Key Findings
- U.S. job openings improved slowly in August, rising 2 percent month-over-month to 4.97 million. Job openings are still 18 percent below pre-crisis levels. There is still a long road ahead for the economic recovery.
- Promising Industry Job Growth: Job openings in tech (+13.4 percent month-over-month) and consumer services (+3.9 percent) grew as consumer demand shifts to e-commerce and delivery services continue to hold strong. Health care job openings rose 2.8 percent, now just 6.7 percent short of pre-crisis levels, the best of any industry group.
- Despite the explosion in remote work, job openings are recovering in New York City (+1.4 percent month-over-month), San Francisco (+2.7 percent) and San Jose (+3.4 percent). These high-cost metros are far from dead, though they do have a lot of ground to make up to recover to pre-crisis levels.
The economic recovery made slow but steady progress in August. Glassdoor’s latest Job Market Report shows that, as of August 24, 4.97 million job openings are available, a modest 2 percent increase month-over-month. Despite resurgent COVID-19 outbreaks in July and August, job openings have continued to improve. However, the rate of improvement is still agonizingly slow, which if it continues is a worrying sign. Job openings remain 18 percent below pre-crisis levels, leaving the labor market in a deep economic hole that will likely still take many months to crawl out of.
Optimism over a rapid V-shaped recovery is mostly doused by the slow recovery in job openings. If this glacial pace continues much longer, it raises the risk that temporary losses will turn into permanent economic damage.
Based on an analysis of employer job posting behavior in August on Glassdoor, 35 percent of employers have increased job openings. This is slightly more than the share of employers decreasing job openings (33 percent) and represents only a slow expansion in demand for new workers.
Change in Job Openings by Industry
- Tech job openings increased 13.4 percent month-over-month. This large increase is driven primarily by shifting consumer demand for e-commerce and other online services. Consumer services (+3.9 percent month-over-month) shows a similar trend, with increases in job openings for delivery workers outweighing muted demand in other consumer services like tourism and entertainment.
- Health care job openings rose 2.8 percent month-over-month. Health care providers have had to ramp up hiring to respond to sustained COVID-19 outbreaks across the country. Additionally, health care providers like dentists, which had to close or reduce staff early in the pandemic, have been able to reopen. Health care job openings are now down only 6.7 percent from pre-crisis levels, the best of any industry group.
Change in Job Openings by Industry Group
| Industry Group | Month-over-Month % Change |
| U.S. Total | 1.6% |
| Business Services | 5.3% |
| Construction & Real Estate Services | -1.1% |
| Consumer Services | 3.9% |
| Finance & Insurance | -0.5% |
| Food Services | 0.0% |
| Health Care | 2.8% |
| Manufacturing & Production | 4.1% |
| Public Services | -1.3% |
| Retail | 1.3% |
| Tech | 13.4% |
| Trade & Transportation | -6.3% |
Note: Data as of August 24, 2020
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
For more detailed data on job openings trends by industry and industry group, see our appendix below.
Too Early to Declare The Death of New York City or Silicon Valley
The explosion of remote work has led some commentators to declare that high-cost areas like New York City and Silicon Valley are dead. Economically, that appears premature. Job openings in New York City (+1.4 percent month-over-month), San Francisco (+2.7 percent) and San Jose (+3.4 percent) all increased in August.
However, New York City and Silicon Valley did take a hit in job openings this year and accordingly have more ground to gain back. Job openings in these three metropolitan areas are still significantly down year-over-year, and those declines are still worse than the national average.
Remote job openings are up 60.6 percent year-over-year. While fully remote job openings are still a fraction of total job openings in the U.S., and relatively small compared to openings in major metro areas like New York City, they are one of the few categories where job openings have actually grown year-over-year.
