Job Hunting or Career Change?

Find out which industries are hiring and where…

If you are in the market for a new position, or more so, if you are exploring the possibility of a career change, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics provides helpful data each month that could weigh in on your decisions. The JOLTS report (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) provides insight into what types of jobs were considered open on the last day of the month of business according to industry categories as well as where these open jobs are located by region. The BLS is also researching the possibility of offering this type of data broken down to a state-level; data models are currently in the experimental stage.

At the end of June 2019, there were approximately 7.3 million job openings, for both private and public sector jobs. The 5 top-level industries with open jobs included:

1. Trade, Transportation, and Utilities
2. Education and Health Services
3. Professional Business Services
4. Leisure and Hospitality
5. Government

 Under each respective top-level category, most job openings were further defined in each industry as: 

1. Trade, Transportation and Utilities > Retail Trade
2. Education and Health Services > Health Care and Social Services
3. Professional Business Services
4. Leisure and Hospitality > Accommodation and Food Services
5. Government > State and Local Level Positions

The JOLTS data further supports BrightMove’s first data blog in August, since many of the designated largest occupations according to the BLS would generally fall within the top-level categories noted above. The industries that listed the lowest job openings included Mining and Logging and Information.

The region listing the most job openings was the South, followed by the Midwest, West, and Northeast. In fact, the number of job openings in the southern region was more than double the amount in the Northeast. The map below indicates the states identified in each region.

When looking at the data across the board, comparing June 2018 to June 2019, there was little change in the number of job openings for each timeframe. According to the BLS economic news release, “The job openings level increased in real estate and rental and leasing (+38,000) as well as state and local government education (+20,000).”

As job-seekers contemplate relocation or new skills training, reviewing this type of data regularly will assist with narrowing where and what the best opportunities are for gainful employment.