Key Findings
- U.S. job openings on Glassdoor declined 29% since the start of March. Job openings continue to fall weekly, but the rate of decline has dropped from -8% to -1%. While this isn’t good news outright, it is less grim and provides some cautious optimism that the labor market may begin to recover soon.
- As businesses reopen, demand for workers is slowly returning for in-person service industries like retail and food services, which were among the most dramatically affected by the shutdowns. Job openings for in-person services grew 2% on May 11 from the week prior, the first week-over-week increase for these industries since the crisis began.
- As states begin reopening businesses, there’s no obvious relationship between state restrictions and changes in job openings. States with less and more restrictive policies alike continue to see declines in job openings.
- Near real-time job market insights are vital to understanding the market in a pandemic and can be a powerful supplement to government data. Data from Glassdoor’s Job Market Report and the BLS’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) March report show nearly identical trends: a 13% and 12% drop, respectively, in March job openings.
As the U.S. enters the third month of the COVID-19 crisis, the labor market continues to buckle under the virus’s prolonged impact. Glassdoor’s latest Job Market Report shows that as of May 11 job openings have dropped to 4.4 million—a 28.5 percent decline since the start of March.
Even though job openings continue to decline by about 50,000 openings on a weekly basis, the rate of decline nevertheless has slowed dramatically. The rate of decline has slowed from -7.8 percent on March 23 to -1.3 percent on May 11. The deceleration signals that the labor market is not yet over the hump, but may soon begin to rebound. However, many industries are still seeing declining job openings as they navigate the prolonged impacts of a slowed economy, with tech (-4.0 percent), manufacturing & production (-2.9 percent) and business services (-1.5 percent) driving last week’s declines. Meanwhile, 69 percent of employers had fewer job openings since early March 2020, while 14 percent of employers boosted hiring to accommodate swift shifts in demand.
In-Person Services See Slight Uptick
As states relax restrictions, businesses that rely on in-person interactions have begun to reopen. In-person services for consumers — like retail and food services — and for certain business services — like private security — have begun to reopen, increasing demand for workers. Job openings for in-person services increased 1.8% week-over-week for the first time since the coronavirus crisis began.
Although this demand is likely to grow as more businesses look to reopen, these industries are still climbing out of a deep hole, as they must reverse the current 28.7 percent shortfall in job openings since early March. In short, the economy still has a very long way to go before returning to pre-crisis levels.
- Retail (+4.2 percent) and restaurants & bars (+0.2 percent) have both seen job openings increase week-over-week as states begin relaxing restrictions. While many businesses are still operating at reduced capacity or under altered conditions, the increase in hiring demand is a sign that businesses are looking to get back to work.
- Business services that require in-person work, like private security (+1.5 percent) and facilities (+1.0 percent), have seen a modest increase in job openings as businesses begin to reopen their premises.
- Travel & tourism job openings increased 1.1 percent week-over-week. While job openings are increasing, travel & tourism is still the hardest hit industry overall, with 77.4 percent of job openings evaporating since the beginning of March.
- One prominent exception is health care & hospitals (-2.6 percent) where job openings continue to fall. While hiring demand was slow to fall in the industry as it responded to the crisis, job openings have also been slow to recover, under-performing other industries.
Job Openings Continue to Decline Across Most States
As states begin to relax restrictions, the question is how quickly will economic activity resume. Glassdoor data shows no definitive relationship between local COVID-19 outbreaks, state restrictions and state-level job openings. Instead, economic impact appears more likely driven by uncertainty and weak consumer demand.
- Both New Jersey and New York remain under stay-at-home orders, but New Jersey has actually seen job openings increase modestly month-over-month while New York has seen job openings decline 9.6 percent from the previous month, the ninth worst in the country.
- Similarly, Wyoming (-24.1 percent) and Nebraska (-3.5 percent) never implemented statewide stay-at-home orders, but appear at opposite ends of the economic spectrum.
- States that are heavily dependent on tourism and entertainment like Nevada (-9.9 percent) and Hawai’i (-9.9 percent) have been particularly hard-hit, signalling that the economic impact on states may be more due to cratering consumer demand rather than specific state policies.