Change in Job Openings for Select Metros
| Metro | Job Openings | Month-over-Month % Change | Year-over-Year % Change |
| U.S. Total | 4,970,465 | 1.6% | -18.6% |
| Remote | 17,297 | 18.5% | 60.6% |
| Chicago, IL | 168,575 | 9.4% | -18.0% |
| Boston, MA | 120,519 | 7.6% | -22.8% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 101,953 | 4.2% | -12.7% |
| San Jose, CA | 50,481 | 3.4% | -30.8% |
| San Francisco, CA | 111,273 | 2.7% | -25.8% |
| Atlanta, GA | 95,926 | 2.0% | -24.6% |
| New York City, NY | 245,681 | 1.4% | -22.8% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 123,510 | 1.2% | -21.0% |
| Denver, CO | 55,874 | 1.0% | -29.8% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 158,639 | -1.6% | -29.0% |
| Washington, DC | 144,353 | -2.0% | -26.7% |
| Houston, TX | 72,771 | -3.3% | -27.6% |
| Phoenix, AZ | 74,674 | -4.6% | -15.2% |
| Seattle, WA | 88,629 | -5.7% | -21.9% |
Note: Data as of August 24, 2020
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
The chart below shows how job openings have trended in New York City and Silicon Valley over the course of the crisis. Note that while both metro areas have under-performed the national average since June, they have also grown since the beginning of July in a sign that the recovery is progressing slowly even in these high-cost metro areas.
For more detailed data on job openings trends by state and for select metropolitan areas, see our appendix below.
Conclusion
Glassdoor data shows that job openings have inched upward in August and our data shows some momentum behind the recovery. But, being so far below pre-crisis economic activity, there’s a long runway to pick up those furloughed or laid off and get them back into the job market before the economy can take off again.
This Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will release the August jobs report, and it’s likely to show slow but steady job gains. While jobs growth is positive, the slow rate of improvement does raise the specter of a protracted recovery giving more time for long-term economic damage to accumulate.
Methodology
The job openings 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 for job openings data 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, industry data may be missing for some employers.
Table A: Change in Job Openings by Industry
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Aug 24, 2020 | Aug 17, 2020 | Jul 27, 2020 | Aug 26, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,970,465 | 5,026,420 | 4,892,848 | 6,103,234 | -1.1% | 1.6% | -18.6% |
| Accounting & Legal | 33,379 | 33,495 | 32,362 | 54,486 | -0.3% | 3.1% | -38.7% |
| Aerospace & Defense | 56,694 | 58,228 | 56,398 | 105,645 | -2.6% | 0.5% | -46.3% |
| Architecture & Civil Engineering | 25,675 | 25,946 | 25,934 | 40,427 | -1.0% | -1.0% | -36.5% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 25,930 | 26,532 | 26,292 | 52,899 | -2.3% | -1.4% | -51.0% |
