In periods of heightened economic uncertainty, access to timely and relevant data becomes increasingly necessary for business managers. This is certainly the case for IT staffing executives as they assess strategic planning initiatives and attempt to construct a 2021 operating budget, for example.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, of course, is a critical resource for such data. For example, as shown in the chart below, we can see that although unemployment for computer and mathematical occupations ticked slightly higher to a multi-year high of 4.2% in the third quarter of 2020, it appears to have stabilized in the latest quarter.

US average unemployment rate, Computer & Mathematical occupations

Source: BLS and SIA

The BLS also provides us with a monthly US Employment Situation report filled with helpful data. SIA recently released a new interactive tool designed to help users more efficiently maximize the value out of these important economic updates. The new US Jobs Report tool includes time series analysis of key indicators and enables users to drill down by geography, including state and metropolitan area. The next jobs report will be released this Friday, Nov. 6, presenting an opportune time to take the new interactive features out for a spin.

For readers interested in learning more about the features and capabilities of the updated US Jobs Report tool, we will be presenting a brief demo live in our upcoming Staffing Industry Report Webinar scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10:00 AM PST/1:00 PM EST. In addition to the demo, the webinar will include a post-election economic update. The link above provides the full webinar agenda.

Access to the US Jobs Report tool and SIR webinars are included with corporate membership.