Online demand for managers, particular marketing managers, up in February

Oveall online job demand declined by nearly 67,000 in February but demand for managers was up by more than 60,000 according to the Conference Board.

“Among the top 10 occupation groups with the largest number of online advertised vacancies, Management occupations rose 61,100 to 488,000 in February. Job demand in this occupational group lay flat for all of 2009 but has picked up in January and February. The increase reflects postings for a wide variety of occupations including sales managers, computer and information systems managers, and marketing managers.”

The drop in overall job demand in February comes after a gain of 750,000 over the previous three months. The Conference Board does not interpret the February decline as signally a long term reversal of job gains. They write: “"Although labor demand dipped slightly, the large gains in the last few months have provided a positive sign of a turnaround in employer labor demand," said June Shelp, Vice President at The Conference Board. "Currently, labor demand, as measured by online job postings, is close to the levels in November 2008, just prior to the huge losses from the financial crisis. The numbers indicate that the economy is recovering from the recession and companies are filling vacant positions, but it is still unclear if employers are willing to significantly expand their workforce."

See the full report at: http://www.conference-board.org/economics/helpwantedOnline.cfm