Key Findings
- U.S. job openings on Glassdoor dropped to 4.8 million as of April 6, a 20.5 percent drop since March 9, 2020. 1 in 5 job openings have been closed since the coronavirus crisis began in the U.S.
- 60 percent of employers have reduced job openings since March 9, with almost 1 in 4 closing all of their job postings.
- All 50 states and D.C., as well as all 100 largest metropolitan areas, have seen a decline in job openings in the last month.
- Every industry has seen a decline in job openings, but travel & tourism has been hit hardest with a 73.1 percent drop month-over-month.
As the coronavirus pandemic stretches from weeks into months, it’s reshaping the U.S. job market at lightning speed. Job openings on Glassdoor have dropped to 4.8 million as of April 6, marking the lowest level since February 2017 and a precipitous drop from its mid-March 2020 peak of 6.1 million. The rapid drop represents a shocking 20.5 percent decline in job openings since March 9, meaning that 1 in 5 job openings on Glassdoor have closed since the crisis began.
For perspective, the U.S. is on track to lose as many job openings on a percentage basis in the first 4 weeks of the crisis as we did in the first 9 months of the Great Recession.
Employers have also rapidly shifted hiring plans. Based on a Glassdoor analysis of employer job posting behavior, 60 percent of employers have fewer job openings today than they did 4 weeks ago and almost 1 in 4 have paused all job openings. That’s a noticeable shift from the beginning of 2020, when there were roughly equal shares of employers expanding and reducing hiring.
Hiring Declines Felt Across Entire Country
Notably, all 50 states and D.C. saw a decrease in job openings compared to March 9, ranging from a -11.5 percent drop in Montana to -32.6 percent in Washington State. Additionally, every one of the 100 largest metropolitan areas we track has seen a decline in job openings month-over-month. While major economic downturns do affect the entire country, rarely do we ever see a disruption affect every region of the country so rapidly.
One relative bright spot in our data is the increasing availability of remote jobs, which are taking a bigger slice of a smaller pie. While economic headwinds are overwhelming short-term growth, with remote jobs declining 10.8 percent in the last month, they are still up 8.7 percent year over year. Additionally, the share of jobs listed as remote is increasing sharply, up 27.9 percent from last year. This is potentially an early sign that those who have wondered if the current crisis will bring about a sea change in remote work may be correct.
For more detailed data on job openings trends by state or metro, see our appendix below.
Service Industries Hit Hardest
- Travel & tourism job openings have declined a staggering 73.1 percent from March 9 and an even more dramatic 78.7 percent from last year. Almost 4 in 5 job openings in the industry have evaporated—rarely in economic data is there ever so complete a shutdown in activity.
- Arts & entertainment (-46.3 percent month-over-month), retail (-21.2 percent) and food services (-17.5 percent) have all declined as the shutdown of non-essential businesses and decreased consumer demand hit them hard.
- Supermarkets showed the smallest decline of any industry, with only an 8.8 percent drop in job openings month-over-month. As essential businesses, supermarkets have largely stayed open and some have even expanded hiring to accommodate increased demand from the many Americans under shelter-in-place orders (and largely unable to visit restaurants).
- Government job openings have also declined more moderately, down 11 percent month-over-month. While state and local budgets are under pressure from rising healthcare costs and lower tax revenues, state and local governments have been ramping up hiring for public health workers, state unemployment offices, call centers and other services essential to responding to the outbreak
- White-collar industries like business services (-23.5 percent), finance & insurance (-23.8 percent) and tech (-20.2 percent) have all seen significant month-over-month declines. While most immediate attention is focused on service workers whose industries have almost completely shut down, even white-collar jobs are at risk due to slowing demand from consumers and businesses.
For more detailed data on job openings trends by industry, see our appendix below.
