Key Findings
- Job openings on Glassdoor have dropped 27.7 percent since the start of March. Over 1 in 4 job openings have closed as the coronavirus crisis escalates.
- Job openings have declined for the last 6 weeks in a row; however, the rate of weekly decline has moderated from -7.8 percent on March 23 to -2.8 percent on April 27.
- The declines in job openings have come in waves, affecting industries differently. While the most severe initial drops were driven by the shutdown of consumer services, more recent declines in job openings have been predominantly white collar and health care jobs.
- Travel & tourism remains the most affected industry. Nearly 4 in 5 jobs (79 percent of openings) have evaporated since the beginning of March. Tech, however, may be one of the first industries turning the corner, with job openings up 4.9 percent from April 13 to April 27 as spending shifts online.
Decline in Job Openings Ongoing but Slowing
Nearly two months into the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. and its impact continues to devastate millions. Over 1 in 4 job openings have evaporated since early March, new data from Glassdoor’s Job Market Report shows. Job openings on Glassdoor dropped to 4.5 million as of April 27, 2020—a 27.7 percent drop since the beginning of March.
A similar percentage drop applied to Bureau of Labor Statistics data would indicate that job openings have dropped back to levels last seen in 2014. Simply put, this decline in job openings would mean a third of the gain in job openings since the end of the Great Recession in 2009 have been wiped out in the last two months.
The effect on hiring is widespread across employers. Based on an analysis of employer job posting behavior on Glassdoor, 2 in 3 employers had fewer job openings at the end of April than they did in mid-March; almost 1 in 4 have pulled down all job openings. However, 11 percent of employers are still increasing job openings, pointing to a small pocket of companies that have had to ramp up hiring to accommodate the massive shift in demand.
While the dramatic decline in hiring demand signals how disruptive the crisis has been for the labor market, there are signs that labor market conditions could improve soon. The pace of the decline in job openings has moderated, slowing from -7.8 percent week-over-week on March 23 to -2.8 percent on April 27.
Rolling Waves of Weekly Job Opening Declines
At this point, every industry has been impacted by the coronavirus. However, not all industries have been impacted equally or at the same time. The chart below shows the rolling waves of declines in job openings across different industries over the last few weeks. Industries hit hardest and most immediately were in-person services for both consumers (e.g. travel & tourism, retail, food services) and businesses (e.g. facilities, private security). Shelter-in-place orders forced companies to make immediate changes to their workforce and, as a result, job openings fell dramatically in the first full week of the crisis.
In the following week, however, the decline in job openings across these industries began to moderate. These “in-person” service industries were then overtaken by manufacturing, energy and other production industries, where declines in job openings took longer to ripple through employers. Then, on April 5 (approximately the third week of the crisis), white-collar industries (e.g. tech, finance and business services) bottomed out, reaching their worst rate of decline but rebounding in following weeks. While white-collar industries haven’t seen job postings decline as severely as others, they’ve still seen a 28.2 percent drop since early March.
Notably and surprisingly, health care has seen a steady decline in job openings. While the initial hit was mild for the healthcare industry, the decline accelerated through April 5 and even now continues largely unchanged. As declines in other industries decelerate, health care now accounts for almost one third of the weekly decline in job openings in the last two weeks, as health care providers cancel non-essential procedures. Health care is one of the largest job providers in the U.S. and accordingly should be watched closely for signs of improvement from its current ongoing decline.
How Industries are Faring
- Travel & tourism remains the most impacted, as hotels, cruise lines and airlines face travel restrictions and reduced bookings. Job openings in travel & tourism have declined 78.6 percent since the beginning of March, meaning almost 4 in every 5 industry job openings have closed.
- White-collar industries like business services (-31.9 percent), finance & insurance (-34 percent) and tech (-18 percent) have also struggled to maintain hiring plans, showing how the crisis continues to affect even industries where companies are more able to shift to work-from-home arrangements.
