Hiring Trends Show a Slight Dip For Second Month: LinkedIn Workforce Report April 2017

Hiring in the U.S. got off to an exceptionally strong start in January. But since then, hiring activity has dipped slightly. Hiring across the U.S. was 5.8% higher in March than March 2016, but seasonally-adjusted hiring (hiring that excludes seasonal hiring variations - like companies hiring less in December due to the holiday season) was 0.9% lower than February. And February was 1.3% lower than January. That’s according to our new LinkedIn Workforce Report — a report we publish monthly that can help you navigate your career. It sheds light on hiring trends, the skills companies need most, and the places where workers are moving.

Does that mean you shouldn’t look for a new gig? Absolutely not. While hiring cooled slightly in February and March, it was red hot in January. So hiring remains solid. If you’re searching for job opportunities, check out LinkedIn Jobs.

Here’s another highlight from this month’s report:

Austin replaced Houston as the city with the third largest skills gap.

Austin’s skills gap is caused by a scarcity and abundance of workers with certain skills. But the skills that are in abundance (technology skills like integrated circuit design, Perly/Python/Ruby, and virtualization) are becoming more abundant, and the skills that are in scarcity (mostly service-industry skills, like healthcare management, retail store operations, and nursing) are becoming more scarce. Austin’s economy is changing. It’s possible some skills are becoming obsolete, while supply of workers with scarce skills hasn’t caught up. Regardless, Austin gained the second most workers in the last year. So if you’re considering moving to Texas’ state capitol, make sure you check out its City Report to ensure you have the skills employers there need most.