The document summarizes key labor statistics from December 2012: - Unemployment remained unchanged at 7.8% while 155,000 new jobs were created, mostly in the private sector. - Construction and healthcare saw significant job growth while retail saw declines. - The quality of jobs is improving as fewer people are working part-time involuntarily and average work hours increased. - Unemployment for those with a bachelor's degree or higher remained at 3.9% while rising slightly for those with some college. - Overall, December showed stable employment across industries despite negative pre-report expectations.

1. Put A Lie Detector
On Those Numbers Submitted by: Joe Cianciolo, Senior Account Manager
Management Recruiters of Cleveland-Southwest
>Experts in Global Search
The numbers lie. If you drill down on the Bureau of Labor (330) 273-4300 ext. 109
Statistics numbers, you will draw some startling conclusions that JoeCC@MRCSW.com
will help you plot a winning hiring strategy for 2013. The
employment numbers for December turned out vanilla once
more. If you think that means it is an “Employer’s Market”, it’s Call me to help you attract the impact player who can push
time to take a harder look at the figures. you beyond your 2013 goals.
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Most Americans do not have a college degree. Less than a
third of the labor force over the age of 25 has a bachelor’s
degree and only about 10 percent have graduate degrees.
VOLUME V | | ISSUE 5
Yet, for most professional or managerial jobs a bachelor’s
degree is not just preferred, but required. During the
recession, with high unemployment and large perceived
candidate availability, more roles began requiring advanced
educations.
According to Burning Glass, a job boards analytics company, five
years ago, just 12 percent of dental laboratory technician “In general, unemployed bachelor’s degree holders are younger,
positions required a college degree, today, 33 percent do. Five less experienced, and less likely to be a match for the most
years ago 43 percent of farm product buying and purchasing critical mid-career vacancies,” says Romaine. “While there are
agent positions required bachelor’s degrees, today 77 percent clearly exceptions to this profile, finding the exceptions is one of
do. Other occupations including cargo agents, insurance the hardest parts of hiring in this economic environment.”
adjustors, and engineering technicians have all seen similar
degree inflation during the recession. Even while the economy has been growing over the last year—
July 9 2012
albeit slowly—the impact on employment levels for those with
“Degree inflation comes both from employers trying to lower levels of educational attainment has been devastating.
better filter resumes, but also from the growing technical Total employment for those without any college experience has
requirements,” says Rob Romaine, president fallen by 535,000 jobs in the last twelve months. For those with
of MRINetwork. “A draftsman used to need to go to a college experience, however, total employment has grown by
technical school to learn how to translate an architect’s more than 2.5 million positions, with 1.9 million of those jobs
designs into blueprints with a pencil and a ruler. Today, that going to bachelor’s degree holders.
position requires the use of computer-aided design
software, and understanding of architecture, mathematics, “For a company’s most critical positions you have to hire
science and technology. Frequently, a bachelor’s degree in someone who already has the education, skills and needed
architectural drafting and design will be required too.” experience on day one. For many roles there is little room
for on the job training and if there isn’t an internal promotion
The portion of job postings for architectural drafters requiring a possible, they will have to hire from the open market. That
bachelor’s degree has grown from 41 percent to 56 percent over open market is a candidate pool which even in a struggling
the last five years according to Burning Glass. economy is extraordinarily tight,” says Romaine.
The unemployment rate for bachelor’s degree holders has
fallen from 5 percent in late 2010 to 3.8 percent in November
and it is just one small indicator of a lack of available
professional talent. While more jobs may require bachelor’s
degrees, employers are also seeking candidates with more
experience, something not necessarily obtained along with a
degree. For those between 20 and 24 years old who want
work, which includes recent college graduates, the
Source: Department of Labor
unemployment rate is 12.7 percent, nearly twice the 6.5
percent unemployment rate for those over 25 years old.
© 2012 Management Recruiters International, Inc. An Equal Opportunity Employer. Each office is independently owned and operated.

2. Employment Summary
for December 2012
Unemployment in December remained unchanged at 7.8
percent, according to the Labor Department, while 155,000
new jobs were created. In the private sector, 168,000 new
jobs were created while 13,000 government positions were
lost, mostly in local education. December was the sixth
month in a row of employment gains over 100,000,
approximately the number needed to keep pace with
population growth.
On the heels of Hurricane Sandy, residential construction
employment grew by 18,100, nearly two-thirds of the 30,000
construction jobs added during the month. When holiday
sales fell short of forecasts, though, clothing and clothing
accessories stores trimmed their December plans and total
employment in the category fell 18,700. Courier and
messenger positions fell by 10,800 on a seasonal basis.
Food services and drinking places added 38,000 positions,
likely seeing some of the growth that retailers did not. As has
been the case for much of the last several years, a larger
portion of the job growth came from the healthcare sector,
where 44,000 positions were created.
While the total job growth remains slow, there is increasing
evidence that the quality of those jobs is improving. The
number of people working part-time jobs because of
economic reasons fell by 220,000 during the month. Nearly
three quarters of those being jobs that were once full-time,
became part-time, and now have returned to full-time status.
Average weekly hours have also edged up over the last few
The full Bureau of Labor Statistics report months. In December, weekly hours increased from 34.4 to
34.5 hours.
can be downloaded here:
Employment based on education during December remained
largely unchanged, with those holding a bachelor’s degree
and higher seeing a 3.9 percent unemployment rate for the
second month in a row. Unemployment among those with
some college experience, but less than a four-year degree,
edged up from 6.6 to 6.9 percent. That growth, though, was
largely driven by an increased participation rate, rather than
decreased employment.
December’s employment report showed largely stable
employment across industries, which is kind of a remarkable
feat considering the overwhelming pundit discourse
throughout the month projecting a post-fiscal cliff recession.
Yet, with such a negative outlook, hiring continued, and
employers utilized more of the employees they do have to
meet demand.
While Washington’s resolution of the fiscal cliff crisis was
less than definitive, we are now moving into a new year with
a more positive outlook than we have had for the last several
years.