1. careers
2. job search

The
Talent Driven
Economy
Emerging Interests of Today’s Job Seeker
1 © Indeed
“
In today’s labor market,
candidates are more in
control than ever before.
Not only is job search more online
and more mobile than in the past,
but the market is much tighter than
in recent years. Simply put, there are
fewer unemployed job seekers for
every job opening—and the war for
talent is on. In order to reach the
best-fit candidate for each role,
employers will need to understand
their talent market, staying in tune
with shifting candidate interests
and meeting job seekers at the right
time and place. Our research into
the emerging interests of today’s
job seeker reveals several dominant
themes: healthcare, flexible work,
oil, and tech jobs. With six out of the
Tara M. Sinclair, PhD
Chief Economist, Indeed
top ten fastest growing job searches
in tech and two in healthcare, it’s
encouraging to see increasing
interest in these hard-to-fill roles. Still,
there is not enough interest to meet
employer demand. The following
in-depth analysis from the Indeed
Hiring Lab gives employers insight
into these trends as they appear in
key metro areas, in all 50 states and
the District of Columbia, and in each
season throughout the year. With
these findings, employers can equip
themselves with the data to take
on the talent-driven economy and
understand the nuanced job search
of the candidates they’re pursuing.
”
All content © Indeed Inc. 2015
2 © Indeed
Table of contents
Introduction
Job seekers are taking the driver’s seat..............................................................5
Candidates are attracted to occupations with the most job postings..................7
Key Insights
4 job search themes from the past year..............................................................9
Top 10 emerging job searches.........................................................................14
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
Atlanta..............................................................................................................26
Boston.............................................................................................................26
Chicago...........................................................................................................27
Dallas...............................................................................................................27
Houston...........................................................................................................28
Los Angeles.....................................................................................................28
New York City..................................................................................................29
Philadelphia......................................................................................................29
San Francisco..................................................................................................30
Washington DC................................................................................................30
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
Northeast.........................................................................................................32
Midwest...........................................................................................................34
South...............................................................................................................36
West................................................................................................................38
3 © Indeed
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Winter...............................................................................................................42
Spring...............................................................................................................43
Summer............................................................................................................44
Fall...................................................................................................................45
Employer Insights
Jim Link, Randstad North America...................................................................48
Jason Otero, Esri..............................................................................................52
Inder Singh, Kinsa............................................................................................55
Appendices
Data and methodology.....................................................................................60
About the author..............................................................................................62
4 © Indeed
Introduction
Job seekers are taking
the driver’s seat
The labor market of the last few years
was a difficult one for job seekers. At the
depths of the recession in 2009, there
were two million job openings: one job
opening for every 6.2 unemployed job
seekers. People were hesitant to leave
their jobs, uncertain they’d be able to
find another opportunity. Many who had
been unemployed long term became
discouraged and left the workforce
entirely. Under these conditions, many
people, especially those in less skilled
occupations, weren’t focused on finding
the right job; they were thankful just to
have a job.
Today, the state of the economy has visibly
improved. In January 2015, three million
more Americans were earning paychecks
than in the previous 12 months. The year
started with five million job openings:
only 1.7 unemployed job seekers for
every vacancy. For the first time in six
years, unemployment has fallen below
6% nationwide and is at 2.8% for those
with a bachelor’s degree or higher. In this
improved environment, things are getting
better for job seekers.
This report focuses on the emerging
interests of today’s job seekers: the types
of job searches that are on the rise, the
locations where they’re emerging, and the
rhythms of the job search, which change
throughout the year. Labor supply typically
follows labor demand, but we see in some
key areas that job seeker interest is not
keeping up with demand—these are the
areas of greatest concern for 2015 and
beyond (see chart on page 9). Our findings
suggest that in order to identify the select
candidates who are right for each job,
employers will need to learn the nuances
of their talent market and identify what
their candidates are looking for, where they
are searching for a job, and when their job
searches are taking place.
The labor market is tightening:
Job seekers
Job openings
2009
6.2
unemployed job
seekers for every
job opening
2015
1.7
unemployed job
seekers for every
job opening
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
5 © Indeed
Introduction
While the economic downturn gave
employers their choice of top talent in
almost any field, candidates now have
more options and can be more strategic.
Instead of staying in a job that is not the
right fit or accepting any offer, people can
now find the job that suits them best. For
talent acquisition professionals—from
corporate executives to recruiters in the
field—this shift is palpable. This is a war
for talent in which there are fewer job
seekers to compete over, especially
highly skilled candidates.
In the labor market today, there are a
smaller number of people who are out
of work and many millions of employed
potential candidates. As a result, much
of the job flow in the coming years will
be people leaving their current jobs for
more appealing opportunities. The tasks
of attracting and retaining this in-demand
talent have spread to more occupations
than ever before, and it is becoming even
harder to fill jobs that have always been
hard to fill.
In general, the job seeker interests
emerging in 2015 are specialized: they
tend to require a college degree or a
specific certification. For the most part,
these are jobs that require technical
expertise, as candidates will be working
from a computer. Six out of the top ten
emerging jobs are in the tech industry, and
two are in healthcare. Talent Acquisition
itself is also among the top ten, pointing
to the emerging importance of people
with the skills to help organizations locate
and hire the right people. And while it’s
encouraging to see these searches grow
from year to year, there are still fewer
candidates searching than employers
need. The challenge and opportunity for
employers will be identifying the new
sources of hard-to-find candidates in a
talent-driven economy.
The emerging interests of today’s job seeker are:
Specialized
Candidates are searching for jobs
that require a college degree or a
specific skill set
6 © Indeed
Technical
People expect to work alongside
and with technology
Introduction
Candidates are attracted
to occupations with the
most job postings
But in some areas there is still not enough interest from job seekers. The chart on
the following page illustrates where there are opportunities for candidates and where
employers may be challenged to find enough talent.
The greatest mismatch between job postings and job seeker interest is in Healthcare
Practitioners and Technical occupations, where demand from employers is two times
larger than interest from candidates. Similarly dramatic shortages are present in Computer
and Mathematical and Transportation and Material Moving occupations. In general, the
number of job openings outpaces the number of candidates.
7 © Indeed
Introduction
Occupations
Job Postings
Management
15.03%
15.07%
Business and Financial Operations
5.92%
6.49%
Computer and Mathematical
8.44%
5.46%
Architecture and Engineering
3.40%
2.57%
Life, Physical, and Social Science
1.95%
2.98%
Community and Social Service
1.59%
3.17%
Legal
0.52%
0.87%
Education, Training, and Library
3.31%
3.33%
Entertainment, Sports, and Media
2.14%
2.91%
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
14.17%
6.91%
Healthcare Support
2.57%
2.94%
Protective Service
0.73%
2.10%
Food Preparation and Serving Related
3.24%
1.64%
Building and Grounds Cleaning
0.92%
1.20%
Personal Care and Service
4.46%
3.71%
Sales and Related
8.66%
5.49%
Office and Administrative Support
8.30%
21.03%
Construction and Extraction
0.93%
1.30%
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
2.47%
1.81%
Production
3.98%
4.24%
Transportation and Material Moving
7.11%
4.60%
8 © Indeed
Job Seeker Interest
Key Insights
4 job search
themes from
the past year
Among all the job searches we
examined from 2013 to 2014,
some common themes emerged.
