How many job openings are there in California?
Data updated December 4, 2024
About 554 thousand, as of September 2024. The number of job openings decreased by 301,000 from September 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
554K
job openings in California (September 2024)
301K
fewer unfilled jobs in California in September 2024 than in September 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 in California has declined over the last year.
Monthly job openings (seasonally adjusted) in California, December 2000–September 2024
Following the Great Recession, monthly job openings in California increased from 359,000 in January 2010 to 771,000 in February 2020. By April 2020, job openings had dropped to 465,000. Job openings in California then reached all-time highs during recovery from the COVID-19 recession. In September 2024, there were 554,000 job openings, down 35.2% from one 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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A lower share of jobs were open in California than in the US overall in September.
Job openings rate (seasonally adjusted), September 2024
In September 2024, 3.0% of all jobs in California were unfilled. This was 1.4 percentage points lower than the job openings rate US-wide.
Job openings also differ across states and regions for many reasons, including differing economies and dominating industries. California’s September job openings rate was lower than 49 states.
In September 2024, California's job openings rate was lower than 49 states.
Seasonally adjusted 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