States with Largest Change in Job Openings
| Largest Decrease | Largest Increase | ||
| State | MoM % | State | MoM % |
| Wyoming | -24.1% | Massachusetts | 8.3% |
| Vermont | -10.6% | New Hampshire | 1.5% |
| California | -10.1% | New Jersey | 1.1% |
| Illinois | -10.1% | Montana | -2.6% |
| Nevada | -9.9% | Nebraska | -3.5% |
| Hawai’i | -9.9% | Kansas | -3.8% |
| South Dakota | -9.6% | Kentucky | -3.8% |
| Florida | -9.6% | Indiana | -3.8% |
| New York | -9.6% | Rhode Island | -4.5% |
| Wisconsin | -9.1% | Oklahoma | -4.7% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report
For more detailed data on job openings trends by state, see our appendix below.
Private Data Insights Supplementing Government Data
For years, Glassdoor’s Job Market Report and other insights have helped experts better understand the shifting labor market. These real-time insights have proved a powerful supplement to government data, especially in a time of crisis when timely data is of the utmost importance. In fact, last Friday’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) release from the BLS reported a 12 percent drop in March job openings compared to February; similarly, Glassdoor’s Job Market Report shows a nearly identical 13 percent drop in the comparable timeframe. Looking forward, while the April JOLTS report will be released on June 9, Glassdoor data already shows that job openings dropped another 15 percent in April.
Conclusion
As states and leaders explore what the new normal looks like while operating amid a pandemic, some are hoping for any glimpse of an economy and job market coming back to life. While some industries like retail and food services are beginning to show signs of improving conditions, Glassdoor data shows U.S. job openings overall continue to decline and have not bottomed out quite yet. Even as states begin relaxing restrictions, the sluggish labor market is an indication that the economy isn’t easily switched back on again and will take time to recover.
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
Table A: Change in Job Openings by Industry
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| May 11, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | Apr 13, 2020 | May 13, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,353,679 | 4,410,715 | 4,674,217 | 5,974,596 | -1.3% | -6.9% | -27.1% |
| Accounting & Legal | 32,063 | 33,630 | 36,435 | 36,006 | -4.7% | -12.0% | -11.0% |
| Aerospace & Defense | 64,146 | 68,399 | 69,573 | 89,145 | -6.2% | -7.8% | -28.0% |
| Architecture & Civil Engineering | 27,353 | 27,955 | 30,203 | 43,075 | -2.2% | -9.4% | -36.5% |
| Arts & Entertainment | 25,151 | 26,118 | 28,484 | 56,563 | -3.7% | -11.7% | -55.5% |
| Automotive | 61,489 | 60,221 | 70,099 | 96,074 | 2.1% | -12.3% | -36.0% |
| Banking & Financial Services | 89,379 | 90,920 | 98,972 | 139,251 | -1.7% | -9.7% | -35.8% |
| Beauty & Fitness | 50,698 | 50,223 | 62,540 | 79,633 | 0.9% | -18.9% | -36.3% |