- Tech may however be turning the corner, with job openings rising 4.9 percent from April 13 to April 27. The shift in demand to online services, combined with a highly mobile workforce, may help tech weather the crisis better than other industries. While the small increase is not enough to offset the total declines over the duration of the crisis, it is a reason for optimism.
- Supermarkets’ hiring remains steadier than the rest of the economy, increasing 0.9 percent week-over-week and only down 7.3 percent from the beginning of March. As consumers shift spending from restaurants to groceries, demand for supermarket workers has held steady.
For more detailed data on job openings trends by industry, see our appendix below.
Conclusion
Glassdoor’s latest data shows that job openings have declined a precipitous 27.7 percent since the beginning of March, out-matching the Great Recession in the lightning speed of the decline. Many economists are also bracing for a historically grim April jobs report this Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is expected to report tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs and the unemployment rate spiking above 10 percent. The April jobs report, however, reflects data collected for the reference period of April 12—three weeks past; an eternity in this fast-moving crisis. Glassdoor data collected since April 12 signals that while the labor market is still reeling, we may begin seeing green shoots of recovering labor demand in the weeks ahead. The pace of the decline in job openings is slowing, and some industries like tech may be turning the corner.
The ultimate question is how quickly can the labor market return to normal once the worst of the crisis has passed. If the decline in job openings continues to slow, job openings could bottom out soon. While any economic recovery will depend largely on the effectiveness of the public health and government response, Glassdoor data shows that there may be signs for optimism around the bend.
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.
Appendix
Each table may not sum up to total. For example, employer size data may be missing for some employers.
Table A: Change in Job Openings by Industry
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 27, 2020 | Apr 20, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Apr 29, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,395,414 | 4,521,012 | 5,241,029 | 6,023,397 | -2.8% | -16.1% | -27.0% |
| Accounting & Legal | 33,854 | 34,945 | 43,543 | 50,576 | -3.1% | -22.3% | -33.1% |
| Aerospace & Defense | 66,566 | 67,320 | 73,801 | 89,359 | -1.1% | -9.8% | -25.5% |
| Architecture & Civil Engineering | 28,243 | 29,389 | 37,390 | 43,925 | -3.9% | -24.5% | -35.7% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 26,985 | 26,904 | 33,575 | 57,397 | 0.3% | -19.6% | -53.0% |
| Automotive | 64,633 | 63,680 | 81,416 | 94,259 | 1.5% | -20.6% | -31.4% |
| Banking & Financial Services | 88,836 | 93,226 | 115,325 | 133,840 | -4.7% | -23.0% | -33.6% |
