QUARTERLY REPORT LENAWEE COUNTY Q1 2015
SUMMARY LENAWEE Q1 2015 DEMAND OVERVIEW Employment grew 1.6% in Lenawee County between 2013 and 2014 while the labor force shrank 0.3%, meaning that the county saw its unemployment rate drop nearly 2 percentage points from 8.7% to 7.0%.
Retail & hospitality jobs make up 22% of all online job postings in Lenawee County and health care occupations make up 12%, but both clusters saw postings decrease by 17% between quarters, contributing to the overall decrease in postings in the county. Total job postings in Lenawee County decreased by 13% between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015, from 1,033 to 894; however, this posting level is consistent with the average postings for the county throughout 2014.
*This report includes top jobs and postings over time highlights for clusters that have made major shifts or movements in the past quarter. The data is updated each quarter based on the clusters with the most noteworthy changes. For complete top jobs lists, educational attainment, and wage information, please see the regional reports or contact WIN's Research Director Colby Cesaro at colby.cesaro@win-semich.org.
TOP JOBS Q1 2015
ANALYSIS Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers were by far the most in-demand jobs in Lenawee County in Q1 2015, as they were in Q4, with 113 postings. The next three most-demanded jobs for the quarter only warranted postings in the 20s and represent the retail and hospitality occupation cluster.
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HIGHLIGHTS IT POSTINGS OVER TIME
ANALYSIS Postings for jobs in the IT occupation cluster reached new heights in Q1 at 35, the highest seen in the data since beginning analysis in Q1 2011. This new level follows an increase in postings since Q2 2014. Postings in the IT cluster peaked similarly in Q3 2011 and Q1 2012.
ENGINEER & DESIGNER POSTINGS OVER TIME
ANALYSIS Postings for engineers & designers also spiked at 37 in Q1 2015 after a drop-off in Q3 and Q4. Demand in this cluster has been turbulent but generally increasing since the beginning of 2013. Postings reached similar heights in Q3 2012 and Q2 2014.
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LABOR MARKET OVERVIEW EMPLOYMENT & LABOR FORCE
ANALYSIS During 2014, employment in Lenawee County averaged 41,852 individuals, with an available labor force of 44,983. Employment grew 1.6% between 2013 and 2014 while the labor force shrank 0.3%, meaning that Lenawee County saw its unemployment rate drop nearly 2 percentage points from 8.7% to 7.0%. These data represent a general decline in Lenawee County’s unemployment rate; the unemployment rate fell from 8.1% in January 2014 to 5.3% in December 2014.
TOTAL POSTINGS OVER TIME
ANALYSIS Total job postings in Lenawee County decreased by 13% between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015, from 1,033 to 894. However, the totals for Q3 and Q4 were the first time during WIN analysis that postings broke 1,000 for Lenawee County. Q1’s posting total is also equal to the average of 2014’s quarter totals.
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POSTING TRENDS BY CLUSTER
ANALYSIS The two largest occupation clusters analyzed by WIN in Lenawee County saw a decrease in postings between Q4 2014 and Q1 2015. Retail & hospitality jobs make up 22% of all online job postings in the county and health care occupations make up 12%, but both clusters saw postings decrease by 17% between quarters, contributing to the overall decrease in postings in the county. On a higher note, while the engineers & designers cluster only represents 4% of postings, those postings more than doubled between quarters. The clusters analyzed by WIN account for 48.7% of all online job postings in the county.
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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER SKILLED TRADE & TECHNICIAN TOP JOBS
ANALYSIS Postings for the top two skilled trades jobs in Lenawee County remained the same between Q4 and Q1, meaning that welders, cutters, & fitters and first-line supervisors of production and operating works are again the most-demanded occupations in this cluster. More skilled occupations were demanded in Q1, with computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal & plastic; tool & die makers; and metal workers & plastic workers, all other rounding out the top five.
HEALTH CARE TOP JOBS
ANALYSIS Postings for registered nurses fell to 18 in Q1 (30 postings in Q4), sinking them to 2nd place in health care occupations. The most in-demand occupation for the health care cluster was physical therapists with 19 postings. Nursing assistants, medical assistants, and physical therapy assistants all maintain high demand as they did in Q4 2014.
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TOP JOBS BY CLUSTER ENGINEER & DESIGNER TOP JOBS
ANALYSIS Industrial engineers and manufacturing engineers are still in high demand in Lenawee County during Q1 2015. Electrical engineers and chemical engineers both had postings increase from 1 in Q4 to 7 and 5 in Q1, respectively. This increase means that these two occupations join the top three demanded jobs in this cluster.
RETAIL & HOSPITALITY TOP JOBS
ANALYSIS Postings for combined food preparation and serving workers fell from 28 in Q4 to 17 in Q1, meaning this occupation fell from Lenawee County’s top demanded retail & hospitality occupations. For Q1 2015, first-line supervisors of retail sales workers, retail salespersons, and customer service representatives are the most demanded occupations in this cluster, even though postings for retail salespersons fell from 36 to 26 between quarters.
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