses regain their spot at the top of the in-demand Health Care occupations list in Lenawee County during Q2 2015. Postings had fallen from 30 in Q4 2014 to 18 in Q1 2015, and employer demand for this occupation has grown quickly, with 52 online job ads posted during Q2. Demand for RNs significantly outpaces demand for other Health Care occupations. This fluctuation may be a result of the mergers and acquisitions occurring in the Health Care field at this time. Employers posted 19 ads for health technologists and technicians, and 18 for speechlanguage pathologists during Q2.
HEALTH CARE TOP JOBS
HEALTH CARE ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
Postings in Lenawee County’s Health Care cluster are up 44.7% between Q1 and Q2 2015. Local employers posted 199 online job ads for these occupations during Q2. This is the highest level of postings for this cluster since analysis began in Q1 2011. Health Care is one of Lenawee County’s largest clusters; employer demand for these occupations accounted for 19.3% of all online job ads posted in the county during Q2 2015.
Lenawee County workers are already employed in many of the most in-demand Health Care occupations. The concentration of these workers is above the national average for many jobs. A location quotient (LQ) of 1 represents the national average, and occupations like registered nurses (LQ = 1.27) are more concentrated in Lenawee County – RNs are employed here at a concentration 27% higher than the rest of the country. Top health care jobs, like registered nurses ($30.15 per hour) and physical therapists ($39.48 per hour), offer Lenawee County workers good wages. Many of the top occupations also offer good wages at the entry level (10th percentile) with opportunity for upward wage growth. Health care occupations present regional workers with opportunities for work at various educational levels. Most health care cluster occupations require either a two-year degree or some post-secondary training or certificate, at minimum. Higher skilled occupations like physician assistants and physicians or surgeons require advanced degrees, such as a master’s degree or doctoral or professional degree; Regional institutions have high numbers of completers in programs that could prepare workers for many of these health care occupations-even those most in-demand, like registered nurses.
HEALTH CARE TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY The retail and hospitality cluster is the largest occupational cluster that WIN analyzes, both in terms of employment and online job postings. This cluster is of very high importance to the region because it is the first to grow when the economy expands and the first to contract in a downturn: It is often a leading indicator. As defined by WIN, the retail and hospitality cluster encompasses all customer service occupations, with skills transferrable across the retail sector, the hotel industry, food and beverage service industry, call centers, and other areas. In 2014, 110,843 individuals were employment in retail and hospitality related occupations in Region 9. Postings in Lenawee County for retail salespersons were back up to 37 during Q2 2015 after dropping to 26 during Q1. The top in-demand jobs for this cluster have remained relatively unchanged for several years, but shuffle order between quarters. The top 5 occupations are rounded out by wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives (21 postings), first-line supervisors of retail sales workers (21 postings), customer service representatives (19 postings), and sales managers (14 postings).
RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY TOP JOBS
RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
Postings in the Retail & Hospitality cluster grew 9.25% between Q1 and Q2 2015. Postings for this cluster had peaked in Q3 2014 at 318 online job ads. Q2’s 216 postings account for 21.00% of all online job postings in Lenawee County this quarter.
Lenawee County has average concentrations of Retail & Hospitality workers for many top jobs and below the average for others. For example, the most in-demand Retail occupation this quarter, retail salespersons, has a location quotient (LQ) of 1.11, meaning that the concentration of this type of worker in Lenawee County is 11% higher than the concentration across the rest of the nation. The concentrations of customer service representatives (LQ = 0.75), and of sales managers (LQ = 0.53) are well below the national average.
Occupations in this cluster compensate workers anywhere from $9.11 to $38.24 per hour at the median. Management level and wholesale & manufacturing sales positions offer some of the highest wages for their workers, as well as the most opportunity for wage growth with experience. The higher-paying retail positions mentioned above are those most likely to require more education, like a bachelor’s degree. Most other occupations in the Retail & Hospitality cluster require little previous experience and only some on-the-job training of their workers. Many degrees can prepare workers for high level retail jobs in sales and marketing, so analyzing regional related degree completions is not very applicable to this occupation cluster.
RETAIL AND HOSPITALITY TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
AGRICULTURE WIN’s agriculture cluster brings together occupations that require knowledge of the farming, livestock, the environment, and natural sciences. Occupations range from farm workers, to environmental engineers, to meat butchers, and recreation workers. In 2014, 30,424 individuals were employed in the agriculture cluster in Region 9. Butchers and meat cutters were the top in-demand occupation for the Agriculture cluster in Lenawee County this quarter, with 3 online job ads posted. Farm and ranch managers, occupational health and safety specialists, and farmworkers and laborers, each garnered 2 online job postings during Q2. Low employer demand in this cluster, compared to others, indicates that Agriculture employers are not using online job postings to their full advantage in recruiting and hiring.
AGRICULTURE TOP JOBS
AGRICULTURE ONLINE JOB POSTINGS OVER TIME
As mentioned previously, Agriculture occupations do not often garner a large number of online job postings. Postings in this cluster remained stagnant from Q1 2015 (18 postings) to Q2 (19 postings). Agriculture occupations are the smallest cluster in Lenawee County, accounting for just 1.8% of all online job ads in the region.
