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Job openings decrease 14.9 percent for the year ended December 2019

February 19, 2020

On the last business day of December 2019, there were 5,892,000 job openings, a decrease of 14.9 percent from 6,921,000 job openings on the last business day of December 2018. For private industry, job openings on the last business day of December 2019 were 5,221,000, representing a 17.4-percent decrease from the 6,321,000 job openings on the last business day of December 2018.
12-month percent change in job openings by industry, not seasonally adjusted, December 2018–December 2019
Industry 12-month percent change[p] 12-month net change[p] December 2018 December 2019[p]

Total nonfarm

 -14.9% -1,029,000 6,921,000 5,892,000

Total private

 -17.4 -1,100,000 6,321,000 5,221,000

Mining and logging

 -51.7 -15,000 29,000 14,000

Construction

 -20.1 -60,000 299,000 239,000

Manufacturing

 -17.2 -75,000 435,000 360,000

Durable goods

 -24.8 -74,000 298,000 224,000

Nondurable goods

 -0.7 -1,000 137,000 136,000

Trade, transportation, and utilities

 -25.7 -347,000 1,350,000 1,003,000

Wholesale trade

 2.5 4,000 163,000 167,000

Retail trade

 -30.5 -265,000 868,000 603,000

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities

 -26.7 -85,000 318,000 233,000

Information

 -8.1 -10,000 123,000 113,000

Financial activities

 -20.1 -75,000 373,000 298,000

Finance and insurance

 -25.5 -79,000 310,000 231,000

Real estate and rental and leasing

 7.9 5,000 63,000 68,000

Professional and business services

 -18.2 -232,000 1,275,000 1,043,000

Education and health services

 -11.0 -142,000 1,294,000 1,152,000

Educational services

 23.1 21,000 91,000 112,000

Health care and social assistance

 -13.7 -165,000 1,204,000 1,039,000

Leisure and hospitality

 -13.2 -118,000 893,000 775,000

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

 6.9 7,000 102,000 109,000

Accommodation and food services

 -15.8 -125,000 791,000 666,000

Other services

 -10.0 -25,000 250,000 225,000

Government

 11.7 70,000 600,000 670,000

Federal government

 -6.9 -6,000 87,000 81,000

State and local government

 14.8 76,000 514,000 590,000

[p] = preliminary.

From the last business day of December 2018 to that of December 2019, job openings decreased for most industries, including mining and logging (−51.7 percent), retail trade (−30.5 percent), transportation, warehousing, and utilities (−26.7 percent), finance and insurance (−25.5 percent), and durable goods manufacturing (−24.8 percent).

In educational services, job openings increased 23.1 percent from 91,000 on the last business day of December 2018 to 112,000 on the last business day of December 2019. Over the same period, job openings increased 14.8 percent for state and local government.

These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2019.” We also have more charts on hires, separations, and job openings.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Job openings decrease 14.9 percent for the year ended December 2019 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2020/job-openings-decrease-14-point-9-percent-for-the-year-ended-december-2019.htm (visited April 25, 2024).

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