| Beauty & Fitness | 49,652 | 50,213 | 70,411 | 79,922 | -1.1% | -29.5% | -37.9% |
| Biotech & Pharmaceuticals | 62,274 | 64,642 | 74,071 | 76,136 | -3.7% | -15.9% | -18.2% |
| Business Services | 6,262 | 6,512 | 8,032 | 13,004 | -3.8% | -22.0% | -51.8% |
| Computer Software & Hardware | 108,559 | 114,404 | 141,290 | 164,238 | -5.1% | -23.2% | -33.9% |
| Construction | 50,588 | 51,164 | 58,771 | 75,460 | -1.1% | -13.9% | -33.0% |
| Consulting | 58,018 | 61,191 | 71,842 | 80,581 | -5.2% | -19.2% | -28.0% |
| Consumer Electronics | 7,107 | 7,355 | 5,660 | 11,785 | -3.4% | 25.6% | -39.7% |
| Consumer Services | 9,899 | 10,412 | 12,970 | 14,815 | -4.9% | -23.7% | -33.2% |
| Education & Schools | 172,120 | 178,040 | 199,740 | 246,516 | -3.3% | -13.8% | -30.2% |
| Energy & Utilities | 28,810 | 30,245 | 37,225 | 53,425 | -4.7% | -22.6% | -46.1% |
| Facilities | 34,793 | 35,706 | 42,633 | 49,236 | -2.6% | -18.4% | -29.3% |
| Government | 120,371 | 121,765 | 131,635 | 134,694 | -1.1% | -8.6% | -10.6% |
| Health Care & Hospitals | 614,035 | 653,619 | 803,859 | 866,821 | -6.1% | -23.6% | -29.2% |
| Information Technology | 129,889 | 134,994 | 162,656 | 191,024 | -3.8% | -20.1% | -32.0% |
| Insurance | 55,981 | 58,295 | 69,361 | 86,304 | -4.0% | -19.3% | -35.1% |
| Internet & Tech | 118,146 | 109,503 | 95,965 | 70,640 | 7.9% | 23.1% | 67.3% |
| Manufacturing | 149,802 | 156,624 | 195,906 | 234,634 | -4.4% | -23.5% | -36.2% |
| Marketing & Advertising | 44,161 | 44,318 | 55,375 | 63,394 | -0.4% | -20.3% | -30.3% |
| Media & Publishing | 12,218 | 12,731 | 18,822 | 30,089 | -4.0% | -35.1% | -59.4% |
| Nonprofit | 55,909 | 57,149 | 64,902 | 72,811 | -2.2% | -13.9% | -23.2% |
| Private Security | 16,355 | 16,757 | 20,254 | 25,916 | -2.4% | -19.3% | -36.9% |
| Real Estate | 37,370 | 38,930 | 45,478 | 49,977 | -4.0% | -17.8% | -25.2% |
| Restaurants & Bars | 424,124 | 429,234 | 453,006 | 512,426 | -1.2% | -6.4% | -17.2% |
| Retail | 333,462 | 336,899 | 387,632 | 487,799 | -1.0% | -14.0% | -31.6% |
| Supermarkets | 83,981 | 83,237 | 89,391 | 95,097 | 0.9% | -6.1% | -11.7% |
| Telecommunications | 23,788 | 24,618 | 29,511 | 40,224 | -3.4% | -19.4% | -40.9% |
| Transportation & Logistics | 201,543 | 203,373 | 229,957 | 406,768 | -0.9% | -12.4% | -50.5% |
| Travel & Tourism | 18,422 | 19,637 | 26,364 | 105,707 | -6.2% | -30.1% | -82.6% |
| Wholesale | 16,498 | 17,056 | 22,049 | 30,836 | -3.3% | -25.2% | -46.5% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, April 2020
Table B: Change in Job Openings by Industry Group
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 27, 2020 | Apr 20, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Apr 29, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,395,414 | 4,521,012 | 5,241,029 | 6,023,397 | -2.8% | -16.1% | -27.0% |
| Business Services | 158,650 | 163,723 | 199,046 | 233,471 | -3.1% | -20.3% | -32.0% |
| Construction & Real Estate Services | 150,994 | 155,189 | 184,272 | 218,598 | -2.7% | -18.1% | -30.9% |