Conclusion
In just one month, the coronavirus crisis has already been unprecedented in its economic impact. It has delivered both the breadth of a normal economic downturn and the rapid pace of a natural disaster. Even in its first 4 weeks, the crisis has erased job openings at a rate that took the Great Recession 9 months to match. Other economic indicators like unemployment claims have shown a labor market under enormous strain from a record-breaking number of layoffs. As employers react to the outbreak, Glassdoor data shows the labor market coming to a virtual standstill as it’s pinched by both rising layoffs and declining job openings.
Methodology
The data for the selected dates is generated based on the methodology used in Glassdoor’s monthly Job Market Report, which provides a real-time view of hiring trends and wage growth across the U.S. based on millions of online jobs and salaries on Glassdoor. The data represents a snapshot of the number of job openings available on Glassdoor on the highlighted dates.
Week-over-week, month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons are based on the Mondays from the comparable period. Except where otherwise noted, no additional smoothing, averaging or seasonal adjustment is performed. Because no smoothing or averaging takes place, the data may not be directly comparable to Glassdoor’s monthly Job Market Report—the April edition of which will be released on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 9:00 AM EDT.
Appendix
Each table may not sum up to total. For example, employer size data may be missing for some employers.
Table A: Job Openings Growth by Industry
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 6, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Mar 9, 2020 | Apr 8, 2019 | ||||
| Industry | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,806,912 | 5,194,762 | 6,047,902 | 5,915,239 | -7.5% | -20.5% | -18.7% |
| Accounting & Legal | 38,737 | 44,001 | 56,227 | 51,379 | -12.0% | -31.1% | -24.6% |
| Aerospace & Defense | 70,978 | 73,789 | 81,897 | 88,967 | -3.8% | -13.3% | -20.2% |
| Architecture & Civil Engineering | 32,466 | 36,608 | 43,727 | 42,990 | -11.3% | -25.8% | -24.5% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 30,934 | 33,306 | 57,594 | 56,946 | -7.1% | -46.3% | -45.7% |
| Automotive | 72,078 | 80,885 | 96,783 | 92,496 | -10.9% | -25.5% | -22.1% |
| Banking & Financial Services | 103,535 | 114,858 | 141,112 | 136,258 | -9.9% | -26.6% | -24.0% |
| Beauty & Fitness | 67,705 | 70,360 | 82,962 | 77,053 | -3.8% | -18.4% | -12.1% |
| Biotech & Pharmaceuticals | 71,496 | 76,103 | 82,668 | 74,605 | -6.1% | -13.5% | -4.2% |
| Business Services | 7,005 | 7,740 | 10,567 | 12,981 | -9.5% | -33.7% | -46.0% |
| Computer Software & Hardware | 128,064 | 140,229 | 175,983 | 159,484 | -8.7% | -27.2% | -19.7% |
| Construction | 53,459 | 58,237 | 69,348 | 71,373 | -8.2% | -22.9% | -25.1% |
