Thought Leadership in Action

But it’s easier to get into Harvard than get an administrative assistant job

On Friday, September 7^th, the United States Department of Labor released the “Employment Situation” report and there were some fascinating and quirky data points. Let’s examine a few:

Historical Numbers

• The unemployment rate in the United States averaged 5.77% from 1948 until 2018
• The unemployment rate reached an all-time high of 10.80% in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50% in May of 1953

Through the End of the 2018 Summer

• The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.9% – a low not seen since April 2000
• 201,000 jobs were added in August
• This is a 95-month streak of job creation
• The average workweek is 34.5 hours
• Average hourly earnings (on private nonfarm payrolls) rose by 10 cents to $27.16 and increased by 77 cents, or 2.9%, on the year

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates were:

• 5% for adult men
• 6% for adult women
• 8% for teenagers

Where the Jobs Are

• Professional and business services added 53,000 jobs in August and 519,000 jobs over the year
• Health care employment rose by 33,000 and added 301,000 jobs over the year
• Wholesale trade employment increased by 22,000 in August and by 99,000 over the year
• Employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 20,000 in August and by 173,000 over the past 12 months

Some Quirky Stats

According to ZipRecruiter, over the past year:

• 68,500 postings for administrative assistants attracted more than 8.1 million applications – or 118 responses on average for every job
• 136,000 warehouse job listings drew nearly 9.3 million applicants, or 68 responses per job

For perspective, Harvard University announced that in 2018 there were 34,295 applications and 2,023 were accepted – that’s 17 applications per spot.

A cynic might suggest it’s easier to get into Harvard University than find a job as an administrative assistant or in a warehouse.

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