| Consumer Services | 205,597 | 208,195 | 273,069 | 422,413 | -1.2% | -24.7% | -51.3% |
| Finance & Insurance | 144,817 | 151,521 | 184,686 | 220,144 | -4.4% | -21.6% | -34.2% |
| Food Services | 424,124 | 429,234 | 453,006 | 512,426 | -1.2% | -6.4% | -17.2% |
| Health Care | 676,309 | 718,261 | 877,930 | 942,957 | -5.8% | -23.0% | -28.3% |
| Production | 253,738 | 262,946 | 316,745 | 387,338 | -3.5% | -19.9% | -34.5% |
| Public Services | 348,400 | 356,954 | 396,277 | 454,021 | -2.4% | -12.1% | -23.3% |
| Retail | 424,550 | 427,491 | 482,683 | 594,681 | -0.7% | -12.0% | -28.6% |
| Tech | 356,594 | 358,901 | 399,911 | 425,902 | -0.6% | -10.8% | -16.3% |
| Trade & Transportation | 218,041 | 220,429 | 252,006 | 437,604 | -1.1% | -13.5% | -50.2% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, April 2020
Table C: Change in Job Openings by State
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 27, 2020 | Apr 20, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Apr 29, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,395,414 | 4,521,012 | 5,241,029 | 6,023,397 | -2.8% | -16.1% | -27.0% |
| Remote | 7,956 | 8,196 | 9,238 | 8,254 | -2.9% | -13.9% | -3.6% |
| AK | 9,225 | 9,690 | 10,816 | 12,278 | -4.8% | -14.7% | -24.9% |
| AL | 59,329 | 60,183 | 68,383 | 81,680 | -1.4% | -13.2% | -27.4% |
| AR | 32,025 | 32,779 | 36,499 | 43,354 | -2.3% | -12.3% | -26.1% |
| AZ | 88,128 | 90,660 | 105,078 | 123,788 | -2.8% | -16.1% | -28.8% |
| CA | 472,086 | 493,683 | 589,345 | 662,207 | -4.4% | -19.9% | -28.7% |
| CO | 91,635 | 91,106 | 110,323 | 131,313 | 0.6% | -16.9% | -30.2% |
| CT | 51,941 | 53,224 | 61,092 | 67,045 | -2.4% | -15.0% | -22.5% |
| DC | 35,196 | 36,711 | 41,309 | 45,074 | -4.1% | -14.8% | -21.9% |
| DE | 16,300 | 16,602 | 18,496 | 19,065 | -1.8% | -11.9% | -14.5% |
| FL | 226,172 | 236,459 | 282,364 | 318,119 | -4.4% | -19.9% | -28.9% |
| GA | 140,889 | 144,013 | 163,965 | 205,358 | -2.2% | -14.1% | -31.4% |
| HI | 12,462 | 13,136 | 15,488 | 18,847 | -5.1% | -19.5% | -33.9% |
| IA | 44,199 | 45,253 | 51,602 | 66,003 | -2.3% | -14.3% | -33.0% |
| ID | 16,899 | 17,492 | 20,620 | 22,234 | -3.4% | -18.0% | -24.0% |
| IL | 178,966 | 186,184 | 219,957 | 264,807 | -3.9% | -18.6% | -32.4% |
| IN | 94,541 | 95,664 | 108,111 | 127,464 | -1.2% | -12.6% | -25.8% |
| KS | 40,519 | 40,950 | 47,083 | 53,463 | -1.1% | -13.9% | -24.2% |
| KY | 59,266 | 58,958 | 66,561 | 74,694 | 0.5% | -11.0% | -20.7% |
| LA | 48,215 | 49,188 | 55,555 | 63,201 | -2.0% | -13.2% | -23.7% |
| MA | 157,913 | 158,018 | 165,315 | 190,333 | -0.1% | -4.5% | -17.0% |
| MD | 105,668 | 108,692 | 120,183 | 132,419 | -2.8% | -12.1% | -20.2% |
| ME | 21,187 | 21,879 | 23,938 | 26,380 | -3.2% | -11.5% | -19.7% |
| MI | 116,392 | 119,388 | 137,813 | 154,395 | -2.5% | -15.5% | -24.6% |
| MN | 78,984 | 79,919 | 95,249 | 113,473 | -1.2% | -17.1% | -30.4% |
| MO | 81,816 | 84,447 | 97,740 | 113,860 | -3.1% | -16.3% | -28.1% |
| MS | 30,732 | 31,503 | 34,337 | 38,446 | -2.4% | -10.5% | -20.1% |
