How many job openings are there in the United States?
Data updated December 4, 2024
About 7.7 million, as of October 2024. The number of job openings decreased by 941,000 from October 2023. A “job opening” is defined as a position open on the last business day of the month. To be considered “open,” a job must meet three conditions: (1) There’s work available for the position; (2) The job could start within 30 days; and (3) The employer is actively recruiting.
Showing data for
7.7M
job openings (October 2024)
941K
fewer unfilled jobs in October 2024 than in October 2023
The number of job openings is one measure of employer demand for workers and is a commonly referred-to economic indicator. An increase in the number of job openings often indicates the economy is growing, while a decline may indicate slowed growth.
The number of job openings declined over the last year.
Monthly job openings (seasonally adjusted), December 2000–October 2024
Monthly job openings trended upwards from a low of 2.2 million in July 2009, the end of the Great Recession, through a peak of 7.6 million in November 2018. In February 2020, one month before the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 7.0 million job openings, which fell to 4.6 million in April. Job openings bounced back, hitting a record high of 12.2 million in March 2022 before again trending downwards. As of October 2024, job openings are down 11% from the year prior.
The job openings rate is another way to consider this data. It tells us what percentage of all jobs, filled and unfilled, were open during a given time period. This allows for better comparisons across time, industries, and places by adjusting for differences in the size of the working population.
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In October 2024, 4.6% of all jobs were unfilled, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the average across the previous 12 months.
In, October 2024 the job openings rate was highest in the professional and business services industry.
Oct. 2024 (seasonally adjusted) job openings rate and Oct. 2023–Sep. 2024 average job openings rate, by industry
The job openings rate varies across industries, which experience different economic pressures. In October 2024, the rate was highest in the professional and business services (6.7%), information (6.5%), and leisure and hospitality (6.2%) industries. It was lowest in wholesale trade (2.3%). Compared to the previous 12-month average, the job openings rate fell most in the wholesale trade industry (-0.9 percentage points), and increased most in the information industry (+2.1 percentage points).
Job openings rates also differ across states for a host of reasons, including the strength of the regional economy and the dominating industries. In September 2024, the rate ranged from a low of 3.0% in California to Alaska's and Arkansas’s high of 6.9%.
The September 2024 job openings rate was highest in Arkansas and Alaska.
Job openings rate by state, September 2024
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