As shown in the previous chart, healthcare
is an area of employment where employer
demand far outpaces interest from job
seekers. Still, candidates are flocking to
the field and healthcare job searches
are rising.
9 © Indeed
People are also increasingly searching for
flexible work, meaning that even as the
economy improves, a 40-hour week may
not be the norm for much longer.
Oil and gas jobs were popular throughout
the year, despite volatility in the market.
Finally, the continued rise of the tech
industry is clear. More employers than ever
before are hiring people with specialized
tech skills. And more job seekers are
searching for those positions.
4 Job Search Themes From the Past Year
01
Healthcare employees
are in high demand
Last year, employment in the healthcare industry
experienced tremendous growth:
26,000
In 2014, employers added an average of
jobs per month to the healthcare field
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Our research shows that
the way candidates look for
healthcare jobs varies from
state to state, especially in
places where certifications
go by different names.
In California, “LVN”
(Licensed Vocational
Nurse) is a popular
job query.
In 16 other states, however, that
same term doesn’t even appear
in the top 10,000 queries.
There is particularly high demand
from employers for:
Administrators
Managers
Technicians
Searches for those jobs are on the rise but more
interest from job seekers is needed.
That’s because, in much of the
rest of the country, this position
is called an “LPN” (Licensed
Practical Nurse).
The search term that grew the most in this industry from
2013 to 2014 was “Healthcare Administration.”
Share of Searches
Searches for “Healthcare Administration”
0
Jan 2013
10 © Indeed
July 2013
Jan 2014
July 2014
Jan 2015
4 Job Search Themes From the Past Year
02
Candidates want flexible
work options
Search terms related to this
trend are:
“part-time”
“work from home”
“remote”
Other search terms, such as “day care,”
may be from job seekers looking for this
benefit in the workplace or searching for
a job that aligns with a standard
school schedule.
The interest in these jobs may
indicate that candidates are increasingly
looking for work that follows their
schedule rather than an employer’s.
The attraction and retention of
talent may increasingly rely on quality
of work rather than when and where that
work is done.
One of the fastest growing searches for
flexible work is for remote opportunities.
Share of Searches
Searches for “Remote”
0
Jan 2013
11 © Indeed
July 2013
Jan 2014
July 2014
Jan 2015
4 Job Search Themes From the Past Year
03
Oil and gas jobs remain
popular with job seekers
The oil and gas industry was one of the first to
experience a recovery from the recession, and the
recent boom fueled continued growth over most of last
year. Throughout 2014, these jobs were still popular with
a wide swath of job seekers. The types of employment
opportunities in oil-related areas are varied, with jobs
both in the field and on the road, together with whitecollar positions.
The effect of this growth can be seen in job
searches in oil-dominated locations
Houston
Louisiana
Texas
The drop in oil prices will make
it easier for energy-dependent
industries to hire, because the
cost of resources is low.
Cheaper gas prices drive
consumer demand, causing
other industries to grow as
consumer spending rises.
Even though the industry reported
payroll cuts in early 2015, after
the precipitous drop in oil prices
in 2014, it still employed more
people than it had in the previous
six months.
At the same time, as the industry
undergoes those shifts, people
who work in the oil industry may
need to consider new career paths.
Even with recent fluctuations in the price of oil, searches
for jobs in oil and gas have an upward trend.
Share of Searches
Searches for “Oil and Gas”
0
Jan 2013
12 © Indeed
July 2013
Jan 2014
July 2014
Jan 2015
4 Job Search Themes From the Past Year
04
Every company is
a tech company
In today’s economy, many industries that are not
traditionally related to technology nevertheless need
people with specialized tech skills.
Our study of emerging
job searches shows that
6/10
Tech skills traverse occupational
categories—while they are
certainly required for Computer
and Math-related jobs, they are
also necessary for some Sales
positions, Management roles,
and Business and Financial
Operations jobs, to name a few.
are tech jobs
Over the past two years, job searches for digital
marketing jobs have grown significantly.
Share of Searches
Searches for “Digital Marketing”
0
Jan 2013
13 © Indeed
July 2013
Jan 2014
July 2014
Jan 2015
Key Insights
Top 10
emerging job
searches
01 Digital Marketing
06 Information Technology
02 Healthcare Administration
07 Talent Acquisition
03 Java Developer
08 Data Analyst
04 Web Developer
09 Network Engineer
05 Athletic Trainer
10 Instructional Designer
The job searches that grew
the most in the past year are
specialized and technical.
candidates want and where the labor
market is headed.
By examining candidates’ searches
from 2013 to 2014, we can determine
the emerging interests of today’s
job seekers. The job titles that
experienced the highest levels of
growth give us an indication of what
14 © Indeed
In general, these job searches do
not represent the most popular or
numerous queries. Rather, they are the
queries that saw the greatest growth
from year to year and appeared in the
top 1,000 queries for 2014.
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
01 Digital Marketing
This job search describes a field of marketing that uses digital channels to promote
products and services. Candidates entering “Digital Marketing” could be looking for
jobs in Social Media Strategy, Email Campaign Management, SEO Optimization, or
Online Behavioral Analysis.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Marketing
Business
Computer Science
Journalism
Public Relations
Communications
Skills & Experience
Interest in “Digital Marketing” grew by
30
%
Written and verbal
communication
Trending Cities
Data analysis
New York
SEO, SEM
Google AdWords
Google Analytics
15 © Indeed
New York
from 2013 to 2014
San Francisco
California
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
02 Healthcare Administration
This field relates to the leadership, management, and administration of health
systems and hospitals. People searching for “Healthcare Administration” jobs are
likely to be professionals with a high level of education and training in this field.
