We keep hearing reports on how the economic upswing is slow and we might even be in for a double dip. Depressing news to say the least.
So here’s some counter-news on that subject to cheer up your Friday.
I have the privilege of serving on the Board for AMA Houston and we held our August Board meeting yesterday. Perhaps the most anticipated report at the Board meeting over the past year has been on the Jobs List. AMA Houston runs the top job list for marketing positions in the Houston area. On a weekly basis new jobs are posted up – first for members, then the general public. At yesterday’s meeting Robert Melvin, who runs the job board, reported that job listings are back up to their pre-2008 numbers.
To me this means the recovery is happening – at a minimum here in Houston. Marketing is typically the first department cut in a down-turn. But then at the first whiff of recovery, money pours back in to this department. I will set aside the comment of how counter-intuitive this reaction is and focus on the meaning of this stat.
Increased hiring in marketing is a bell-weather indicator of economic growth. In Houston, that trend appears to be in full-swing.