Help wanted advertising rose by 24 points, or 9.9 percent from September 1997. The index tells us there are 2.7 jobs being advertised for every one job in the base year. This also bodes well for local residents who are seeking a job. Further, the index is a barometer of labor market conditions and it tells us that the demand for qualified workers continues to be high. This might also indicate that wage pressures will be building in 1999.
Public assistance claims data are a measure of local family financial distress.
Total caseload in the county fell from 2,553 to 2,480, or by nearly 3 percent from last September. Another measure of local conditions is unemployment claims data. This quarter's results show that new claims fell from 55 to 51, or 7.3 percent. Further, the number of total unemployment claims contracted from 160 to 155, or 3.1 percent. Residential construction activity fell off the pace of a year ago.