Stockton and Modesto were among the most competitive markets for hourly work in the country at the end of 2012, according to the employment network Snagajob.
Snagajob on Tuesday released a report on job seekers for 2012 and found an increase in candidates nationwide who reactivated their job search. Eight percent of job seekers in 2012 picked up their job search after at least three months of inactivity. That compared to just 4.3 percent of job seekers in 2011.
The network also found that younger workers (24 and younger) were returning to the job search at a higher rate than older workers. They also intensified their job searches, increasing their job application volume by 6 percent.
“The data shows us that Millennial job seekers are looking for hourly jobs in force, both in terms of the numbers of young candidates starting their search again and their collective willingness to work a number of different jobs,” said Jason Hamilton, vice president of marketing for Snagajob. “We attribute this to the fact that they simply need to get their foot in the door, whether it’s for a career job or otherwise. On the contrary, some older job seekers have either become more selective in the jobs they are willing to work, or to a certain degree, some of them may have suspended their search for the moment.”
Snagajob hosts more than 40 million registered job seekers and posts more than 250,000 hourly job listings at any given time. The retail and restaurant industries are a core focus for Snagajob, and in 2012, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures, retail gained about 20,000 jobs per month and restaurants gained about 24,000 jobs per month. “These are growing industries where younger workers often can get hired, which also speaks to the job seeker interest we’ve seen,” Hamilton added.
In the restaurant industry, the brands that saw the biggest increase in job seeker interest were Sonic Drive-In, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Panera Bread and McDonald’s. Snagajob job seekers would most like to be a Chipotle crew member, citing it as the single most popular job listing in the restaurant category.