Degree Requirements
Interest in “Healthcare
Administration” grew by
Healthcare Administration
Nursing
Business
23
Skills & Experience
Trending Cities
Bachelor’s
Nursing
Business
Public Relations
Communications
Master’s
%
Written and verbal
communication
Ability to multitask
and prioritize
Ability to establish
and maintain
relationships across
departments
16 © Indeed
Dallas
Texas
Houston
Texas
from 2013 to 2014
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
03 Java Developer
Java is one of the most popular programming languages. Someone searching
for “Java Developer” would most likely be looking to be involved from the early
stages through the end of the development process of a product, establishing
requirements for new products, designing prototypes, and reviewing code.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Computer Science
Information Systems
Skills & Experience
Java, JavaScript,
and SQL
Familiarity with
all aspects of the
software lifecycle
Interest in “Java Developer” grew by
22
%
from 2013 to 2014
Trending Cities
Atlanta
Georgia
17 © Indeed
Dallas
Texas
Los Angeles
California
“Java”
is trending in New York City
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
04 Web Developer
Web Developers design and create websites. A candidate using these search
terms could be looking to work on the front-end look of a website, while others
might be more interested in the back-end, server-side aspects of a website.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Computer Science
Skills & Experience
JavaScript, CSS,
HTML, PHP, MySQL,
Ruby on Rails,
Django, Java
Interest in “Web Developer” grew by
20
%
Trending Cities
Los Angeles
California
18 © Indeed
from 2013 to 2014
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
05 Athletic Trainer
An Athletic Trainer is a certified healthcare professional working in Sports Medicine.
To gain this certification, candidates must complete a specific curriculum that involves
both in-class and in-clinic training.
Bachelor’s
Athletic Training
Sports Medicine
NATA Certification
National Athletic Trainers
Association
Skills & Experience
Background in
Orthopedics
Experience in sportsrelated injuries, postoperative cases, and
overuse syndromes
Interest in “Athletic Trainer” grew by
19
%
from 2013 to 2014
These job searches peak in May
Share of Searches
Degree Requirements
0
Jan 2013
19 © Indeed
July 2013
Jan 2014
July 2014
Jan 2015
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
06 Information Technology
Candidates using the term “Information Technology” are searching for jobs related to
computer and telecommunication equipment and software, which is used to store,
retrieve, transmit, and manipulate data. There are many job titles that relate to this query.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Computer Science
Information Systems
Skills & Experience
Linux, Mac,
Windows
Experience in database
management and
networking
Interest in “Information Technology”
grew by
17
%
from 2013 to 2014
Trending Cities
“IT”
Atlanta, Georgia
New York, New York
Chicago, Illinois
Dallas and Houston, Texas
is trending in Atlanta, Dallas,
Houston, and New York City
“IT Support”
is trending in Chicago, Dallas,
and New York City
“IT Manager”
is trending in Dallas
20 © Indeed
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
07 Talent Acquisition
People working in talent acquisition anticipate and meet the human capital needs
of an organization. They manage requisition loads and build pipelines of qualified
candidates by relying on data-backed insights and adjusting strategies to meet goals.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Marketing
Business, or related
Skills & Experience
Written and verbal
communication
Data driven and
process oriented
Interest in “Talent Acquisition”
17
%
Trending Cities
Familiarity with
interview techniques
Atlanta
Georgia
21 © Indeed
from 2013 to 2014
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
08 Data Analyst
Data analysts collect, manipulate, and analyze data. They present reports and
visualizations to guide decision making. A candidate entering this term could also
be looking for jobs that entail the maintenance, management, and security of an
organization’s data.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Mathematics
Statistics
Computer Science
Master’s
Mathematics
Statistics
Skills & Experience
SQL, Python, R,
DB2, Oracle, Tableau,
MySQL, Hadoop
Microsoft Excel
22 © Indeed
Interest in “Data Analyst” grew by
15
%
from 2013 to 2014
Trending Cities
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
San Francisco
California
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
09 Network Engineer
This field of engineering supports hardware and software for all network devices,
including routers, switches, firewalls, encryption programs, and many others. Network
Engineers also maintain backup systems and document the status of network devices.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Computer Science
Information Systems
Engineering
Skills & Experience
Familiarity with IP/
ethernet and routing/
switching technology
Linux, Mac, Windows
Interest in “Network Engineer”
grew by
13
%
from 2013 to 2014
Ability to use Active
Directory, LDAP, or Open
Directory systems
Trending Cities
Atlanta
Georgia
23 © Indeed
Boston
Massachusetts
Chicago
Illinois
San Francisco
California
Top 10 Emerging Job Searches
10 Instructional Designer
Instructional Designers create training materials and manage the strategic
learning goals of an educational program. They also develop and test learning
software and web-based training.
Degree Requirements
Bachelor’s
Education
Master’s
Education
Instructional Design
Instructional Technology
Skills & Experience
Written and verbal
communication
Experience in project
management
Organizational agility
Understanding of
learning theory
24 © Indeed
Interest in “Instructional Designer”
grew by
12
%
Trending Cities
Washington
DC
from 2013 to 2014
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
Larger talent trends
are illustrated by job
searches in key cities
In each of the key metro areas in the
US, there is one job that candidates
search for significantly more often
than in the US as a whole, making
it distinctive to that metro area.
These jobs indicate an overarching
trend in the city’s economy and
show where a concentration of
candidates with a certain skill set
25 © Indeed
might be located. Each city is also
experiencing high growth for a larger
set of job searches. We looked at
the 10 searches that grew the most
from 2013 to 2014 to create a list that
indicates where job seeker interests
lie and which trends are rising.
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
Atlanta
Boston
This city’s distinctive job
is “Property Management”
This city’s distinctive job
is “CFA”
Property managers operate and
oversee real estate. In most states,
people in this role are required to be
licensed real estate brokers. They
collect rent, list properties, negotiate
leases, and conduct inspections.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
Program is a professional credential
offered to investment and
financial professionals.
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
Finance Director +52%
Chief of Staff +117%
Java Developer +44%
Manufacturing Engineer +110%
Information Technology +42%
Legal Counsel +101%
Warehouse Manager +41%
Accounting Intern +97%
Speech Language Pathologist +37%
Systems Administrator +77%
Occupational Therapist +35%
Data Scientist +61%
Talent Acquisition +32%
Security Supervisor +53%
Network Engineer +32%
Chief Financial Officer +51%
Clinical Research +30%
Nurse +50%
Software Engineer +28%
Corporate Social Responsibility +49%
26 © Indeed
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
Chicago
Dallas
This city’s distinctive job is
“Certified Nursing Assistant”
This city’s distinctive job is
“Nurse RN”
Certified nursing assistants are
sometimes called Nurses’ Aides,
Orderlies, Patient Care Technicians,
and Home Health Aides. They work
with patients under the supervision
of a registered nurse or licensed
practical nurse.
A registered nurse is someone who
has graduated from a nursing program
and has received a nursing license by
passing a national licensing exam. Job
seekers in Dallas are looking for this
position by using terms “Nurse”
and “RN” in the same search.
