Are there more jobs being posted?

ASLA seems to average about two a week for the last two years.  Probably about 25% abroad, 20% academic, and the rest a mix between private sector and public. It looks to me that the public sector (municipalities) have really tapered off. Public and academic looked to be dominant several months ago, but not so much now. 

On general searches on other job websites there was an odd spike in my state (MA) at the end of November beginning of December (5 or 6 landscape architect or closely related jobs), but has been quiet since. I think it was more coincidental than a trend. Two were National Parks Service, one was Sasaki Associates, one with Hildebrand, Boston Architectural College was or is looking for a department head for landscape architecture (I believe this used to be the Radcliffe Seminars program), I think Northeastern University was looking for a landscape architect to teach something, Payette Associates were/are looking for “landscape designer” (2 ads – a permanent and  temporary position(s)), and Weston & Sampson out in Foxboro was looking for a well experienced LA in a leadership role.  … that’s more than 6. I think most of these are no longer posted.

It indicates to me that ASLA is not  the first place companies are posting job openings, if nothing else.

From my perspective as a long-time active seeker of gainful employment, there has been no substantial increase in postings. In fact, things have gotten slow enough that dated/expired posts are showing up on my automated search services instead of new posts once again. This phenomenon last occurred in August, another very slow posting month. These are the same posts that have been floating around from site to site for months, but the job boards pick it up as new because another site links to what is by them a dead post. There has been an increase of academic jobs, but that’s about it, and targeted to a VERY limited class of people (mostly looking for PhDs). Academia is now the highest paying portion of the profession, and professors are now playing musical chairs to gain promotions, tenure track, or better salaries at more prestigious universities.

Already happened at University of Idaho and WSU.

I learned that when visiting last April. There is definitely a “what is best for the department” mentality in all universities. It is about keeping a student population – one way or another. The recruits are drying up now that they are finding out that there are no jobs, so you have to make those that do “follow their passion” stay longer.

I’ve always thought that UI is missing huge opportunities to structure a program for landscape architecture that reflects how landscape architecture can work in the timber industry, natural resources (including mining), tourism development (ie, small scale condos, subdivisions related to recreational use, …), …. you know, things that are actually being done in the state. They could be the first ones out doing this stuff and draw in lots of students from other resource based economy states.

Instead they follow what the big boys do and train people to do urban plazas, urban planning, and lots of other things that hardly ever get done within the state. They train people for work that requires them to move to other states and then bitch that the state does not support them. Hmmm, I wonder why?

That is impressive. I wish I knew how to do that.