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Federal government had lowest hires-per-job-opening ratio in April 2019
June 14, 2019
Federal government had lowest hires-per-job-opening ratio (0.29) in April 2019, followed by state and local government, excluding education (0.46), health care and social assistance (0.50), and wholesale trade (0.60). These industries had fewer hires than job openings, implying difficulty hiring workers, a longer hiring process, or some other timing issue for job postings.
Hires-per-job-opening ratio, by industry, April 2019, seasonally adjusted
Industry
Hires-per-job-opening ratio
Hires
Job openings
Total nonfarm
0.80
5,937,000
7,449,000
Federal government
0.29
41,000
139,000
State and local government, excluding education
0.46
165,000
359,000
Health care and social assistance
0.50
626,000
1,244,000
Wholesale trade
0.60
155,000
259,000
Finance and insurance
0.61
141,000
232,000
Durable goods manufacturing
0.63
204,000
322,000
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities
0.64
240,000
373,000
Information
0.66
86,000
131,000
Real estate and rental and leasing
0.71
94,000
132,000
State and local government education
0.75
169,000
225,000
Educational services
0.78
102,000
131,000
Nondurable goods manufacturing
0.87
156,000
180,000
Mining and logging
0.88
29,000
33,000
Retail trade
0.90
750,000
837,000
Professional and business services
0.99
1,233,000
1,241,000
Construction
1.00
406,000
404,000
Accommodation and food services
1.07
961,000
899,000
Other services
1.07
218,000
203,000
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
1.55
163,000
105,000
Note: These data are preliminary.
The arts, entertainment, and recreation industry had the highest ratio at 1.55, followed by accommodation and food services and other services at 1.07. High hires-per-job-opening ratios mean that appropriate workers were available and employers were able to hire them during the month. The hires-per-job-opening ratio for all nonfarm industries was 0.80 in April 2019.
Hires and job openings data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. The hires-per-job-opening ratio divides the number of hires that occurred during a month by the number of jobs that remained open at the end of the month. A ratio greater than 1.0 indicates that businesses hired more employees during the month than they had jobs remaining open at the end of the month. A ratio less than 1.0 indicates fewer hires during the month than there were open jobs at the end of the month. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover — April 2019." Also see more charts on job openings, hires, and separations.
United States Department of Labor