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
Data Scientist +82%
Cognos Developer +173%
Human Resources Director +44%
SQL Developer +94%
Market Research +43%
Java Developer +72%
Network Engineer +33%
Human Resources Director +49%
Occupational Therapist +33%
Information Technology +47%
IT Support +28%
QA Analyst +47%
Corporate Social Responsibility +25%
Emergency Management +42%
Treasury +23%
.NET Developer +40%
Urban Planning +22%
Healthcare Administration +40%
Nurse Practitioner +22%
IT Manager +39%
27 © Indeed
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
Houston
Los Angeles
This city’s distinctive job is
“Process Operator”
This city’s distinctive job is “LVN”
Process operators ensure efficiency in
plants or factories by overseeing the
operation of the facility. In Houston, this
job search may be related to operations in
the oil and gas industry.
LVN stands for licensed vocational nurse.
This title is used in California and Texas. In
the rest of the US and Canada, this same
position is a licensed practical nurse. LVNs
are entry-level healthcare providers who
works under the supervision of an RN
or physician.
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
Security Analyst +70%
Data Scientist +86%
Technical Support +65%
Corporate Social Responsibility +76%
Healthcare Administration +61%
PHP Developer +74%
Drilling Engineer +54%
General Manager +74%
Warehouse Manager +53%
Character Artist +74%
Healthcare Management +53%
Senior Financial Analyst +74%
Employee Relations +49%
Web Developer +67%
Information Technology +44%
3D Artist +67%
Project Engineer +42%
Finance Director +53%
Facilities Manager +41%
Actuarial +52%
28 © Indeed
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
New York City
Philadelphia
This city’s distinctive job
is “Porter”
This city’s distinctive job is
“Environmental Services”
Porter is a general job title with several
typical roles. A porter could be a building
maintenance worker, an orderly in charge
of cleaning facilities, or a worker employed
by hotels, train stations, or airports to
carry luggage and other loads.
A person employed in environmental
services maintains the infection control
standards of a healthcare center. In this
role, a person performs general cleaning
tasks and maintenance of patient rooms,
waiting rooms, and offices.
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
HR Manager +63%
Technical Support +104%
IT Support +41%
Policy Analyst +96%
Corporate Social Responsibility +34%
Retail Manager +71%
Store Manager +31%
Urban Planning +61%
Chief of Staff +30%
Occupational Therapist +51%
Junior Designer +28%
Analyst +44%
Events Coordinator +28%
District Manager +40%
Inside Sales +27%
LSCW +40%
Spanish Teacher +27%
Research Analyst +36%
Investment Banking Associate +26%
Data Analyst +36%
29 © Indeed
Job Search Trends by Metro Area
San Francisco
Washington DC
This city’s distinctive job is
“Data Scientist”
This city’s distinctive job is
“Special Police Officer”
Data scientist is a job title that has risen in
popularity in the past several years. People
employed in this field have advanced
statistics and programming skills and often
work in machine learning and data clusters
to identify trends and recommend ways of
applying insights from the data.
Special police usually describes a unit
within a police force whose duties and
functions are different from the rest of
the force. In the District of Columbia, the
Security Officers Management Branch
of the Metropolitan Police Department
signs off on the license applications for
all special police officers and security
officers. People conducting this search
may be looking for roles that require
that license.
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
From 2013 to 2014, searches for
these 10 jobs grew the most:
Medical Writer +81%
Technical Writer +59%
Customer Success Manager +70%
Data Scientist +55%
UX Designer +62%
Accounting Internship +52%
Occupational Therapist +59%
Human Resources Director +49%
IT Support +54%
Cyber Security +45%
Digital Marketing +51%
Software Engineer +43%
Data Scientist +49%
Dental Assistant +37%
Data Analyst +49%
Procurement +36%
Investment Banking +47%
Instructional Design +36%
Manufacturing +43%
Desktop Support +34%
30 © Indeed
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
Natural resources and
industry centers drive
regional differences
Northeast I South I Midwest I West
As in the key metro areas, each
state can also be defined by one
job search that is more uniquely
searched there than in
other states.
These jobs are distinctive to the state and
highlight some key cultural and economic
differences from region to region.
Nationwide, people are searching for many
of the same positions, but many jobs
31 © Indeed
remain particular to a location. In most
cases, these job searches correspond to
the dominant employment area in a given
state. In other cases, they hint at shifts
in the economy or specialized skills that
candidates in that market bring to
the table.
Taken together, the job searches distinctive
to each state indicate the nuances of job
search patterns across the country and
how employers can become more familiar
with their talent pool.
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
Northeast
The Northeast accounts for 23% of national GDP and encompasses New York City,
a global financial hub; and Boston, an academic epicenter.
New York City (NYC) is known for finance,
fashion, and media, to name just a
few of the industries that dominate the
metropolis. The economic impact of the
city is felt by the state as a whole, which
is why the job that is significantly more
often searched for in New York State is
the job distinctive to NYC. “Porter” is a
job title that refers to hotel workers as
well as apartment building maintenance
32 © Indeed
workers, both of which are abundant in
America’s most populous city. “Research
Assistant” is the job title that defines
Massachusetts. It reflects the presence
of large research institutions that are
primarily based in the Boston area but
that reach throughout the state: Boston
University, Harvard, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and Tufts,
for example.
18%
of the workforce
Vermont
“Engineering”
New Hampshire
“Operations Manager”
Maine
New York
“LCSW”
“Porter”
Massachusetts
“Research Assistant”
Pennsylvania
“Food Service”
Rhode Island
“Teacher Assistant”
New Jersey
“Bookkeeper”
33 © Indeed
Connecticut
“Security Guard”
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
South
The Southern part of the country is characterized by the energy industry in
Texas and many other Gulf Coast states, the tourism industry in Florida, financial
and corporate headquarters in many states, and manufacturing, production, and
distribution facilities throughout the region.
“Logistics” is the job search that
dominates Tennessee. Nissan,
Volkswagen, and GM all have large plants
that rely on a vast network of suppliers
based there. FedEx has its global hub in
Memphis, and Amazon has strategically
placed distribution centers close by.
Transportation has also left its mark on
Oklahoma, where “CDL” (Commercial
Driver’s License) is the job that people
search for significantly more often than in
other states. In Texas, “Supply Chain” is
the most distinctive job—it refers to the
role of oil and gas throughout the state.
Delaware is known for its friendly
corporate tax environment.
34 © Indeed
This has made the state a banking
center and partially explains why
“Business Analyst” is the distinctive job
for this location.
West Virginia is second only to
Wyoming in domestic coal production,
according to the US Energy Information
Administration, and accounted for 12%
of the total US production in 2012.
“Customer Service” is one of the most
popular job queries nationwide. That
job seekers in North Carolina search
for “Customer Service Representative”
rather than just “Customer Service”
indicates the importance of knowing
your local market.
