Banner: What's in demand?

What's in demand?

What's in demand?

Looking for a job? Many employers are hiring.

In January 2024, employers added 353,000 new jobs across the United States (compared with an average monthly gain of 255,000 in 2023). The national unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7 percent.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported that most gains were in these areas:

  • Professional and business services
  • Health care
  • Retail trade
  • Social assistance

Professional and business services

The number of professional and business services jobs nationally rose by 74,000 jobs in January, and there are now more than a million additional jobs in this industry than there were before the pandemic. Many jobs in this field are in management and technical consulting services, architectural and engineering services, and scientific research and development services. Many jobs in this industry can be remote or hybrid positions.

If you have experience in any of these fields, you can search local job postings, or find a remote or virtual job.

Don’t have training or experience in a professional service? There are still many work-from-home options in customer service and other areas. Visit Find a Remote Job and enter keywords for job types you're interested in to see what might be a good fit for you.

Health care

Employment in health care also grew in January with 70,000 new jobs. Most of the new jobs were in ambulatory health care services and hospitals.

While most healthcare provider jobs require specific training, licenses, or certifications, you can get started as a certified nursing assistant with a few months of training (find a certified nursing assistant training program in your area; they generally last from 4 to 12 weeks). Other openings for people new to health care are in customer service positions or administrative jobs at all levels.

If you already have health care experience or credentials, visit the Job Finder to search for jobs near you. You can use the Business Finder to identify health care facilities near you.

Watch the Health Sciences overview video or Careers in Health Science video to learn more about the health care field.

Then visit the Local Training Finder to learn more about health care training and credentialing options.

Retail trade

Employment in the retail trade businesses also rose in January, with an additional 45,000 jobs. Employment increased in some areas such as general merchandise stores. But other types of stores such as electronic and appliance stores, saw job losses in January. Retail trade employment has shown little change overall since recovering in early 2022 from pandemic-related losses.

Most retail jobs are in person and you can search for “retail” or the type of store you are interested in at Job Finder. You can also search the Business Finder for stores and other retail opportunities near you.

Manufacturing

Employment in manufacturing went up slightly, by 23,000 jobs, in January. But overall, manufacturing saw little overall job growth in 2023. The manufacturing industry includes jobs that produce products and equipment—from commercial products such as concrete, metals, chemicals, and machinery, to personal products like computers, clothing, toys, and food and beverages. Customer demand for products continues to rise, so new jobs may be more likely here in the coming months as manufacturing plants begin producing more products.

Learn more about manufacturing in this overview video of the manufacturing industry or explore manufacturing careers.

Want to know more about your local job market for opportunities in manufacturing? Visit the Business Finder and search for local by the keyword "manufacturing". Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.

Construction

Jobs at construction sites stayed the same in January. Construction added an average of 16,000 jobs per month in 2023, about the same as the 2022 average monthly gain of 22,000

Learn more about the construction industry in this overview video of architecture and construction or explore architecture and construction careers.

Learn more about your local job market for construction by visiting the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.

Transportation and warehousing

Employment in the transportation and warehousing industry remained steady in January.

Job openings in this industry range from entry-level warehouse and fulfillment jobs to logistics and operations manager positions. Also in demand are commercial driving jobs, which require a CDL license that can be earned in less than two months (locate a local CDL training program near you).

Learn more about this field from the Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics overview video, or explore Careers in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics.

Visit the Job Finder to search for transportation or warehousing jobs near you.

Leisure and hospitality

Employment in leisure and hospitality remained steady in January and overall this large industry has seen slow growth over the past year: it added an average of 39,000 jobs per month in 2023, less than half the average gain of 88,000 jobs per month in 2022.

Learn more about this field in this overview video of hospitality and tourism or explore hospitality and tourism careers.

Want to know more about your local job market for leisure and hospitality opportunities? Visit the  Business Finder and search for local businesses such as restaurants, entertainment spaces, hotels, or more. Then visit the Job Finder to search by keyword, business name, or job title.

Education

Employment in education also remained relatively steady in January.

View these videos to learn more: Education and training overview or Education and training careers.

Visit the Job Finder to search for education jobs near you.

Earnings

Employees' average hourly earnings rose by 19 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $34.55 in January. Over the past 12 months, hourly earnings have increased by 4.5 percent.