| Biotech & Pharmaceuticals | 61,571 | 63,132 | 66,108 | 75,367 | -2.5% | -6.9% | -18.3% |
| Business Services | 7,285 | 7,036 | 7,291 | 13,107 | 3.5% | -0.1% | -44.4% |
| Computer Software & Hardware | 103,885 | 107,687 | 121,486 | 156,716 | -3.5% | -14.5% | -33.7% |
| Construction | 52,401 | 52,292 | 52,309 | 75,168 | 0.2% | 0.2% | -30.3% |
| Consulting | 54,974 | 57,095 | 60,721 | 76,244 | -3.7% | -9.5% | -27.9% |
| Consumer Electronics | 6,627 | 6,610 | 7,548 | 11,766 | 0.3% | -12.2% | -43.7% |
| Consumer Services | 10,800 | 10,192 | 10,988 | 14,871 | 6.0% | -1.7% | -27.4% |
| Education & Schools | 169,482 | 172,838 | 183,486 | 251,573 | -1.9% | -7.6% | -32.6% |
| Energy & Utilities | 29,148 | 28,869 | 31,836 | 53,433 | 1.0% | -8.4% | -45.4% |
| Facilities | 35,549 | 35,193 | 36,164 | 49,598 | 1.0% | -1.7% | -28.3% |
| Government | 113,177 | 114,643 | 123,748 | 134,656 | -1.3% | -8.5% | -16.0% |
| Health Care & Hospitals | 593,913 | 609,612 | 699,502 | 862,584 | -2.6% | -15.1% | -31.1% |
| Information Technology | 114,541 | 129,502 | 137,350 | 171,009 | -11.6% | -16.6% | -33.0% |
| Insurance | 54,158 | 55,011 | 61,234 | 85,138 | -1.6% | -11.6% | -36.4% |
| Internet & Tech | 140,621 | 136,886 | 81,860 | 68,647 | 2.7% | 71.8% | 104.8% |
| Manufacturing | 145,589 | 148,822 | 164,336 | 235,558 | -2.2% | -11.4% | -38.2% |
| Marketing & Advertising | 44,706 | 43,869 | 46,160 | 63,174 | 1.9% | -3.1% | -29.2% |
| Media & Publishing | 11,752 | 12,140 | 15,290 | 27,668 | -3.2% | -23.1% | -57.5% |
| Nonprofit | 54,459 | 57,150 | 59,380 | 73,891 | -4.7% | -8.3% | -26.3% |
| Private Security | 17,415 | 17,151 | 17,204 | 25,586 | 1.5% | 1.2% | -31.9% |
| Real Estate | 39,051 | 41,390 | 41,361 | 49,658 | -5.7% | -5.6% | -21.4% |
| Restaurants & Bars | 439,419 | 434,705 | 438,328 | 520,340 | 1.1% | 0.2% | -15.6% |
| Retail | 326,529 | 313,508 | 352,633 | 452,120 | 4.2% | -7.4% | -27.8% |
| Supermarkets | 83,064 | 82,957 | 84,769 | 90,936 | 0.1% | -2.0% | -8.7% |
| Telecommunications | 23,278 | 23,814 | 26,107 | 39,754 | -2.3% | -10.8% | -41.4% |
| Transportation & Logistics | 199,545 | 207,033 | 214,513 | 412,080 | -3.6% | -7.0% | -51.6% |
| Travel & Tourism | 19,528 | 19,313 | 20,852 | 103,577 | 1.1% | -6.3% | -81.1% |
| Wholesale | 16,464 | 16,301 | 17,661 | 31,321 | 1.0% | -6.8% | -47.4% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, May 20, 2020
Table B: Change in Job Openings by Industry Group
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| May 11, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | Apr 13, 2020 | May 13, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,353,679 | 4,410,715 | 4,674,217 | 5,974,596 | -1.3% | -6.9% | -27.1% |
| Business Services | 156,443 | 158,781 | 167,811 | 214,117 | -1.5% | -6.8% | -26.9% |
| Construction & Real Estate Services | 154,354 | 156,830 | 160,037 | 217,499 | -1.6% | -3.6% | -29.0% |
| Consumer Services | 202,696 | 202,021 | 234,360 | 418,140 | 0.3% | -13.5% | -51.5% |
