Whether you’re job hunting, looking to advance in your career or looking to hire, you need to know the employment trends that define the job market. We’ve put together some of the top insights for you in this May 2018 Workforce Report.

Key Insights

Hiring remains strong throughout April:

Hiring across the U.S. was nearly 20% higher in April 2018 than it was in April 2017. The industries with the biggest hiring increases in April were aerospace, automotive, and transportation (23.3% higher); financial services & insurance (22.2% higher); and manufacturing and industrial (17.3% higher).

Marketing is in demand!

There’s a national shortage of employees with marketing skills—a shortage of 230,000 people, to be exact. Surprisingly, several major metropolitan areas—The San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York City—have the greatest shortages of people with these skills, but it’s also felt in smaller cities like Nashville, Tucson and right here in Charlotte.

Marketing presents an opportunity for those trying to start their careers. Companies of all sizes need marketing. While smaller businesses might not have the ability to bring on a marketing firm or even a full-time marketing hire, they still need those skillsets. So, if you’re versed in any of the applicable skills—social media and digital marketing, content creation, public relations, branding or market research—you’re in demand!

The cities with the biggest marketing professional surpluses are West Palm Beach, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, St. Louis and Orange County. If you’re looking for a marketer to help grow your business, these are great places to start your search.

Americans are moving to…

U.S. migration patterns for May 2018 show that people are moving to cities that boast economic opportunity and relatively affordable housing. The top attractors are Austin, Seattle and Denver.

The cities losing the most people are Hartford, Providence, and Pittsburgh.

Austin, Orange County, and San Diego are the U.S. cities experiencing the most total migration (workers moving into and out of a city).