36%
of the workforce
Oklahoma
“CDL”
Arkansas
“Management”
Tennessee
“Logistics”
Kentucky
“Occupational Therapist”
West Virginia
“Coal Mining”
Maryland
“Medical Receptionist”
Delaware
“Business Analyst”
Washington DC
“Special Police Officer”
Virginia
“Mechanical Engineer”
North Carolina
“Customer Service
Representative”
South Carolina
“Counselor”
Texas
“Supply Chain”
35 © Indeed
Louisiana
“Process
Technician”
Mississippi
“Phlebotomy”
Alabama
“Clerk”
Georgia
“Forklift”
Florida
“Front Desk”
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
Midwest
Agriculture is one of the major economic forces in the Midwest. Compared to
other occupations, searches and postings for agricultural jobs are relatively low on
Indeed. Instead, when we look at job searches for the region, we see the interests of
job seekers trending towards manufacturing (another historically dominant industry
in the region) and healthcare.
Job searches such as “Supervisor” in
Indiana, “Welding” in Iowa, and “General
Labor” in Ohio reflect the importance of
the industrial manufacturing sector in
these states.
“Nursing Assistant” searches in Minnesota,
“Paramedic” in Missouri, and “Nurse” in
Nebraska all mirror the nationwide interest
in healthcare roles. In many of these states,
hospitals are among the top employers,
which explains why job seekers are drawn
to these job titles.
36 © Indeed
The growth of the oil and gas industry
in North Dakota has been explosive,
causing “Roustabout” to be the defining
job title for the state. Roustabouts are oil
field workers who perform a wide array
of tasks. In general, North Dakota has
been a leader in overall labor market
growth in the last few years, with the oil
boom creating jobs on and off the field.
22%
of the workforce
North Dakota
“Roustabout”
South Dakota
“CRNA”
Nebraska
“Nurse RN”
Kansas
“Child Care”
Missouri
“Paramedic”
Iowa
“Welding”
37 © Indeed
Minnesota
“Nursing
Assistant”
Wisconsin
“Human
Services”
Michigan
“Janitorial”
Ohio
“General Labor”
Indiana
“Supervisor”
Illinois
“Custodian”
Distinctive Job Searches by Region
West
The economy in the Western US has consistently outperformed
the rest of the country over the last 40 years. Technology companies have
played a large part in this growth, but so have employers in a wide range of
industries in the region, including healthcare.
In large states with access to natural
resources, job seekers who specialize
in a specific, resource-rich area
demonstrate their local expertise by
searching for jobs such as “Geologist” in
Wyoming and “Gold Mining” in Alaska.
Engineering dominates the Pacific
Northwest, with “Civil Engineer” and
“Mechanical Engineer” being the
most distinctive jobs in Oregon and
Washington, respectively. There is a
network of firms supporting Seattle’s
38 © Indeed
tech hub and a substantial number of
aerospace companies in the state. There
is significant demand for engineering
candidates as a result.
In the Southwest, the gambling industry
stands out in Nevada, where “Table
Games Dealer” is the job most often
searched for by candidates. In Arizona, a
popular retirement destination and home
to a higher percentage of people over 65
than any other state, “Caregiver” is the
distinctive job search term.
23%
of the workforce
Washington
“Mechanical
Engineer”
Montana
“Equipment
Operator”
Wyoming
Oregon
“Geologist”
“Civil Engineer”
Idaho
California
“LVN”
“Human
Resources”
Colorado
“Chemistry”
Nevada
“Table Games
Dealer”
Arizona
“Caregiver”
Alaska “Gold Mining”
39 © Indeed
New Mexico
“Mechanic”
Utah
“CPA”
Hawaii “Chef”
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Most job searches
don’t follow a
seasonal pattern
but there are rhythms to job search throughout the year.
Seasonal Job Searches
All Job Searches
February 2014
40 © Indeed
April 2014
June 2014
August 2014
October 2014
December 2014
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Searching for a new job and making
a career change is a deeply personal
decision. While the types of jobs that
someone considers may be influenced
by what’s happening in the labor market,
when they make this shift is guided more
by individual and family goals than by
seasonal changes.
There is a surprising consistency to
the most common job searches on
Indeed: candidates search for these jobs
throughout the year. Yet when we look
beyond the most popular queries, we
can see some nuances in how people
conduct their job search. We find that
there are rhythms to the job search that
lead candidates to search for certain jobs
at specific times throughout the year.
Job search in general shoots up at the
beginning of the year, as people consider
new career options for the new year.
41 © Indeed
The end of a semester and graduation
brings on another wave of job search in
Spring. Summer is full of seasonal job
openings, and candidates flock to these
opportunities. The back-to-school fervor of
Fall leads to another spike in certain types
of job searches. The year ends with the
holiday season and an influx of temporary
shipping, distribution, and retail roles.
The search term “Seasonal” illustrates each
of these shifts, as it indicates when jobs
that are most relevant at a particular time
of year become popular for job seekers.
There is an uptick in searches for seasonal
jobs in the spring as candidates search for
summer jobs, and there is a much more
pronounced peak in November, fueled by
holiday-related searches. Overall, we see
that job seekers start looking for seasonal
jobs long before the season starts.
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Winter
Jan Feb
At the beginning of the
year, there is an overall
increase in job searches.
Dec
Searches for “Tax Professional” (2014)
The new year leads people to think
about new opportunities, and those
who might have taken a break from
the job search over the holidays
resume searching in earnest
by January.
At this time, we also see searches
for “Tax Professional” rise in
preparation for tax season. Searches
for “Accountant” jobs, by contrast,
remain steady throughout the year.
0
Jan
Other positions that are
not explicitly seasonal
can still follow a
seasonal pattern.
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
Searches for “Athletic Trainer” (2013–2015)
For example, searches for
“Athletic Trainer,” one of our top
10 emerging jobs for the year,
show steady growth from the
beginning of the year until late
April, perhaps as people are
getting in shape for summer.
0
Jan
42 © Indeed
Jul
Jan
Jul
Jan
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Spring
Mar Apr May
Searches for “Nanny”
are steady throughout
the year but peak in
May and June.
Searches for “Nanny” (2014)
Many of these candidates could
be anticipating that parents
will need childcare during the
summer. They could also be
students who are looking for
summer work.
0
Jan
In the same vein,
searches for internships
peak in March, as
students plan for the
summer.
They continue searching
throughout the summer to
prepare for the fall semester,
with “Intern” queries reaching
their lowest point in July.
Students immediately start to
search for these positions again
in August, hoping to line up an
opportunity for the spring.
43 © Indeed
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
Oct
Jan
Searches for “Intern” (2014)
0
Jan
Apr
Jul
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Summer
Jun Jul Aug
Along with warmer
weather, summer also
brings more searches
for “Work From Home”.
These searches are flat until July
and experience their strongest
growth at the end of the season.
Job seekers could be seeking
flexibility as they return from
vacations, as kids get ready to
go back to school, or as a way
to enjoy longer days from the
comfort of home.
