New York, NY, April 28--The Conference Board’s Help-Wanted Advertising Index – a key barometer of America’s job market – slid two points in March. The Index now stands at 39, the same as one year ago.
Through January, only one of the nation’s nine regions was showing a decline in ad volume over the latest three-month period. The situation has deteriorated—with only three regions still showing a positive trend--- Mountain (34.6%), West South Central (7.4%) and Middle Atlantic (6.2%).
The Conference Board Economist Ken Goldstein says: "Clearly something has changed sharply and suddenly. What appears to have developed is a renewed business caution on stepping up investing and hiring plans. With cost increasing in 2005 for materials and labor, the key question has been whether executives can push prices up enough to keep pace with costs. Fears that they may not be able to accomplish that have turned hiring plans very cautious again."
The Conference Board surveys help-wanted 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.
