These industries had the biggest swings in job openings

Job openings are at some of their lowest levels nationally since April 2021, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows.

In January 2024, there were 8.9 million open jobs by the end of the month. A year prior, that number was at 10.4 million.

While Americans still find themselves largely employed, their capacity to job-hop is quickly falling to levels predating the Great Resignation. Employers continued adding jobs, upping employment by 275,000 in February. The unemployment rate remained relatively consistent, measuring 3.9% that same month. The number of job openings remains well above pre-COVID levels, which were typically around 7 million.

Excess labor demand is declining and the labor market is rebalancing, according to Conrad DeQuadros, a senior economic adviser at Brean Capital, in comments to Reuters. For workers, this means less confidence in finding new employment outside their current jobs. For employers, it could mean tempering wage inflation.

To discover which industries are driving the job market, Stacker used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Job Openings and Labor Turnover report to see which industries grew job openings in January and which saw open positions shrink. Industries are ranked by the percent change in job openings from January 2023 to 2024. Monthly data is preliminary.

The bureau records job openings on the last business day of the month and calculates the rate as a percent of total employment plus job openings within the industry. Read through the list to gather a snapshot of the economic activity across categories—retail, health care, manufacturing, and more.

#17. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 312,000

--- Annual change: -303,000 (down 49.3%)

--- One-month change: -66,000 (down 17.5%)

- Job openings rate: 4.2%

#16. Retail trade

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

- Total job openings, January 2024: 540,000

--- Annual change: -329,000 (down 37.9%)

--- One-month change: -170,000 (down 23.9%)

- Job openings rate: 3.3%

#15. Wholesale trade

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 199,000

--- Annual change: -112,000 (down 36.0%)

--- One-month change: -31,000 (down 13.5%)

- Job openings rate: 3.1%

#14. Private educational services

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 132,000

--- Annual change: -73,000 (down 35.6%)

--- One-month change: -41,000 (down 23.7%)

- Job openings rate: 3.3%

#13. Accommodation and food services

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 941,000

--- Annual change: -393,000 (down 29.5%)

--- One-month change: +94,000 (up 11.1%)

- Job openings rate: 6.2%

#12. State and local education

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

- Total job openings, January 2024: 250,000

--- Annual change: -73,000 (down 22.6%)

--- One-month change: -30,000 (down 10.7%)

- Job openings rate: 2.3%

#11. Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 159,000

--- Annual change: -41,000 (down 20.5%)

--- One-month change: +2,000 (up 1.3%)

- Job openings rate: 5.7%

#10. Professional and business services

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 1.6 million

--- Annual change: -409,000 (down 20.0%)

--- One-month change: +54,000 (up 3.4%)

- Job openings rate: 6.6%

#9. Federal government

create jobs 51 // Shutterstock

- Total job openings, January 2024: 148,000

--- Annual change: -28,000 (down 15.9%)

--- One-month change: -18,000 (down 10.8%)

- Job openings rate: 4.7%

#8. Manufacturing

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 622,000

--- Annual change: -97,000 (down 13.5%)

--- One-month change: +36,000 (up 6.1%)

- Job openings rate: 4.6%

#7. State and local government

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

- Total job openings, January 2024: 502,000

--- Annual change: -76,000 (down 13.1%)

--- One-month change: -56,000 (down 10.0%)

- Job openings rate: 5.0%

#6. Mining and logging

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 29,000

--- Annual change: -4,000 (down 12.1%)

--- One-month change: -3,000 (down 9.4%)

- Job openings rate: 4.4%

#5. Health care and social assistance

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 1.9 million

--- Annual change: +50,000 (up 2.8%)

--- One-month change: +71,000 (up 4.0%)

- Job openings rate: 7.7%

#4. Finance and insurance

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 360,000

--- Annual change: +47,000 (up 15.0%)

--- One-month change: +43,000 (up 13.6%)

- Job openings rate: 5.1%

#3. Construction

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 413,000

--- Annual change: +120,000 (up 41.0%)

--- One-month change: -21,000 (down 4.8%)

- Job openings rate: 4.8%

#2. Real estate and rental and leasing

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

- Total job openings, January 2024: 178,000

--- Annual change: +57,000 (up 47.1%)

--- One-month change: +13,000 (up 7.9%)

- Job openings rate: 6.6%

#1. Information

Canva

- Total job openings, January 2024: 211,000

--- Annual change: +102,000 (up 93.6%)

--- One-month change: +34,000 (up 19.2%)

- Job openings rate: 6.5%