Searches for “Work from Home” (2014)
0
Jan
In preparation for the
school year, searches
for “Teacher” also reach
their peak in summer,
dropping off as the
semester begins.
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
Searches for “Teacher” (2014)
0
Jan
44 © Indeed
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
A Recruiter’s Almanac
Fall
Sep Oct Nov
In the fall, searches for
holiday jobs increase
dramatically.
Searches for “Shipping” (2014)
These searches include the term
“Seasonal”—which could refer
to retail and warehouse jobs
generally—but “Shipping”
shows an increase as well.
0
Jan
Job searches for
“Professor” also
increase during this
time, perhaps driven by
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
Searches for “Professor” (2014)
doctoral students who have
just graduated or who hope
to secure an academic
position before they graduate
in the spring.
0
Jan
45 © Indeed
Apr
Jul
Oct
Jan
Employer Insights
3 employers
respond to today’s
emerging trends
Insights from a staffing giant, a healthcare
entrepreneur, and a tech firm
46 © Indeed
“
In the next 10 years, the world
of work will be based more on
accomplishing a series of tasks
than bending to every demand
of your employer.
Jim Link
Chief Human Resources Officer
Randstad North America
”
“
Our challenge will always be to hire
talent fast enough while making
sure we’re focused on identifying
the right talent for this team.
Inder Singh
Founder & CEO
Kinsa
”
“
Our Talent Acquisition team has
put the highest priority on data that
helps us make smart decisions.
Jason Otero
Talent Acquisition Leader
Esri
47 © Indeed
”
Employer Insights
“
Top-notch talent acquisition professionals
build pipelines and source candidates who
are able to fill roles before they’re even open.
This strategy is formulaic in its approach,
and that’s new for this industry.
Jim Link
Chief Human Resources Officer
Randstad North America
48 © Indeed
”
Employer Insights
Randstad Holdings is one of the world’s largest staffing
organizations. In the US, Randstad has more than 5,000
employment experts and finds work for approximately
100,000 people each week.
As chief human resources officer of
Randstad North America, Jim Link
oversees the human capital strategy for
the continent and manages the company’s
human resources initiatives for more than
100,000 employees.
For Jim, the challenges emerging in
today’s labor market revolve around
the changing relationships between
employees and their employers.
We talked with Jim to learn how he thinks
about the trends that are shaping today’s
labor market.
Twenty years ago, when we saw a position
was open, we would try to find a person to
fill it. That kind of thinking doesn’t cut
it anymore.
We now rely on the analytics of human
capital and the ability to be proactive rather
than reactive to an organization’s needs.
Now, the evolving field of talent acquisition
takes into account how a business is
performing, anticipates that business’s
needs, reads the changes in the market,
and locates a very specific person with the
exact skill set before the business even
realizes there’s a gap.
Today, only great companies are able
to do this. Top-notch talent acquisition
professionals build pipelines and source
candidates who are able to fill roles
before they’re even open. This strategy is
formulaic in its approach, and that’s new
for this industry.
In a way, this type of skill set is an example
of what we need in today’s workforce
overall: people with interdisciplinary skills.
People who come to a human resources
role with a background in analytics,
people in finance who also understand
regulatory concerns, people in healthcare
49 © Indeed
Jim Link
with experience in IT, and engineers
who also have a liberal arts degree—all
come equipped with a range of skills and
expertise. Where each of these functions
intersect, there is significant employer need
and not enough candidates.
Randstad is involved with colleges,
advising institutions on how they can
structure curricula and build crossdisciplinary skill sets. We start by
changing the way we talk to students
about the kinds of careers they can pursue.
Before someone actually gets to the point
of conducting a job search, we want their
ideas about what they can achieve to be as
broad as possible. For instance, this means
talking to more girls and women about
STEM careers; it also means creating
more programs that give people access to
the training and education that puts them
directly in a job in which they can have
an impact.
We want to start early with people because
we can already see younger generations
approaching work in a new way. This is
people in the Millennial age bracket but
also the next generation, Gen Z. Their
views of employment are changing in
several ways.
can reduce to the idea of telecommuting
or remote working; through access to the
right technology, these employees are
redefining how and where work gets done.
Given two offers, a younger candidate is
more likely to choose the employer that
gives them that flexibility, and this trend
is only going to become more pervasive.
Younger candidates are more concerned
with getting to the output and less
concerned with office structure.
Areas like flexibility are part of how people
want to relate to a company’s culture in
general, and the whole area of corporate
social responsibility is part of that. Our
research shows 72% of employees feel
corporate social responsibility is an
important factor, a figure that has almost
doubled in the last five years.
Corporate culture will need
to change in order to attract
in-demand talent.
Flexibility is a basic
requirement for today’s
candidates.
Connecting a candidate to the greater
good of that company is a huge asset,
and providing matching contributions to
organizations of choice and giving time off
for volunteerism and sabbaticals are some
examples of how the role of employers in
people’s lives has really changed. Today,
it’s all about finding the company that
shares your values and supports you in
pursuing them.
Flexibility, which is something still new
to employers, is one of their basic
requirements. This isn’t something we
What’s very clear to me is that individuals,
companies, and even the government
aren’t fully ready for these kinds of shifts.
They have begun to embrace them—
50 © Indeed
Jim Link
but not quickly enough. We are moving
rapidly away from someone having a job
towards someone doing a job. In the next
10 years, the world of work will be based
more on accomplishing a series of tasks
than bending to every demand of your
employer.
The common denominator of this
trend is that corporate culture needs
to recognize this type of thinking and
adapt to the way people now consider
their employment options. Three or four
years ago, employers would have looked
outward, expecting other people to
change. But Millennials now dominate
the candidate pool, and they are going to
be an increasingly large segment of the
workforce for some time. Regardless of
age, it’s going to be candidates with the
most options who will drive how employers
change. We’re in an employee-starved
market, and employers can’t afford to
resist these transformations.
51 © Indeed
STEM candidates are a great example of
this kind of workforce segment. The rate of
growth for STEM jobs is three times greater
than for non-STEM jobs. The market is
theirs to conquer, and they have specific
requirements of their potential employers.
Right now, employee confidence in the
ability to find new jobs is the highest it’s
ever been. At the same time, wages are
fairly stagnant. It will be these areas—
benefits, flexibility, and culture—that cause
employees to move from one company
to another.
And the thing about wages is that they’re
really only a lagging indicator. Once
wages begin to rise, and there is a high
demand for candidates, that’s when we’ll
truly be in a market for employees. Wage
compression is the last piece of the puzzle
that indicates an employee economy that
is on fire.
Employer Insights
“
There’s nothing better than working
with a group of people rallied around a
shared vision. It’s like dribbling down the
court without needing to look for your
teammates; you just pass the ball
because you know they’ll be there.