| Consulting | 66,714 | 71,417 | 80,380 | 77,665 | -6.6% | -17.0% | -14.1% |
| Consumer Electronics | 4,283 | 4,484 | 7,461 | 11,498 | -4.5% | -42.6% | -62.8% |
| Consumer Services | 11,337 | 12,859 | 16,611 | 14,593 | -11.8% | -31.8% | -22.3% |
| Education & Schools | 188,911 | 198,729 | 225,795 | 229,118 | -4.9% | -16.3% | -17.5% |
| Energy & Utilities | 33,353 | 37,206 | 47,967 | 53,288 | -10.4% | -30.5% | -37.4% |
| Facilities | 39,066 | 42,455 | 54,238 | 47,756 | -8.0% | -28.0% | -18.2% |
| Farming & Agriculture | 9,067 | 9,569 | 10,332 | 9,876 | -5.2% | -12.2% | -8.2% |
| Government | 124,151 | 129,247 | 139,478 | 111,099 | -3.9% | -11.0% | 11.7% |
| Health Care & Hospitals | 729,762 | 794,523 | 847,706 | 845,751 | -8.2% | -13.9% | -13.7% |
| Information Technology | 152,018 | 161,923 | 173,952 | 188,085 | -6.1% | -12.6% | -19.2% |
| Insurance | 63,245 | 68,983 | 77,814 | 88,410 | -8.3% | -18.7% | -28.5% |
| Internet & Tech | 71,924 | 94,473 | 91,239 | 77,816 | -23.9% | -21.2% | -7.6% |
| Manufacturing | 171,497 | 192,517 | 236,363 | 234,660 | -10.9% | -27.4% | -26.9% |
| Marketing & Advertising | 48,003 | 54,672 | 64,143 | 64,276 | -12.2% | -25.2% | -25.3% |
| Media & Publishing | 16,737 | 18,742 | 25,975 | 28,259 | -10.7% | -35.6% | -40.8% |
| Nonprofit | 60,597 | 64,254 | 73,226 | 69,509 | -5.7% | -17.2% | -12.8% |
| Private Security | 18,683 | 20,160 | 22,870 | 27,269 | -7.3% | -18.3% | -31.5% |
| Real Estate | 41,277 | 44,637 | 53,337 | 49,531 | -7.5% | -22.6% | -16.7% |
| Restaurants & Bars | 437,795 | 452,015 | 530,449 | 481,955 | -3.1% | -17.5% | -9.2% |
| Retail | 366,504 | 390,755 | 464,907 | 495,040 | -6.2% | -21.2% | -26.0% |
| Supermarkets | 85,286 | 89,209 | 92,959 | 93,942 | -4.4% | -8.3% | -9.2% |
| Telecommunications | 26,196 | 29,245 | 37,608 | 38,719 | -10.4% | -30.3% | -32.3% |
| Transportation & Logistics | 212,224 | 226,680 | 260,102 | 454,534 | -6.4% | -18.4% | -53.3% |
| Travel & Tourism | 22,468 | 26,528 | 83,395 | 105,623 | -15.3% | -73.1% | -78.7% |
| Wholesale | 18,992 | 21,776 | 30,745 | 30,760 | -12.8% | -38.2% | -38.3% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report
Table B: Job Openings Growth by Industry Group
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 6, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Mar 9, 2020 | Apr 8, 2019 | ||||
| Industry Group | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,806,912 | 5,194,762 | 6,047,902 | 5,915,239 | -7.5% | -20.5% | -18.7% |
| Business Services | 179,142 | 197,990 | 234,187 | 233,570 | -9.5% | -23.5% | -23.3% |
| Construction & Real Estate Services | 166,268 | 181,937 | 220,650 | 211,650 | -8.6% | -24.6% | -21.4% |
| Consumer Services | 247,455 | 271,925 | 400,928 | 413,689 | -9.0% | -38.3% | -40.2% |
| Finance & Insurance | 166,780 | 183,841 | 218,926 | 224,668 | -9.3% | -23.8% | -25.8% |
| Food Services | 437,795 | 452,015 | 530,449 | 481,955 | -3.1% | -17.5% | -9.2% |
