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 October, there were 8.7 million open jobs by the end of the month. A year ago, that number was at 10.5 million.

Employers have continued to add jobs, upping employment by 150,000 in October. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained about the same at 3.9%. So while Americans still find themselves largely employed, their capacity to job-hop is quickly falling to levels predating the Great Resignation. For now, the number of job openings remains well above pre-COVID levels, which were typically somewhere around 7 million.

Conrad DeQuadros, a senior economic advisor at Brean Capital, told Reuters that excess labor demand is declining and the labor market is rebalancing. 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 October and which saw open positions shrink. Industries are ranked by the percent change in job openings from October 2022 to October 2023. 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.

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#17. Mining and logging

– Total job openings, October 2023: 27,000
— Annual change: -14,000 (down 34.1%)
— One-month change: -8,000 (down 22.9%)
– Job openings rate: 4.0%

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#16. Finance and insurance

– Total job openings, October 2023: 273,000
— Annual change: -140,000 (down 33.9%)
— One-month change: -168,000 (down 38.1%)
– Job openings rate: 3.9%

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#15. Real estate and rental and leasing

– Total job openings, October 2023: 126,000
— Annual change: -64,000 (down 33.7%)
— One-month change: -49,000 (down 28.0%)
– Job openings rate: 4.9%

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#14. Retail trade

– Total job openings, October 2023: 543,000
— Annual change: -275,000 (down 33.6%)
— One-month change: -102,000 (down 15.8%)
– Job openings rate: 3.4%

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#13. Wholesale trade

– Total job openings, October 2023: 207,000
— Annual change: -74,000 (down 26.3%)
— One-month change: -26,000 (down 11.2%)
– Job openings rate: 3.3%

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#12. Accommodation and food services

– Total job openings, October 2023: 1.0 million
— Annual change: -371,000 (down 26.2%)
— One-month change: -124,000 (down 10.6%)
– Job openings rate: 6.8%

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#11. Information

– Total job openings, October 2023: 172,000
— Annual change: -58,000 (down 25.2%)
— One-month change: +39,000 (up 29.3%)
– Job openings rate: 5.3%

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#10. Health care and social assistance

– Total job openings, October 2023: 1.5 million
— Annual change: -498,000 (down 25.0%)
— One-month change: -236,000 (down 13.6%)
– Job openings rate: 6.4%

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#9. Manufacturing

– Total job openings, October 2023: 587,000
— Annual change: -148,000 (down 20.1%)
— One-month change: -14,000 (down 2.3%)
– Job openings rate: 4.3%

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#8. Arts, entertainment, and recreation

– Total job openings, October 2023: 178,000
— Annual change: -19,000 (down 9.6%)
— One-month change: -12,000 (down 6.3%)
– Job openings rate: 6.6%

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#7. Professional and business services

– Total job openings, October 2023: 1.8 million
— Annual change: -139,000 (down 7.4%)
— One-month change: +93,000 (up 5.6%)
– Job openings rate: 7.1%

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#6. State and local education

– Total job openings, October 2023: 284,000
— Annual change: -11,000 (down 3.7%)
— One-month change: -23,000 (down 7.5%)
– Job openings rate: 2.6%

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#5. State and local government

– Total job openings, October 2023: 526,000
— Annual change: -4,000 (down 0.8%)
— One-month change: +25,000 (up 5.0%)
– Job openings rate: 5.3%

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#4. Transportation, warehousing, and utilities

– Total job openings, October 2023: 488,000
— Annual change: -3,000 (down 0.6%)
— One-month change: +33,000 (up 7.3%)
– Job openings rate: 6.3%

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#3. Construction

– Total job openings, October 2023: 423,000
— Annual change: +25,000 (up 6.3%)
— One-month change: -4,000 (down 0.9%)
– Job openings rate: 5.0%

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#2. Educational services

– Total job openings, October 2023: 175,000
— Annual change: +15,000 (up 9.4%)
— One-month change: -2,000 (down 1.1%)
– Job openings rate: 4.2%

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#1. Federal government

– Total job openings, October 2023: 176,000
— Annual change: +49,000 (up 38.6%)
— One-month change: +14,000 (up 8.6%)
– Job openings rate: 5.6%