Inder Singh
Founder & CEO
Kinsa
52 © Indeed
”
Employer Insights
Kinsa is the creator of the first FDA-cleared smartphoneconnected thermometer. The company is driven by a
mission to create a real-time map of human health.
For founder Inder Singh, a global health
advocate who has enabled more than two
million people around the world to receive
treatment for devastating diseases, the
goal is to empower society by providing
information to track and stop the spread
of disease.
As CEO, Inder is tasked with building a
team that can achieve that goal.
As he told the Indeed Hiring Lab, after
years of working in public health and
philanthropy, he has found that every
effort for radical change requires a group
of people working together as the best
versions of themselves.
At a startup, culture is everything. The
quality of the people you have determines
whether you’ll be successful or not, and
when you’re a mission-driven company like
Kinsa, you need everyone to be motivated
by the right things. We’re looking for people
who want to change the world, people who
are driven to save lives and are inspired
by the tangible impact of their work. The
nature of our work leads to a self-screening
process of sorts, and even still, we’ve
lost about 50% of our candidates. Every
person we hire must meet two criteria.
First, they need to be passionate about the
problem we’re trying to solve, and second,
they need to be passionate about creating
things that add value to people’s lives.
The challenge is also to find another
category of people: leaders. We’re small
now, but we have massive objectives and
we know that the team we’re building will
be the foundation for what we achieve in
the future. We’re looking for people who
want to learn to be effective leaders and
managers over time. Being at a startup is
not just a job choice, it’s a lifestyle choice,
and we are always looking for people who
are the right match for that lifestyle.
Identifying candidates who can adapt to
changing constraints
People usually refer to this type of person
as entrepreneurial, but I think that’s a
simplification. Really, I’m looking for
53 © Indeed
Inder Singh
scrappy people. I work with people now
who started things on their own that didn’t
work out. Even though their previous
efforts didn’t work out, the fact that they
tried speaks volumes to me. These aren’t
just entrepreneurs, they’re operators;
people who can see their environment
clearly, adapt to changing constraints, and
aren’t afraid to fail. They know how to work
closely with people, to reach out to people,
and to constantly ask questions of the
people around them.
In an interview, you can test how someone
thinks, but you can’t necessarily test
this particular set of skills. We usually
give people miniprojects as part of the
screening process. By monitoring their
work on these projects, we want to identify
how each candidate deals with ambiguity,
among other things. We’re working at the
intersection of hardware, software, data,
and healthcare regulation. It’s a very broad
field that also requires some specific skills
and knowledge.
The challenge is also to
find another category of
people: leaders.
We need people who can communicate in
simple ways about the complexity of the
space in which we work.
Building a team where everyone’s at
their best
Building a team to accomplish all of this is
challenging, but I love it. There’s nothing
better than working with a group of people
54 © Indeed
rallied around a shared vision. It’s like
dribbling down the court without needing
to look for your teammates; you just pass
the ball because you know they’ll be there.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to
surround myself with such high-caliber
people and to be working collaboratively to
address a problem that could completely
change how humans understand and
interact with their heath.
Tech talent is always hard to find, and
we’re looking for a very specific kind of
tech talent. I’ve found it’s worth the wait,
though. We’re always hiring and we always
There’s nothing better than
working with a group of
people rallied around a
shared vision.
keep the train moving, but it’s worth it to
continually refine the methods you use to
hire people and to find the person who
fits what you’re trying to achieve. Our
challenge will always be to hire talent fast
enough while making sure we’re focused
on identifying the right talent for this team.
Employer Insights
“
The real challenge is not simply finding
people with new engineering degrees. It’s
finding those really in-demand candidates—
the ones at the expert level who know that
they have every option.
Jason Otero
Talent Acquisition Leader
Esri
55 © Indeed
”
Employer Insights
Esri is the world leader in geographic information system
software, otherwise known as GIS.
The company has been in business since
1969, releasing the first commercially
developed statewide GIS in 1973 and
its first automated mapping software in
1982. Esri employs 3,200 staff members
worldwide and serves one million software
users in hundreds of thousands of
customer sites. The technology is used to
map every continent and touches nearly
every industry—from natural resources and
education, to public health initiatives and
humanitarian aid.
For talent acquisition leader Jason
Otero, communicating with candidates
about the reach of Esri’s products and
services is key to winning the war for
STEM talent.
We talked with Jason about how his team
is powered by analytics, relying on data to
make improvements in their hiring and
retention efforts.
56 © Indeed
In terms of attraction and retention, we’re
an exceptional case. Our average tenure
is about nine years; I’m entering my 17th
year with the company. Our turnover
has never been more than 12%, and we
pride ourselves on fostering a culture that
encourages longevity.
At the same time, we’re continually
growing, so we do have a need for fresh
talent. About 40% of new staff members
come from our university recruiting.
Starting salaries for students who graduate
with a STEM degree is 25% higher than
non-tech students, but we find that we
have interest from students coming from
all backgrounds.
Still, we recognize that there’s a shortage,
and that even the combined interest of
people in and outside of STEM does not
lead to enough talent for all employers.
We put a lot of energy into our university
internship program as one way of
developing that talent. We also look to
accelerated programs that can teach
skill sets to people who are already in
the workforce as a source of new hires.
People who are taking MOOCs (Massive
Open Online Courses) and rapidly getting
degrees that are immediately applicable
can provide a lot of value.
Jason Otero
Attracting and retaining expert-level
STEM talent
Attracting and retaining expert-level
STEM talent
The real challenge, though, is not simply
finding people with new engineering
degrees. It’s finding those really in-demand
candidates—the ones at the expert level
who know that they have every option.
The real challenge, though, is not simply
finding people with new engineering
degrees. It’s finding those really in-demand
candidates—the ones at the expert level
who know that they have every option.
One approach is perfecting the messaging
and the delivery behind our opportunities.
We’re moving into the mobile space more
and more in order to address that. There
are more handheld devices than there are
people on the planet. Making our jobs
stand out on those devices and getting
people to click—these are the ways we’re
trying to communicate with the widest
possible audience about working at the
forefront of geospatial technology.
In terms of attraction and retention, we’re
an exceptional case. Our average tenure
is about nine years; I’m entering my 17th
year with the company. Our turnover
has never been more than 12%, and we
pride ourselves on fostering a culture that
encourages longevity.
At the same time, we’re continually
growing, so we do have a need for fresh
talent. About 40% of new staff members
come from our university recruiting.
Starting salaries for students who graduate
with a STEM degree is 25% higher than
non-tech students, but we find that we
have interest from students coming from
all backgrounds.
Still, we recognize that there’s a shortage,
and that even the combined interest of
people in and outside of STEM does not
lead to enough talent for all employers.
