CareerBuilder's Growth In Job Listings And Traffic Reflects Stronger Confidence In U.S. Employment Market

CHICAGO, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire / -- Continued gains in job postings and job searches on CareerBuilder.com are indicating a greater sense of optimism among U.S. employers and workers.  CareerBuilder saw a 23 percent year-over-year increase in job listings in March, the most robust gain since the recession.  At the same time, 24.8 million unique visitors came to the CareerBuilder network in March, the highest in the industry and a 10 percent increase both sequentially and year-over-year, according to comScore Media Metrix*.  

"We're seeing the aggregate numbers on CareerBuilder increase at a much higher percentage rate than in the past," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.  "This year, job listings in March were up more than 20 percent year-over-year.  Last year, the increase was in the mid- single digits.  Traffic increases are also stronger in 2011 as more workers return to the labor force to look for jobs and underemployed workers seek out more fulfilling opportunities."  

In recent CareerBuilder surveys, 31 percent of full-time, employed workers reported they will start looking for a new job as the economy improves.  Seventy-six percent reported that although they are not actively seeking a new job today, they would be willing to change jobs in 2011 for the right opportunity.  

The right opportunity may come sooner than expected.  The U.S. added 1.5 million jobs since a recent low in February 2010 and added 230,000 private sector jobs in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Job listings on CareerBuilder are trending up among all categories including healthcare, information technology, engineering, sales, customer service, manufacturing, financial services and others.    

"While the job market remains highly competitive, hiring is picking up across industries, company sizes and job levels," said Ferguson.  "Big companies are not just bringing back sales or IT positions, but almost every role within the organization.  That's different from last year when you might have seen a certain function or a division that was hiring."