Online jobs ads declined in November

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. job opportunities listed online in November fell to a level 22 percent below listings online a year ago, a private research group said.

Monster Worldwide, which issues a detailed monthly report of online job ads, said the overall Monster Employment Index lost seven points in the month to 143 with Orlando, Fla., the only major U.S. market to post gains.

Each of the top 28 local markets is now lower than it was a year ago, the report said.

In November, food preparation and serving showed a slight increase "as hotels and restaurants sought to staff up for the holiday season," it said.

Among job categories, only farming, fishing and forestry, healthcare and technical positions have shown growth through the year, the report said.

Ranked by the ratio of online help-wanted ads per size of a state's working population, Alaska was ranked No. 1 followed, in order, by Massachusetts, Montana, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Virgina and Vermont.