| Automotive | 86,213 | 85,873 | 83,287 | 105,563 | 0.4% | 3.5% | -18.3% |
| Banking & Financial Services | 92,458 | 97,364 | 93,418 | 130,125 | -5.0% | -1.0% | -28.9% |
| Beauty & Fitness | 56,760 | 58,571 | 59,758 | 80,282 | -3.1% | -5.0% | -29.3% |
| Biotech & Pharmaceuticals | 68,036 | 68,120 | 64,424 | 74,229 | -0.1% | 5.6% | -8.3% |
| Business Services | 7,654 | 8,359 | 7,716 | 12,969 | -8.4% | -0.8% | -41.0% |
| Computer Software & Hardware | 112,638 | 112,018 | 103,135 | 154,572 | 0.6% | 9.2% | -27.1% |
| Construction | 56,649 | 58,308 | 56,462 | 76,171 | -2.8% | 0.3% | -25.6% |
| Consulting | 55,232 | 56,109 | 55,721 | 86,983 | -1.6% | -0.9% | -36.5% |
| Consumer Electronics | 9,909 | 8,785 | 8,371 | 14,769 | 12.8% | 18.4% | -32.9% |
| Consumer Services | 33,703 | 30,517 | 25,965 | 15,155 | 10.4% | 29.8% | 122.4% |
| Education & Schools | 159,486 | 165,972 | 164,673 | 237,167 | -3.9% | -3.1% | -32.8% |
| Energy & Utilities | 33,665 | 34,156 | 33,905 | 51,564 | -1.4% | -0.7% | -34.7% |
| Facilities | 45,125 | 46,927 | 45,545 | 51,154 | -3.8% | -0.9% | -11.8% |
| Farming & Agriculture | 8,673 | 8,974 | 8,613 | 9,821 | -3.4% | 0.7% | -11.7% |
| Government | 121,249 | 122,720 | 119,429 | 130,418 | -1.2% | 1.5% | -7.0% |
| Health Care & Hospitals | 787,185 | 807,176 | 767,767 | 838,898 | -2.5% | 2.5% | -6.2% |
| Information Technology | 101,440 | 109,064 | 106,711 | 157,243 | -7.0% | -4.9% | -35.5% |
| Insurance | 61,780 | 62,578 | 61,591 | 80,194 | -1.3% | 0.3% | -23.0% |
| Internet & Tech | 169,150 | 120,038 | 128,117 | 62,407 | 40.9% | 32.0% | 171.0% |
| Manufacturing | 179,188 | 178,878 | 168,715 | 230,435 | 0.2% | 6.2% | -22.2% |
| Marketing & Advertising | 65,483 | 66,473 | 56,944 | 67,466 | -1.5% | 15.0% | -2.9% |
| Media & Publishing | 13,046 | 13,417 | 12,626 | 26,234 | -2.8% | 3.3% | -50.3% |
| Nonprofit | 55,643 | 57,542 | 56,822 | 72,593 | -3.3% | -2.1% | -23.3% |
| Private Security | 22,866 | 23,201 | 22,608 | 23,645 | -1.4% | 1.1% | -3.3% |
| Real Estate | 46,192 | 47,961 | 47,575 | 51,491 | -3.7% | -2.9% | -10.3% |
| Restaurants & Bars | 460,614 | 461,251 | 460,468 | 631,894 | -0.1% | 0.0% | -27.1% |
| Retail | 392,984 | 391,836 | 389,323 | 529,472 | 0.3% | 0.9% | -25.8% |
| Supermarkets | 95,324 | 97,230 | 94,196 | 96,318 | -2.0% | 1.2% | -1.0% |
| Telecommunications | 27,329 | 27,412 | 24,750 | 39,418 | -0.3% | 10.4% | -30.7% |
| Transportation & Logistics | 208,423 | 225,233 | 223,623 | 311,453 | -7.5% | -6.8% | -33.1% |
| Travel & Tourism | 37,815 | 38,574 | 37,567 | 91,615 | -2.0% | 0.7% | -58.7% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
Table B: Change in Job Openings by Industry Group
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Aug 24, 2020 | Aug 17, 2020 | Jul 27, 2020 | Aug 26, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,970,465 | 5,026,420 | 4,892,848 | 6,103,234 | -1.1% | 1.6% | -18.6% |
| Business Services | 184,614 | 187,637 | 175,351 | 245,549 | -1.6% | 5.3% | -24.8% |