| Finance & Insurance | 143,537 | 145,931 | 160,206 | 224,389 | -1.6% | -10.4% | -36.0% |
| Food Services | 439,419 | 434,705 | 438,328 | 520,340 | 1.1% | 0.2% | -15.6% |
| Health Care | 655,484 | 672,744 | 765,610 | 937,951 | -2.6% | -14.4% | -30.1% |
| Production | 247,553 | 254,840 | 274,868 | 388,032 | -2.9% | -9.9% | -36.2% |
| Public Services | 337,118 | 344,631 | 366,614 | 460,120 | -2.2% | -8.0% | -26.7% |
| Retail | 416,220 | 403,075 | 444,950 | 554,822 | 3.3% | -6.5% | -25.0% |
| Tech | 359,047 | 374,075 | 340,696 | 396,372 | -4.0% | 5.4% | -9.4% |
| Trade & Transportation | 216,009 | 223,334 | 232,174 | 443,401 | -3.3% | -7.0% | -51.3% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, May 20, 2020
Table C: Change in Job Openings by State
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| May 11, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | Apr 13, 2020 | May 13, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,353,679 | 4,410,715 | 4,674,217 | 5,974,596 | -1.3% | -6.9% | -27.1% |
| Remote | 8,106 | 8,058 | 8,304 | 8,588 | 0.6% | -2.4% | -5.6% |
| AK | 9,079 | 9,193 | 9,909 | 12,255 | -1.2% | -8.4% | -25.9% |
| AL | 58,811 | 59,124 | 62,311 | 81,106 | -0.5% | -5.6% | -27.5% |
| AR | 31,462 | 32,003 | 33,568 | 43,304 | -1.7% | -6.3% | -27.3% |
| AZ | 87,643 | 88,925 | 94,074 | 123,540 | -1.4% | -6.8% | -29.1% |
| CA | 465,474 | 472,328 | 517,906 | 655,899 | -1.5% | -10.1% | -29.0% |
| CO | 90,613 | 92,663 | 96,607 | 131,226 | -2.2% | -6.2% | -30.9% |
| CT | 50,944 | 52,073 | 55,398 | 66,367 | -2.2% | -8.0% | -23.2% |
| DC | 34,414 | 34,941 | 37,728 | 44,329 | -1.5% | -8.8% | -22.4% |
| DE | 15,918 | 16,074 | 16,811 | 19,113 | -1.0% | -5.3% | -16.7% |
| FL | 224,898 | 225,759 | 248,745 | 314,219 | -0.4% | -9.6% | -28.4% |
| GA | 137,548 | 141,046 | 149,410 | 203,665 | -2.5% | -7.9% | -32.5% |
| HI | 12,305 | 12,589 | 13,655 | 19,245 | -2.3% | -9.9% | -36.1% |
| IA | 44,326 | 44,290 | 46,940 | 64,257 | 0.1% | -5.6% | -31.0% |
| ID | 17,275 | 17,026 | 18,238 | 22,574 | 1.5% | -5.3% | -23.5% |
| IL | 176,343 | 181,223 | 196,078 | 260,870 | -2.7% | -10.1% | -32.4% |
| IN | 94,514 | 95,583 | 98,266 | 123,551 | -1.1% | -3.8% | -23.5% |
| KS | 40,553 | 40,356 | 42,141 | 53,757 | 0.5% | -3.8% | -24.6% |
| KY | 58,074 | 58,531 | 60,357 | 73,111 | -0.8% | -3.8% | -20.6% |
| LA | 47,491 | 47,774 | 50,727 | 62,941 | -0.6% | -6.4% | -24.5% |
| MA | 160,443 | 168,021 | 148,131 | 191,880 | -4.5% | 8.3% | -16.4% |
| MD | 104,878 | 107,577 | 111,899 | 133,899 | -2.5% | -6.3% | -21.7% |
| ME | 21,367 | 21,070 | 22,572 | 26,787 | 1.4% | -5.3% | -20.2% |
| MI | 116,469 | 115,962 | 124,111 | 151,825 | 0.4% | -6.2% | -23.3% |
| MN | 77,989 | 79,979 | 83,850 | 114,523 | -2.5% | -7.0% | -31.9% |
| MO | 80,316 | 81,408 | 87,604 | 114,634 | -1.3% | -8.3% | -29.9% |
| MS | 29,879 | 30,589 | 32,161 | 38,399 | -2.3% | -7.1% | -22.2% |
| MT | 12,607 | 12,545 | 12,944 | 17,020 | 0.5% | -2.6% | -25.9% |
