Insights

• Job Postings measured in this report refers to the employers who are actively advertising online, it is not a representation of Job Openings, which measures all positions that are open (not filled) on the last business day of the month.
  
• Austin added 22,800 net new jobs in the 12 months ending in June, making Austin the 15th fastest growing major metro.
  
• There were approximately 48,900 Available Job Postings during the June 2019 monthly reporting period, about 1,950 less postings when compared to June 2018.
  
• 18 percent or about 8,900 of the Available Job Postings during the June reporting period fell under Computer and Mathematical Occupations, which also had the second largest year-to-year increase in postings. Management Occupations saw the largest year-to-year increase as more employers are posting for more experienced talent.
  
• Approximately 35 percent or about 17,200 of Available Job Postings are New (First-time) Job Postings with Computer and Mathematical Occupations leading in this category, followed by Management Occupations.
  
• According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Austin MSA reported an unemployment rate of 2.7% or 33,200 unemployed in June 2019, a increase of 6,200 unemployed people when compared to the previous month. The unemployment rate was 2.2% or 27,000 unemployed in May 2019. The current civilian labor force for the Austin MSA is 1,215,800, an increase of 4,800 into our regions' labor force, when compared to the same time last year.
  
• 36 percent or 17,400 of all Available Job Postings pay an annual median wage of between $30,000 to $65,000 in the Austin MSA for June 2019. Of the 17,400 posted jobs in this category, 20 percent or about 3,500 would require more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor's degree while 62 percent or 10,700 would require a high school diploma or less. There are about 350 apprenticeship positions available for in this pay range and are mostly for Electricians, Plumbers-Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, and Carpenters. The top 10 posted occupations or approximately 6,400 postings, in this annual median wage range of $30,000 to $65,000 category, all require an entry level education of less than an associate's degree but may require some years of related work experience or in-the-job training to attain competency in the occupation. (See below chart for more details on the education, work experience and competencies)
  
• More jobs ahead. Companies have recently announced new location or expansion plans in the Austin MSA, representing slightly over 850 jobs. The expansion list includes SubjectWell, Opcity, H-E-B Innovation Hub, Brown Advisory, Aunt Bertha, ARM, Amazons and Allergan. Employers such as SiFive (Sydney, Australia) and Enboarder (San Mateo, CA) are the companies that have announced new location plans in Austin.

TRAVIS COUNTY: The Austin MSA is made up of Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties. Travis County is the fifth most populous county in Texas and its county seat is Austin.

• 60 percent of the approximate 17,200 unemployment insurance (UI) claimants in FY 2018 that are actively seeking a job in Travis County have less than an associate degree, according to Workforce Solutions Capital Area. In June 2019, 80 percent or 923 UI claimants reported having less than an associate's degree, with the majority (55 percent or 604 UI claimants) reported having some college education but no degree/credential earned. 46 percent or 533 UI claimants are aged between 25-40 while 31 percent or 351 UI claimants are aged between 41-54. Click here for more information on hiring events.
  
• The region's Master Community Workforce Plan's top-line target is to ensure that in the five years between 2017-2021, an additional 1,800-plus Austin residents currently in poverty receive training, credentialing, and are placed in jobs paying at least $40,000 in technology, healthcare and skilled trades.
  
• According to the Travis County Poverty Brief, the American Community Survey 2012-2016 data shows that 32 percent or 355,874 of Travis County residents live in households with an income under 200% of the poverty threshold.

The following job market report is designed to provide insight into current employer demands, skills and occupations in the Austin MSA.

Top Job Postings

The chart below list the available unique ads in major occupation groups from May 14, 2019, to June 13, 2019, a mid-monthly timeframe closely associated with federal jobs numbers.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

Top job postings and annual median wage

The chart below illustrates the number of available unique ads and their corresponding annual median wage for each major occupational group from May 14, 2019, to June 13, 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2018

While Personal Care and Service Occupations have seen an increase in postings for Personal Care Aides, Hairdressers, Hairstylists, and Cosmetologists, Recreation Workers, Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors, First-Line Supervisors of Personal Sevice Workers, Nonfarm Animal Workers, Baggage Porters and Bellhops and Childcare Workers; other occupational groups such as Management Occupations, Computer and Mathematical Occupations, Healthcare Support Occupations and Architecture and Engineering Occupations have seen a larger year-to-year increase in postings.

