Help-Wanted Ad Index Dips One Point

New York, NY, April 26, 2007-- The Conference Board Help-Wanted Advertising Index — a key measure of job offerings in major newspapers across America — dipped one point in March. The Index now stands at 30. It was 37 one year ago.

The Conference Board is the global business research and membership organization.

In the last three months, help-wanted advertising declined in eight of the nine U.S. regions. Steepest declines occurred in the East South Central (-22.6%), South Atlantic (-17.5%) and East North Central (-17.0%) regions. The New England region rose 3.2%.

Says Ken Goldstein, labor economist at The Conference Board: "The forward indicators of labor market activity have been mixed in recent months. The economy has lost a little momentum and growth prospects remain somewhat questionable. But business confidence regained a little strength in the first quarter, suggesting that employers may be inclined to hire workers if their business growth does not fall. The relatively modest ad volume now could be a signal that job growth may be modest (not more than 130,000 per month) this summer."

Help-wanted postings on major job boards declined 2 percent in March, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series. However, the March dip in advertised job vacancies was likely the result of fewer days in the February-March reference period.

The Conference Board surveys help-wanted print advertising volume in 51 major newspapers across the country every month. Because ad volume has proven to be sensitive to labor market conditions, this measure provides a gauge of change in the local, regional and national supply of jobs.