| NC | 144,690 | 146,068 | 155,980 | 207,899 | -0.9% | -7.2% | -30.4% |
| ND | 11,676 | 11,846 | 12,726 | 16,336 | -1.4% | -8.3% | -28.5% |
| NE | 26,088 | 26,163 | 27,023 | 33,252 | -0.3% | -3.5% | -21.5% |
| NH | 26,207 | 24,491 | 25,813 | 32,602 | 7.0% | 1.5% | -19.6% |
| NJ | 136,735 | 134,250 | 135,252 | 149,499 | 1.9% | 1.1% | -8.5% |
| NM | 31,387 | 31,292 | 33,039 | 39,670 | 0.3% | -5.0% | -20.9% |
| NV | 32,819 | 33,044 | 36,436 | 49,284 | -0.7% | -9.9% | -33.4% |
| NY | 217,853 | 221,705 | 240,870 | 304,976 | -1.7% | -9.6% | -28.6% |
| OH | 151,952 | 157,023 | 162,523 | 208,928 | -3.2% | -6.5% | -27.3% |
| OK | 43,001 | 43,289 | 45,130 | 58,888 | -0.7% | -4.7% | -27.0% |
| OR | 48,741 | 48,785 | 53,078 | 70,694 | -0.1% | -8.2% | -31.1% |
| PA | 200,243 | 201,430 | 210,555 | 236,332 | -0.6% | -4.9% | -15.3% |
| RI | 15,978 | 16,537 | 16,731 | 19,361 | -3.4% | -4.5% | -17.5% |
| SC | 68,130 | 68,091 | 72,499 | 91,177 | 0.1% | -6.0% | -25.3% |
| SD | 12,917 | 12,993 | 14,287 | 16,651 | -0.6% | -9.6% | -22.4% |
| TN | 87,405 | 88,896 | 94,357 | 126,207 | -1.7% | -7.4% | -30.7% |
| TX | 319,636 | 323,971 | 349,286 | 466,422 | -1.3% | -8.5% | -31.5% |
| UT | 37,476 | 37,420 | 39,574 | 52,441 | 0.1% | -5.3% | -28.5% |
| VA | 147,718 | 149,388 | 162,337 | 197,000 | -1.1% | -9.0% | -25.0% |
| VT | 10,045 | 10,214 | 11,230 | 13,193 | -1.7% | -10.6% | -23.9% |
| WA | 112,416 | 113,772 | 119,564 | 151,710 | -1.2% | -6.0% | -25.9% |
| WI | 80,027 | 82,212 | 88,007 | 113,298 | -2.7% | -9.1% | -29.4% |
| WV | 27,354 | 27,140 | 29,119 | 29,811 | 0.8% | -6.1% | -8.2% |
| WY | 9,264 | 10,010 | 12,203 | 12,760 | -7.5% | -24.1% | -27.4% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, May 20, 2020
Table D: Change in Job Openings for Select Metropolitan Areas
| Job Openings | Percent Change | ||||||
| May 11, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | Apr 13, 2020 | May 13, 2019 | ||||
| Category | Current Week | Last Week | Last Month | Last Year | Week-over-Week | Month-over-Month | Year-over-Year |
| Total | 4,353,679 | 4,410,715 | 4,674,217 | 5,974,596 | -1.3% | -6.9% | -27.1% |
| Atlanta, GA | 81,091 | 84,172 | 89,729 | 129,878 | -3.7% | -9.6% | -37.6% |
| Boston, MA | 128,569 | 134,703 | 116,888 | 156,525 | -4.6% | 10.0% | -17.9% |
| Chicago, IL | 138,319 | 142,557 | 153,112 | 201,892 | -3.0% | -9.7% | -31.5% |
| Houston, TX | 64,892 | 67,033 | 72,121 | 95,503 | -3.2% | -10.0% | -32.1% |
| Los Angeles, CA | 145,534 | 149,352 | 163,837 | 212,403 | -2.6% | -11.2% | -31.5% |
| New York City, NY | 244,114 | 244,234 | 254,606 | 306,862 | 0.0% | -4.1% | -20.4% |
| Philadelphia, PA | 85,038 | 88,906 | 91,477 | 113,658 | -4.4% | -7.0% | -25.2% |
| San Francisco, CA | 102,588 | 102,919 | 114,351 | 147,131 | -0.3% | -10.3% | -30.3% |
| Seattle, WA | 82,165 | 83,254 | 87,007 | 113,869 | -1.3% | -5.6% | -27.8% |
| Washington, DC | 142,186 | 144,298 | 153,421 | 184,277 | -1.5% | -7.3% | -22.8% |
Source: Glassdoor Job Market Report, May 20, 2020