Monthly ad trends

The line chart below shows the monthly total volume of online ads posted in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA from June 2015 through June 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

Note: The data for June 2019 would be the sum of all posted ads from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019. This reference period is aligned to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) unemployment job search time period to provide a more accurate comparison of labor supply and labor demand.

Top 20 job postings

The chart below lists the top 20 unique Available Job Postings in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2018

Software Developers-Applications, Marketing Managers and Computer and Information Systems Managers saw almost 100 or more increase in year-to-year postings.

Top 20 Tech Job Postings

The chart below lists the top 20 unique Available Job Postings for Computer and Mathematical Occupations in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2018

Software Developers-Applications saw the largest increase in year-to-year Available Job Postings. Companies that have posted a year-to-year increase of 35 or more jobs under this occupational category in our region are Amazon, Cisco, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Visa, Apple, Inc., Indotronix International, Whole Foods Market, Charles Schwab Corporation, Q2 Software, Expedia and Google.

It remains easier to hire for Computer and Mathematical Occupations in Austin than nationwide and in other peer cities.

Source: Gartner®

The Hiring Scale views the difficulty-to-fill indicator on market conditions. It calculates a score for each position that the employer is trying to fill. Several factors affect the hiring scale score that includes the supply of available candidates, the overall demand for employers for people in the position, the location, the occupation, local unemployment rates, job site source, offered pay level, etc. The Hiring Scale scores jobs from 1 to 99 based on their projected difficulty-to-recruit.

Top 20 healthcare job postings

The chart below lists the top 20 unique Available Job Postings for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2018

Healthcare occupations such as Physicians and Surgeons, All Others and Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians saw a year-to-year increase of 30 or more Available Job Postings.

Baylor Scott & White Health and Ascension Health were the companies that saw a year-to-year increase of 100 or more Available Job Postings.

Austin is competitive in hiring for Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations.

Source: Gartner®

Typical education needed for entry into jobs that pay an annual median wage between $30,000 and $65,000

This table shows the Top 5 Most Posted Occupations associated the respective Typical Education Needed for Entry into the occupation.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics and Texas Workforce Commission's JOBS Y'ALL

Top hard skills in demand

The table below lists the top hard skills in demand for the Available Job Postings in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: Gartner®

Skills in Demand provides a real-time view of skills in demand by employers. For example, of the Available Job Postings from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019, 3,926 job postings required “Software Development” as a skill and 30% or more of those 3,926 job postings also had other required/optional skill(s) such as “Java".

In addition to the top hard skills posted by employers above, hard skill postings that saw an increase of 300 or more year-to-year postings are X++, DevOps, Kubernetes, Docker, Machine Learning Techniques, Test Automation, Cyber Security, Microsoft Windows Azure, User Experience Design, Data Science, Jenkins, Microsoft SharePoint, Kafka, C#, Tractor-Trailers and Food Design.

Top certifications in demand

The table below lists the top certifications in demand for the Available Job Postings in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos MSA from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: Gartner®

Certifications in Demand provides a real-time view of certifications in demand by employers. For example, of the Available Job Postings from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019, 2,773 job postings required “Certified Registered Nurse (RNC)” as a certification and 30% or more of those 2,773 job postings also had other required/optional certification(s) such as “Basic Life Support (BLS)”.

In addition to the top certifications posted by employers above, certification related postings that saw an increase of 100 or more year-to-year postings are Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Board Certified, Patient Care Technician (PCT), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), State Insurance License, English as Second Language (ESL), Secret Clearance, Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS), American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Tanker and Hazmat Endorsement.

Top employers

The table below lists the direct employers in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA that posted available unique ads from May 14, 2019 to June 13, 2019.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL)

Baylor Scott & White Health, Ascension Health, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hyatt, Amazon, Texas State University, Cisco, Internal Revenue Service and Great Clips are the companies that have seen a year-to-year increase of more than 100 in job postings.

Source: The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine ® (HWOL) Program (with data collection by Wanted Technologies)