| Health Care | 801,258 | 870,626 | 930,374 | 920,356 | -8.0% | -13.9% | -12.9% |
| Production | 284,895 | 313,081 | 376,559 | 386,791 | -9.0% | -24.3% | -26.3% |
| Public Services | 373,659 | 392,230 | 438,499 | 409,726 | -4.7% | -14.8% | -8.8% |
| Retail | 456,073 | 484,448 | 565,327 | 600,480 | -5.9% | -19.3% | -24.0% |
| Tech | 352,006 | 396,625 | 441,174 | 425,385 | -11.2% | -20.2% | -17.3% |
| Trade & Transportation | 231,216 | 248,456 | 290,847 | 485,294 | -6.9% | -20.5% | -52.4% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report
Table C: Job Openings Growth by State
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 6, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Mar 9, 2020 | Apr 8, 2019 | ||||
| Employer Size | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,806,912 | 5,194,762 | 6,047,902 | 5,915,239 | -7.5% | -20.5% | -18.7% |
| Remote | 8,558 | 9,195 | 9,593 | 7,870 | -6.9% | -10.8% | 8.7% |
| AK | 10,152 | 10,665 | 12,205 | 11,637 | -4.8% | -16.8% | -12.8% |
| AL | 64,051 | 67,710 | 74,474 | 81,264 | -5.4% | -14.0% | -21.2% |
| AR | 34,477 | 36,279 | 40,847 | 42,925 | -5.0% | -15.6% | -19.7% |
| AZ | 97,854 | 104,139 | 125,555 | 123,332 | -6.0% | -22.1% | -20.7% |
| CA | 538,564 | 584,272 | 674,257 | 653,724 | -7.8% | -20.1% | -17.6% |
| CO | 99,188 | 109,226 | 132,333 | 127,747 | -9.2% | -25.0% | -22.4% |
| CT | 56,077 | 60,402 | 71,001 | 68,817 | -7.2% | -21.0% | -18.5% |
| DC | 38,912 | 41,020 | 46,958 | 44,529 | -5.1% | -17.1% | -12.6% |
| DE | 16,982 | 18,145 | 20,838 | 18,599 | -6.4% | -18.5% | -8.7% |
| FL | 259,757 | 280,442 | 331,102 | 311,215 | -7.4% | -21.5% | -16.5% |
| GA | 153,130 | 162,459 | 189,842 | 202,153 | -5.7% | -19.3% | -24.3% |
| HI | 14,325 | 15,349 | 18,930 | 18,037 | -6.7% | -24.3% | -20.6% |
| IA | 48,029 | 51,038 | 57,129 | 64,240 | -5.9% | -15.9% | -25.2% |
| ID | 18,689 | 20,441 | 23,228 | 22,762 | -8.6% | -19.5% | -17.9% |
| IL | 201,322 | 217,485 | 250,718 | 257,470 | -7.4% | -19.7% | -21.8% |
| IN | 99,540 | 106,979 | 123,561 | 121,477 | -7.0% | -19.4% | -18.1% |
| KS | 43,367 | 46,753 | 54,378 | 53,243 | -7.2% | -20.2% | -18.5% |
| KY | 61,747 | 66,082 | 73,734 | 74,162 | -6.6% | -16.3% | -16.7% |
| LA | 52,742 | 55,466 | 63,245 | 63,740 | -4.9% | -16.6% | -17.3% |
| MA | 150,482 | 163,160 | 197,893 | 186,607 | -7.8% | -24.0% | -19.4% |
| MD | 112,510 | 118,901 | 133,351 | 128,906 | -5.4% | -15.6% | -12.7% |
| ME | 22,969 | 23,648 | 26,604 | 24,544 | -2.9% | -13.7% | -6.4% |
| MI | 127,050 | 136,833 | 158,450 | 151,323 | -7.1% | -19.8% | -16.0% |
| MN | 86,183 | 94,084 | 115,347 | 112,612 | -8.4% | -25.3% | -23.5% |
| MO | 91,224 | 97,195 | 112,305 | 113,934 | -6.1% | -18.8% | -19.9% |
| MS | 32,796 | 34,200 | 38,119 | 38,336 | -4.1% | -14.0% | -14.5% |
| MT | 13,234 | 13,918 | 14,952 | 15,816 | -4.9% | -11.5% | -16.3% |
| NC | 159,629 | 169,794 | 196,223 | 206,098 | -6.0% | -18.6% | -22.5% |