Lenawee County has high concentrations of many in-demand agricultural workers. As an example, farm and ranch managers have a location quotient (LQ) of 1.18 in Lenawee County, which means that this type of worker is 18% more concentrated here than the rest of the nation on average. Tree trimmers and pruners (LQ = 2.29) are more than twice as concentrated in Lenawee as the rest of the country. Agriculture cluster jobs are not high paying in Lenawee County, with most occupations offering low median wages. Occupational health safety specialists are the highest paid Agriculture workers, earning $29.79 per hour at the median. Many of the in-demand agriculture occupations do not require more than a high school diploma and are attainable with some on-the-job training. However, the high-paying jobs in occupational health require at least a bachelor’s degree. Many degrees can prepare completers for multiple jobs, therefore it is not advantageous to compare completions to demand in a cluster like Agriculture where programs do not map perfectly onto occupations and many occupations may not even require a degree.
AGRICULTURE TOP 10 JOBS LOCATION QUOTIENT AND WAGES
TOP 10 JOBS RECENT GRADUATES AND EDUCATION AND TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
SECTION THREE
LABOR MARKET AND DEMAND SUMMARY
Employment in Lenawee County grew 1.8% between Q1 2015 and Q2, from 45,048 to 45,864. The county labor force grew at a slower rate (1.0%) between quarters from 47,724 to 48,223. Because employment is growing at a faster rate than labor force participation, the 11.8% decrease in unemployment can be attributed to people gaining jobs. Between quarters Lenawee County’s unemployment rate dropped from 5.6% to 4.9%. Total job postings in Lenawee County increased 13.2% between quarters. Local employers posted 1,030 online job ads during Q2 2015, compared to 894 during Q1. Only one occupational cluster analyzed by WIN, Information Technology, saw postings decrease between quarters. 53.6% of job posting growth is captured by the occupational clusters analyzed by WIN.
SECTION FOUR DATA NOTES AND SOURCES
DATA NOTES AND SOURCES SPECIAL DATA NOTE • Due to changes in Burning Glass’s aggregation, parsing, and deduplication methods implemented in December 2014, data from previously released reports should not be compared to data in reports starting in Q4 2014 and moving forward. For the Q4 2014 report, the WIN team re-gathered and analyzed all of the data (postings from 2011 through 2014) to ensure that all numbers are up-to-date. If you would like information on the differences between the updated data and data from previous reports, please contact WIN's Research Director Colby Spencer Cesaro at colby.cesaro@win-semich.org. • Wage data that is not labeled as a national average is specific to each report's geography. For example, wage data reported in the WIN Region report is averaged across the 9-county WIN Region. Data in the Wayne County report is wage data solely for Wayne County. • All numbers included in this report are the correct and updated data. • Wage and educational attainment data available varies depending on the occupation. All wage and educational attainment data provided is for the 6digit SOC code. Some 6-digit codes do not have education or wage data available, in this case we leave the information blank. • Educational attainment data available refers to the share of the current workforce in each bracket, not what is shown in postings. Employers may require different educational attainment than what is in this report. • Quarterly reports: Due to a data update in Burning Glass Technologies’ Labor Insight tool, comparisons should not be made between data from each quarterly report and the annual review data should not be compared to data from previous quarterly reports. • Adjustments to the labor force information were also made to reflect and incorporate updated inputs, re-estimation, and controlling to new statewide totals. Much of the information related to monthly and quarterly employment is updated several months after the initial release. More information can be found here: http://www.bls.gov/lau/launews1. htm
DATA NOTES AND SOURCES UNDERSTANDING DEMAND VS EMPLOYMENT • Employment refers to actual employment numbers—the number of people in jobs—in targeted industries or occupations. • Demand refers to statistics derived from employer job postings, which indicate the potential for employment but may or may not materialize into actual jobs. • Job posting-related demand, as presented in this report, is measured by online job postings. Employer demand may be larger than what is highlighted in this report if employers find talent by other means.
DATA SOURCES • Labor market demand data for this report was compiled using Burning Glass Technologies’ Labor Insight Tool, and analyzed by the Workforce Intelligence Network. Other data sources include, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI). Check out our website http://www.winsemich.org for more data and detailed information about our sources.
UNDERSTANDING CLUSTERS • Rather than focusing on talent demand within industries (types of firms), WIN generally emphasizes exploring talent demand based on occupations, including the skills, educational credentials, and experience needed to work in them. • WIN research examines industry data, as the health of companies can be useful for economic development purposes. However, shifting focus from industry to occupation is important as different types of occupations with extremely different skillsets may work within and across industries. For example, accountants, computer specialists, and engineers all may work in the manufacturing industry. • By clustering occupations, the talent system can identify employer demand for particular skillsets across multiple industry types and develop a response through training and pipeline development to meet that demand.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RESEARCH AND DATA, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.WIN-SEMICH.ORG/DATA-RESEARCH