Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NEW YORK, Nov 30, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The number of help-wanted ads in major U.S. newspapers rose very slightly in October, a private group reported Thursday.
The Conference Board's Help-Wanted Advertising Index rose a mere 1 point last month, leaving the index flat at 30, down from 37 one year ago.
In the last three months, help-wanted advertising declined in eight of the nine U.S. regions the board monitors.
"The job market is responding to a cooling in the overall economic environment. This holiday season, deep discounts are being offered for many products, but this will cut into profit margins as labor cost increases edge up. That makes business attitudes no more bullish than consumer attitudes. Business plans have become cautious -- on spending, on building inventory, and on hiring going forward."
Although print advertising was generally flat, the rise in online ad volume increased modestly. Total online job ads increased by 198,300 to 3,831,100 in October.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