| ND | 13,112 | 14,382 | 16,071 | 15,751 | -8.8% | -18.4% | -16.8% |
| NE | 27,747 | 29,737 | 33,176 | 33,329 | -6.7% | -16.4% | -16.7% |
| NH | 25,419 | 28,907 | 32,559 | 31,675 | -12.1% | -21.9% | -19.8% |
| NJ | 134,424 | 140,889 | 159,072 | 149,409 | -4.6% | -15.5% | -10.0% |
| NM | 32,782 | 35,322 | 40,364 | 37,450 | -7.2% | -18.8% | -12.5% |
| NV | 37,831 | 40,250 | 51,403 | 47,267 | -6.0% | -26.4% | -20.0% |
| NY | 246,576 | 264,677 | 309,339 | 296,787 | -6.8% | -20.3% | -16.9% |
| OH | 163,715 | 176,597 | 208,927 | 206,132 | -7.3% | -21.6% | -20.6% |
| OK | 46,502 | 49,662 | 58,435 | 58,370 | -6.4% | -20.4% | -20.3% |
| OR | 55,398 | 60,250 | 71,950 | 69,447 | -8.1% | -23.0% | -20.2% |
| PA | 213,816 | 228,770 | 283,195 | 232,493 | -6.5% | -24.5% | -8.0% |
| RI | 17,256 | 18,106 | 21,036 | 18,507 | -4.7% | -18.0% | -6.8% |
| SC | 75,539 | 80,678 | 90,206 | 92,111 | -6.4% | -16.3% | -18.0% |
| SD | 14,488 | 15,612 | 17,096 | 16,007 | -7.2% | -15.3% | -9.5% |
| TN | 96,705 | 104,145 | 121,589 | 125,736 | -7.1% | -20.5% | -23.1% |
| TX | 365,017 | 396,670 | 466,437 | 465,616 | -8.0% | -21.7% | -21.6% |
| UT | 40,914 | 44,719 | 54,084 | 52,938 | -8.5% | -24.4% | -22.7% |
| VA | 167,163 | 176,959 | 198,632 | 191,786 | -5.5% | -15.8% | -12.8% |
| VT | 11,591 | 12,504 | 14,758 | 12,162 | -7.3% | -21.5% | -4.7% |
| WA | 125,423 | 164,019 | 186,174 | 148,686 | -23.5% | -32.6% | -15.6% |
| WI | 90,190 | 98,399 | 115,646 | 113,299 | -8.3% | -22.0% | -20.4% |
| WV | 30,777 | 32,551 | 35,732 | 29,117 | -5.4% | -13.9% | 5.7% |
| WY | 10,328 | 10,983 | 11,988 | 11,670 | -6.0% | -13.8% | -11.5% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report
Table D: Job Openings Growth for Select Metros
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 6, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Mar 9, 2020 | Apr 8, 2019 | ||||
| Metro | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,806,912 | 5,194,762 | 6,047,902 | 5,915,239 | -7.5% | -20.5% | -18.7% |
| Atlanta, GA | 92,135 | 98,875 | 119,382 | 129,616 | -6.8% | -22.8% | -28.9% |
| Boston, MA | 118,720 | 129,950 | 160,138 | 151,052 | -8.6% | -25.9% | -21.4% |
| Chicago, IL | 157,175 | 170,605 | 200,708 | 202,577 | -7.9% | -21.7% | -22.4% |
| Houston, TX | 74,807 | 81,681 | 98,084 | 97,805 | -8.4% | -23.7% | -23.5% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 170,523 | 183,734 | 216,978 | 213,636 | -7.2% | -21.4% | -20.2% |
| New York City, NY | 258,221 | 274,655 | 317,879 | 302,715 | -6.0% | -18.8% | -14.7% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 93,593 | 100,304 | 124,486 | 110,745 | -6.7% | -24.8% | -15.5% |
| San Francisco, CA | 117,922 | 132,383 | 150,682 | 145,946 | -10.9% | -21.7% | -19.2% |
| Seattle, WA | 91,413 | 121,968 | 140,188 | 112,622 | -25.1% | -34.8% | -18.8% |
| Washington, DC | 158,086 | 166,335 | 187,941 | 179,099 | -5.0% | -15.9% | -11.7% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report
