LinkedIn Data Reveals U.S. Hiring Rates Level Out, Several Industries Show Growth

The U.S. job market appears to be stabilizing with rates of hiring declines slowing, and growth experienced in certain areas

LinkedIn’s April 2024 Workforce Report suggests that the U.S. job market is stabilizing, with hiring declines in March reported to be among the lowest since September 2022.

Despite an overall 2.1% decrease in hiring nationally when compared to February, the updated report suggests that the pace of hiring is resuming its usual pattern of monthly fluctuations.

According to LinkedIn, hiring gains were experienced in several industries, with the strongest increase in hiring being in Utilities (+8.1%), Wholesale (+2.6%), and Accommodation and Food Services (+1.4%). Conversely, hiring decelerated the most in Holding Companies (-9.4%), Education (-2.0%), and Consumer Services (-1.9%).

The data also suggests that “while hiring in Technology, Information, and Media remains much slower than previous years, the worst slowdown appears to be over,” and that these sectors are now moving to stabilize.

When it comes to specific metro areas, narrow hiring gains were observed across metros, with the San Francisco Bay Area showing stability driven by the tech sector. More specifically, the San Francisco Bay Area had the smallest year-over-year decline in hiring (-1.0%) comparing March 2024 to March 2023, further signaling that the worst of the tech slowdown is over. Hiring increased in three out of the 20 metro areas tracked by LinkedIn: Cleveland-Akron (+6.4%), Atlanta (+4.7%), and Houston (+4.4%) from February to March.

The data provides valuable insights into the evolving dynamics of the workforce. With over 214 million LinkedIn members in the United States, the report offers a unique perspective on the real-time trends influencing the labor market.