| MT | 12,477 | 12,586 | 13,987 | 16,981 | -0.9% | -10.8% | -26.5% |
| NC | 148,081 | 151,511 | 171,350 | 211,811 | -2.3% | -13.6% | -30.1% |
| ND | 11,825 | 11,979 | 14,523 | 16,680 | -1.3% | -18.6% | -29.1% |
| NE | 26,148 | 26,407 | 29,932 | 34,618 | -1.0% | -12.6% | -24.5% |
| NH | 24,230 | 25,998 | 29,198 | 32,215 | -6.8% | -17.0% | -24.8% |
| NJ | 133,978 | 135,308 | 142,395 | 153,382 | -1.0% | -5.9% | -12.7% |
| NM | 29,975 | 31,026 | 35,838 | 39,031 | -3.4% | -16.4% | -23.2% |
| NV | 33,289 | 34,923 | 40,584 | 49,311 | -4.7% | -18.0% | -32.5% |
| NY | 222,582 | 232,032 | 267,046 | 303,535 | -4.1% | -16.7% | -26.7% |
| OH | 153,151 | 155,973 | 178,563 | 212,898 | -1.8% | -14.2% | -28.1% |
| OK | 43,367 | 43,864 | 49,997 | 58,896 | -1.1% | -13.3% | -26.4% |
| OR | 49,072 | 50,823 | 60,738 | 70,231 | -3.4% | -19.2% | -30.1% |
| PA | 201,044 | 204,831 | 231,228 | 235,222 | -1.8% | -13.1% | -14.5% |
| RI | 16,340 | 16,725 | 18,284 | 19,028 | -2.3% | -10.6% | -14.1% |
| SC | 68,295 | 69,723 | 81,264 | 91,896 | -2.0% | -16.0% | -25.7% |
| SD | 13,279 | 13,673 | 15,758 | 16,411 | -2.9% | -15.7% | -19.1% |
| TN | 88,944 | 91,249 | 105,184 | 128,865 | -2.5% | -15.4% | -31.0% |
| TX | 324,618 | 336,134 | 398,716 | 469,783 | -3.4% | -18.6% | -30.9% |
| UT | 37,429 | 37,892 | 45,078 | 53,048 | -1.2% | -17.0% | -29.4% |
| VA | 150,050 | 156,631 | 177,733 | 197,335 | -4.2% | -15.6% | -24.0% |
| VT | 10,467 | 10,794 | 12,742 | 13,087 | -3.0% | -17.9% | -20.0% |
| WA | 110,034 | 113,466 | 165,276 | 154,105 | -3.0% | -33.4% | -28.6% |
| WI | 82,432 | 84,821 | 99,506 | 115,625 | -2.8% | -17.2% | -28.7% |
| WV | 28,563 | 28,147 | 33,038 | 30,262 | 1.5% | -13.5% | -5.6% |
| WY | 10,176 | 12,074 | 12,766 | 12,505 | -15.7% | -20.3% | -18.6% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, April 2020
Table D: Change in Job Openings for Select Metro Areas
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Apr 27, 2020 | Apr 20, 2020 | Mar 30, 2020 | Apr 29, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,395,414 | 4,521,012 | 5,241,029 | 6,023,397 | -2.8% | -16.1% | -27.0% |
| Atlanta, GA | 83,427 | 85,981 | 99,837 | 131,235 | -3.0% | -16.4% | -36.4% |
| Boston, MA | 125,787 | 125,740 | 131,523 | 154,226 | 0.0% | -4.4% | -18.4% |
| Chicago, IL | 139,269 | 144,956 | 172,548 | 205,234 | -3.9% | -19.3% | -32.1% |
| Houston, TX | 66,361 | 69,207 | 82,722 | 98,285 | -4.1% | -19.8% | -32.5% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 148,848 | 155,564 | 185,671 | 215,798 | -4.3% | -19.8% | -31.0% |
| New York City, NY | 242,238 | 248,695 | 276,667 | 307,583 | -2.6% | -12.4% | -21.2% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 86,746 | 89,136 | 101,211 | 113,565 | -2.7% | -14.3% | -23.6% |
| San Francisco, CA | 103,656 | 108,568 | 133,275 | 147,351 | -4.5% | -22.2% | -29.7% |
| Seattle, WA | 79,946 | 82,448 | 122,811 | 115,617 | -3.0% | -34.9% | -30.9% |
| Washington, DC | 144,372 | 149,577 | 167,315 | 183,943 | -3.5% | -13.7% | -21.5% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, April 2020