| Construction & Real Estate Services | 173,641 | 179,142 | 175,516 | 219,243 | -3.1% | -1.1% | -20.8% |
| Consumer Services | 280,796 | 280,896 | 270,245 | 411,166 | 0.0% | 3.9% | -31.7% |
| Finance & Insurance | 154,238 | 159,942 | 155,009 | 210,319 | -3.6% | -0.5% | -26.7% |
| Food Services | 460,614 | 461,251 | 460,468 | 631,894 | -0.1% | 0.0% | -27.1% |
| Health Care | 855,221 | 875,296 | 832,191 | 913,127 | -2.3% | 2.8% | -6.3% |
| Production | 278,220 | 280,236 | 267,631 | 397,465 | -0.7% | 4.0% | -30.0% |
| Public Services | 336,378 | 346,234 | 340,924 | 440,178 | -2.8% | -1.3% | -23.6% |
| Retail | 498,217 | 497,851 | 491,890 | 640,559 | 0.1% | 1.3% | -22.2% |
| Tech | 383,228 | 341,120 | 337,963 | 374,222 | 12.3% | 13.4% | 2.4% |
| Trade & Transportation | 230,948 | 249,123 | 246,433 | 342,155 | -7.3% | -6.3% | -32.5% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
Table C: Change in Job Openings by State
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Aug 24, 2020 | Aug 17, 2020 | Jul 27, 2020 | Aug 26, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,970,465 | 5,026,420 | 4,892,848 | 6,103,234 | -1.1% | 1.6% | -18.6% |
| Remote | 17,297 | 16,852 | 14,597 | 10,770 | 2.6% | 18.5% | 60.6% |
| AK | 10,438 | 11,196 | 10,929 | 12,064 | -6.8% | -4.5% | -13.5% |
| AL | 69,500 | 70,228 | 68,289 | 78,611 | -1.0% | 1.8% | -11.6% |
| AR | 39,599 | 39,955 | 39,259 | 42,617 | -0.9% | 0.9% | -7.1% |
| AZ | 103,991 | 107,526 | 108,488 | 121,509 | -3.3% | -4.1% | -14.4% |
| CA | 520,086 | 516,028 | 515,500 | 681,593 | 0.8% | 0.9% | -23.7% |
| CO | 97,451 | 100,278 | 96,680 | 132,971 | -2.8% | 0.8% | -26.7% |
| CT | 53,102 | 53,790 | 52,773 | 71,414 | -1.3% | 0.6% | -25.6% |
| DC | 31,684 | 33,285 | 33,158 | 47,333 | -4.8% | -4.4% | -33.1% |
| DE | 17,265 | 18,298 | 17,964 | 20,780 | -5.6% | -3.9% | -16.9% |
| FL | 270,100 | 277,145 | 265,875 | 321,310 | -2.5% | 1.6% | -15.9% |
| GA | 161,809 | 166,034 | 159,020 | 202,048 | -2.5% | 1.8% | -19.9% |
| HI | 13,065 | 13,416 | 12,885 | 20,052 | -2.6% | 1.4% | -34.8% |
| IA | 52,603 | 52,909 | 51,823 | 58,486 | -0.6% | 1.5% | -10.1% |
| ID | 21,583 | 21,796 | 20,516 | 23,066 | -1.0% | 5.2% | -6.4% |
| IL | 212,499 | 210,412 | 197,088 | 260,345 | 1.0% | 7.8% | -18.4% |
| IN | 109,958 | 111,568 | 106,866 | 124,320 | -1.4% | 2.9% | -11.6% |
| KS | 47,606 | 47,204 | 46,108 | 54,183 | 0.9% | 3.2% | -12.1% |
| KY | 69,845 | 71,222 | 69,002 | 75,641 | -1.9% | 1.2% | -7.7% |
| LA | 56,733 | 57,742 | 56,090 | 66,538 | -1.7% | 1.1% | -14.7% |
| MA | 152,803 | 154,019 | 142,075 | 191,972 | -0.8% | 7.6% | -20.4% |
| MD | 113,174 | 118,581 | 118,466 | 139,598 | -4.6% | -4.5% | -18.9% |
| ME | 25,953 | 26,343 | 24,173 | 28,259 | -1.5% | 7.4% | -8.2% |
| MI | 151,242 | 147,910 | 145,132 | 163,115 | 2.3% | 4.2% | -7.3% |
| MN | 89,453 | 90,897 | 86,929 | 113,412 | -1.6% | 2.9% | -21.1% |
| MO | 93,401 | 94,759 | 91,864 | 115,559 | -1.4% | 1.7% | -19.2% |
| MS | 35,700 | 36,232 | 35,040 | 37,834 | -1.5% | 1.9% | -5.6% |
