Online recruitment activity and related employment opportunities in Houston continued to increase during March, according to an index conducted by Monster Worldwide Inc. Of the 18 professional categories tracked by the company, 13 saw an increase in activity, while four declined. One category - architecture and engineering - held steady. The index’s upward growth over the past six months demonstrates a gradual strengthening in the regional demand for labor, which has spurred payroll employment growth of about 3.5 percent year-over-year, partly due to an expanding energy industry, rising trade, and a booming construction sector.

Online opportunities for workers in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media also grew, as did those in office and administrative support, which contain many leisure and hospitality positions. Occupations such as construction and extraction, as well as production and transportation - which are related to the energy and natural resources sector - experienced continued growth in online job opportunities, and have grown at a faster pace in the Houston area than in most other major markets.
[Houston Business Journal]