(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

By Julie Wernau | Illinois is among the few states to post large gains in March for job vacancies advertised online, according to The Conference Board, a global, independent business membership and research association.

June Shelp, vice president at The Conference Board, said the upturn in demand over the last five months – with a 647,000 increase in positions advertised online over that period — pointed to a recovering labor market but that February and March’s data is showing a modest decline in those numbers, which could be an indication that employers are still somewhat cautious about hiring.

Jobs advertised online in the Midwest dipped 21,800 in March, according
to the report which measures the number of new, first-time online jobs
and jobs reposted from the previous month on more than 1,200 Internet
job boards. However, Illinois — where more than 5 people are unemployed
for every advertised vacancy — saw positive signs of grown, with a
gain of 10,500 advertised positions in March.