| MT | 14,847 | 15,034 | 14,243 | 15,617 | -1.2% | 4.2% | -4.9% |
| NC | 166,395 | 168,112 | 162,931 | 209,039 | -1.0% | 2.1% | -20.4% |
| ND | 13,904 | 14,083 | 13,969 | 15,945 | -1.3% | -0.5% | -12.8% |
| NE | 33,148 | 34,330 | 33,433 | 33,226 | -3.4% | -0.9% | -0.2% |
| NH | 29,189 | 29,154 | 27,313 | 32,865 | 0.1% | 6.9% | -11.2% |
| NJ | 142,681 | 133,575 | 141,940 | 155,828 | 6.8% | 0.5% | -8.4% |
| NM | 36,112 | 37,012 | 35,285 | 40,587 | -2.4% | 2.3% | -11.0% |
| NV | 39,774 | 40,389 | 39,056 | 49,862 | -1.5% | 1.8% | -20.2% |
| NY | 225,928 | 227,768 | 223,026 | 315,641 | -0.8% | 1.3% | -28.4% |
| OH | 176,541 | 179,844 | 176,901 | 221,388 | -1.8% | -0.2% | -20.3% |
| OK | 50,886 | 51,755 | 49,537 | 61,477 | -1.7% | 2.7% | -17.2% |
| OR | 58,730 | 58,976 | 56,303 | 71,457 | -0.4% | 4.3% | -17.8% |
| PA | 219,024 | 225,266 | 212,547 | 248,284 | -2.8% | 3.0% | -11.8% |
| RI | 16,630 | 16,839 | 15,622 | 20,166 | -1.2% | 6.5% | -17.5% |
| SC | 82,189 | 83,183 | 80,868 | 93,453 | -1.2% | 1.6% | -12.1% |
| SD | 15,477 | 15,730 | 15,450 | 16,635 | -1.6% | 0.2% | -7.0% |
| TN | 109,212 | 110,411 | 106,620 | 129,390 | -1.1% | 2.4% | -15.6% |
| TX | 372,279 | 378,970 | 373,303 | 477,947 | -1.8% | -0.3% | -22.1% |
| UT | 46,003 | 45,991 | 43,731 | 54,952 | 0.0% | 5.2% | -16.3% |
| VA | 168,953 | 170,572 | 167,377 | 204,871 | -0.9% | 0.9% | -17.5% |
| VT | 11,486 | 11,937 | 11,713 | 13,550 | -3.8% | -1.9% | -15.2% |
| WA | 124,698 | 128,654 | 129,676 | 154,502 | -3.1% | -3.8% | -19.3% |
| WI | 92,175 | 91,781 | 88,677 | 110,211 | 0.4% | 3.9% | -16.4% |
| WV | 29,293 | 30,593 | 30,420 | 35,629 | -4.2% | -3.7% | -17.8% |
| WY | 9,671 | 10,045 | 9,713 | 12,171 | -3.7% | -0.4% | -20.5% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
Table D: Change in Job Openings for Select Metropolitan Areas
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| Aug 24, 2020 | Aug 17, 2020 | Jul 27, 2020 | Aug 26, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,970,465 | 5,026,420 | 4,892,848 | 6,103,234 | -1.1% | 1.6% | -18.6% |
| Atlanta, GA | 95,926 | 97,717 | 94,019 | 127,174 | -1.8% | 2.0% | -24.6% |
| Boston, MA | 120,519 | 121,075 | 112,022 | 156,084 | -0.5% | 7.6% | -22.8% |
| Chicago, IL | 168,575 | 166,600 | 154,127 | 205,492 | 1.2% | 9.4% | -18.0% |
| Houston, TX | 72,771 | 74,082 | 75,247 | 100,484 | -1.8% | -3.3% | -27.6% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 158,639 | 163,080 | 161,262 | 223,282 | -2.7% | -1.6% | -29.0% |
| New York City, NY | 245,681 | 234,395 | 242,202 | 318,332 | 4.8% | 1.4% | -22.8% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 101,953 | 105,351 | 96,950 | 116,774 | -3.2% | 5.2% | -12.7% |
| San Francisco, CA | 111,273 | 103,248 | 108,375 | 150,029 | 7.8% | 2.7% | -25.8% |
| Seattle, WA | 88,629 | 91,541 | 94,011 | 113,547 | -3.2% | -5.7% | -21.9% |
| Washington, DC | 144,353 | 147,504 | 147,294 | 197,058 | -2.1% | -2.0% | -26.7% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, Sep 1, 2020
