Industrial Engineers are in high demand these days, with online job ads up 65% nationally since the beginning of 2011. Employers and staffing agencies posted over 21,500 new online job ads in May, the highest ad volume in the past four years. Another 21,250 new ads were posted in June, a slight dip from May but still 52% higher than June 2010.

Our Hiring Scale™ calculations estimate that there are an average of 8.5 potential candidates in the US workforce for every new job posted in June. The difficulty of sourcing talent for these positions depends on the size of the local talent pool and the demand by local employers. The three metro areas with the highest year-over-year growth over the past 60 days range fairly widely in terms in sourcing difficulty. Recruiters in Detroit would have an easier time sourcing candidates for open positions than recruiters in either Cleveland or Houston, due to the much larger local talent pool: 9.5 candidates for every new position. Houston's hiring demand is greater, but the talent pool in Detroit is more than 2.5 times larger.

Hiring Scale Metrics for Cleveland, Detroit and Houston Metro Areas:

Source: WANTED Analytics™

 

With more than 4,600 employers currently looking to hire Industrial Engineers, the talent market is tight. The top employer by job ad volume, Lockheed Martin, has more than 600 ads open right now. 7 of the 10 direct employers have seen triple or even quadruple-digit growth over the same period last year.

Top 10 Employers by Hiring Demand —

Past 60 Days vs. Same Period 2010:

Source: WANTED Analytics™

 

Growth in hiring demand for these positions is nation-wide and has been increasing sharply, with 15 months of solid growth out of the past 22. May's 4-year high was up 17% from the previous high in January 2008.

US Hiring Demand Trends for Industrial Engineers — 4 Years:

Source: WANTED Analytics™

 

All but 3 of the top 20 metro areas saw double or triple-digit growth in demand for Industrial Engineers during the past 60 days, compared to 2010. Los Angeles leads the nation in demand, with more than 1,400 new job ads added over the past 60 days, a 40% increase over the same period in 2010. The highest year-over-year growth belongs to Cleveland and Detroit, both up more than 125% over the past year.

Top 20 Metro Areas by Hiring Demand —

Past 60 Days vs. Same Period 2010:

Source: WANTED Analytics™

To find out how hard it is to hire Industrial Engineers in your location try the Hiring Scale.