We put a lot of energy into our university
internship program as one way of
developing that talent. We also look to
accelerated programs that can teach
skill sets to people who are already in
the workforce as a source of new hires.
People who are taking MOOCs (Massive
Open Online Courses) and rapidly getting
degrees that are immediately applicable
can provide a lot of value.
57 © Indeed
Our turnover has never
been more than 12%, and
we pride ourselves on
fostering a culture that
encourages longevity.
Beyond that, we know that people are
also looking for an insider’s perspective
of what it’s really like to work somewhere.
We make sure that our hiring managers
are as transparent as possible, that they’re
genuinely showing people what it’s like to
work here.
That transparency speaks to the candidate
experience we’re trying to cultivate. In a
small and competitive market, you can’t
afford to have candidates walk away with
Jason Otero
a poor impression of your brand and your
company. We pride ourselves on being
able to let people down while still giving
them a good experience. In university
recruiting, for example, we’re not going to
be able to hire everyone who comes to see
us on campuses, so we spend some of the
time we have with them just talking about
other career options. That way, we’ve given
them something valuable even if we can’t
offer them a job with Esri.
We also want to give people a good exit
experience when they leave Esri. Wherever
they’re headed, we want to ascertain
whether or not they’ll be good brand
ambassadors. If they found something
dissatisfying, we want to address problems
and work towards an improvement for the
next person in their position.
One thing we’ve realized in this process is
that sometimes people can feel isolated
in their role and disconnected from the
overall mission of the company. We’re
now spending a lot of energy internally,
communicating with every employee about
what we do. No matter what part of the
company you work in, you play a part in
our mission—the work we’re doing with
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to
eradicate polio, for example. Everyone here
touches that effort in one way or another,
and we want them to feel good about that.
Using the data to make smart decisions
We anticipate that our employees are in
high demand and that they’ll have other
job offers. We believe that keeping people
happy and continually reminding them that
we’re working on something special goes
a long way. We’re always examining our
benefits and our communication; it’s the
58 © Indeed
people who don’t feel connected who will
leave, so our goal is to connect everyone
to our accomplishments.
Constantly examining how we’re doing
requires powerful analytics. As proud as we
are of everything we do, we recognize that
we need to do a better job with analytics
in human resources. Our Talent Acquisition
team has put the highest priority on data
that helps us make smart decisions.
Improvements in this area will require
accessing information, understanding
it, and making decisions along the way.
Looking forward, this is the capability that
we’re hoping to build.
We anticipate that our
employees are in high
demand and that they’ll
have other job offers.
We look closely at traditional HR metrics—
for example, cost per hire, time to fill, time
to source, turnover, tenure—and while
those do help us drive positive change
they aren’t the only analytics available to
recruiting teams. We’ve started to make
adjustments to not only where we post
open positions but what we post. Are we
putting our dollars to sources that generate
traffic, or are we spending money based
on past success and name brands? We’re
looking at views vs clicks vs applies,
general traffic to job-related sites, unique
visitors per month, etc. We know there
is so much more out there we can take
advantage of, and we are excited about
how this can support us moving forward.
Appendices
59 © Indeed
Data and methodology
Data sources
This report focuses on identifying
emerging and distinctive job title searches
that were performed by Indeed users from
2013 to 2014. Our main data source is
aggregated and anonymized job search
data from Indeed. We also consulted labor
market statistics from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS). This study is based on
data for the US: all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, and several additional key
metro areas. Our regional analysis is based
on the US Census Bureau’s definitions of
the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West.
In comparing job seeker interest to job
availability we segmented the labor
market by occupation using the Standard
Occupational Classification categories,
sometimes referred to as ONETs. This
system classifies workers based on
the duties they perform, rather than the
industry in which their job is performed.
60 © Indeed
Job seeker interest is measured as
the volume of clicks to jobs in that
occupational category. For job postings,
we use Indeed job posting data, which
includes millions of job postings from
thousands of sources. It is important
to note that Indeed job postings do not
reflect the precise number of jobs available
in the labor market, as an opening may
be listed on more than one website and
could remain online for some time after
the position has been filled. Moreover,
employers sometimes use a single job
posting to advertise multiple openings.
However, the data do represent a broad
measure of the number of available jobs in
the labor market.
Defining a job title search
Job seekers use a variety of terms when
conducting a search. Since the focus
of this report is on the job titles that
candidates are increasingly interested
Data and methodology
in, we defined a search as a job title
search when the query terms could be
matched to one of 974 common ONET
classifications. Searches that did not
match with a specific job title, or searches
comprised of company names, salaries,
schedule preferences, or degree types
were considered in our analysis for context
but excluded from classification as a job
title search.
Distinctive and emerging
job searches
We defined a job title search as distinctive
when the query was used more often in
one place (metro area or state) than it was
by the overall US job seeker population.
This is not the most popular query used
in a given area but rather a search term
that is used more in that area than by job
seekers at large. Emerging job titles are job
title searches with the highest percentage
change in volume from 2013 to 2014.
61 © Indeed
We limited our set to only queries in the
top 1,000 in 2014 to ensure that these
were important queries in that year.
Identifying seasonal job
search patterns
We identified seasonal job search patterns
using a method similar to the one we
used to identify annual emerging jobs.
We identified the fastest growing queries
from month to month to determine which
queries gained popularity at certain points
in the year. All graphs depicting job search
volume trends of seasonal queries are
shown as a share of total job
search volume.
About the author
Tara M. Sinclair, PhD, is chief economist
at Indeed and an associate professor of
economics and international affairs at
The George Washington University. Her
research focuses on examining historical
patterns in data to understand both the
current and past structure of the labor
market and to forecast future movements.
Under Tara’s direction, the Indeed Hiring
Lab is developing original research using
proprietary Indeed data to uncover
62 © Indeed
exclusive insights into the labor market.
In addition to conducting her research,
Tara is frequently invited to brief the media
on economic and labor trends as well as
offer commentary. She has been quoted
in the New York Times, the Wall Street
Journal, and the Washington Post, and she
has appeared on CNN, C-Span, NPR, Fox
Business, Bloomberg Radio and TV, and
many other local and international
news programs.
About the Indeed Hiring Lab
The Indeed Hiring Lab is a global research institute committed to advancing the
knowledge of human resource and talent management professionals worldwide.
Contributors
Nayna Ahmed
Daniel Culbertson
Steven Fazzio
Eleanor Hooker
Rosemarie Scott
Andre Szejko
About Indeed
More people find jobs on Indeed than
anywhere else. Job seekers can search
millions of jobs on the web or mobile in
over 50 countries. Each month, more
than 180 million people search for jobs,
post resumes, and research companies
on Indeed, and Indeed is the #1 source of
external hires for thousands of companies.
For more information, visit indeed.com.
63 © Indeed