Job openings in October slumped to the lowest level since February 2021, Indeed measure shows
A job seeker holds a brochure during the NYS Department of Labor job fair held at the Downtown Central Library on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 in Buffalo, New York, United States.
Lauren Petracca | Bloomberg | Getty Images
As October approaches and the government shutdown drags on, employment opportunities have reached their lowest level in more than 4.5 years, according to data from job site Indeed.
of the company Job Postings Directory It fell to 101.9 as of Oct. 24, the latest point for which data is available. This is the lowest level since the beginning of February 2021 for a metric that uses February 2020 as 100 as a base value.
The level represents a 0.5% decline since the beginning of the month and a decline of about 3.5% from mid-August, the latest point for which Bureau of Labor Statistics data is available.
Under normal circumstances, on Tuesday the BLS would report its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a measure by which Federal Reserve officials keep a close eye on signs of slack in the job market. With the shutdown on the verge of becoming the longest shutdown in history, economists and policymakers have been forced to look to alternative data for big picture indicators.
Latest JOLTS report for Augustt also indicated a continued decline in openings. The BLS reported that job openings totaled 7.23 million, which was about the same level as in July but down 7% from January.
Really control panel of indicators Additionally, there was a decline in salary offers due to the decrease in job postings. On an annual basis, wages increased 2.5% in August, up from 3.4% in January, according to salary offers in Indeed ads.
The softening in the labor market has led to concerns from Fed officials. The central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 last week to cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a target range of 3.75%-4%.
Rising risks to the labor market take precedence over ongoing concerns about inflation remaining nearly a full percentage point above the Fed’s 2% target, officials said.
“Hiring is slowing down. We’re seeing that from job postings on Indeed,” Fed Governor Lisa Cook said Monday. “We’re looking at a range of data, and it’s real time. We’re not waiting for the unemployment report. There’s reason to be concerned because there’s been a slight increase in the unemployment rate over the summer.”
The non-farm employment report would normally be released on Friday, but this is not happening either. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect the BLS number to show a decline of 60,000 jobs in October and an increase in the unemployment rate to 4.5%.
