Online job postings have increased for four straight weeks in what could be an early sign of economic recovery from the COIVD-19 pandemic.
Postings have increased from 396,258 the week of May 4 to 493,115 the week of May 25, an increase of 20%. Overall, job postings are down 35% from when the impact of the pandemic began to be felt at the beginning of March.
However, the total number of postings remains small, particularly when compared to the more than 40 million Americans unemployed.
A breakdown by industry is available below. Some, but not all, of the increased jobs are likely because of states lifting social distancing rules. For example, Amusement Parks postings increased tenfold in May (from 81 the week of May 4 to 888 the week of May 25), while Beauty Salons rose sixfold (125 to 889 during the period).
This contrasts to the pattern earlier in the pandemic, where there was little correlation between job posting declines and either social distancing rules or the number of COVID-19 cases.
Job postings by industry, May 2020
| Industry | 2020-05-04 00:00:00 | 2020-05-11 00:00:00 | 2020-05-18 00:00:00 | 2020-05-25 00:00:00 | 3/2 to 5/25 change | 5/4 to 5/25 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 2701 | 2175 | 3193 | 4985 | -0.47 | 0.46 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 5367 | 6934 | 9194 | 9899 | -0.3 | 0.46 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 21450 | 23898 | 28602 | 35116 | -0.39 | 0.39 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 457 | 563 | 628 | 655 | -0.46 | 0.3 |
| Construction | 6502 | 7543 | 8406 | 8868 | -0.19 | 0.27 |
| Finance and Insurance | 24776 | 24123 | 27819 | 32416 | -0.38 | 0.24 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 7370 | 7160 | 8231 | 9444 | -0.34 | 0.22 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 14931 | 15826 | 15184 | 19132 | -0.23 | 0.22 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 61538 | 72277 | 72893 | 77717 | -0.38 | 0.21 |
| Manufacturing | 23004 | 22856 | 25390 | 28555 | -0.41 | 0.19 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 23501 | 23891 | 26689 | 28941 | -0.49 | 0.19 |
| Educational Services | 16974 | 27450 | 18796 | 20355 | -0.42 | 0.17 |
| Wholesale Trade | 1631 | 3923 | 2880 | 1954 | -0.67 | 0.17 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 928 | 838 | 1125 | 1066 | -0.35 | 0.13 |
| Information | 8168 | 8035 | 8298 | 9243 | -0.51 | 0.12 |
| Retail Trade | 52819 | 50548 | 56025 | 59571 | -0.23 | 0.11 |
| Utilities | 1466 | 1512 | 1544 | 1644 | -0.43 | 0.11 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1074 | 1218 | 1302 | 1176 | -0.5 | 0.09 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 16666 | 12198 | 14161 | 16661 | -0.3 | 0 |
| Public Administration | 18622 | 16149 | 16679 | 16756 | -0.2 | -0.11 |