Employment figures reported for April 2016 remained positive, but shy of the lofty gains made in recent months. How might this impact your hunt heading into summer, as the job market heats up commensurate with the temperature?
In the last half-decade, April has ushered in the month-over-month growth typical of the spring and summer months with some of the bigger job gains seen all year, including a 346,000 job increase in 2011 and 310,000 in 2014. The reported 160,000 new jobs added to the American economy this April total the lowest single month gain posted yet in 2016.
Still, the full year has shown positive growth on par with 2015, which saw tremendous job creation in the summer months. And while April 2015 was a springboard into the substantial employment growth seen in May, June and July, March's growth a year ago lagged dramatically.
March 2016 saw 208,000 jobs, compared to just 84,000 in 2015. Therefore, the combined spring seasonal growth for this year is actually ahead of a year ago.
Should prospects gain steam in the summer, certain industries will lead the way. The BLS reports employment growth in professional and business services, health care, and finance.
Expect that to be the trend. Among the most openings listed in the CareerCast.com jobs database are positions in sales and business development; healthcare; and administration.
The CareerCast database also has more than 34,000 listing in retail, as employers prepare for the rush typical in the summer months.