A new report out this week examining job and wage growth trends predicts that inflation and supply chain challenges will continue in 2023, but the ongoing labor shortage will be the most significant challenge that employers face.
In 2022, U.S. employers posted more than 49.1 million job openings, a 12% increase over the prior year and 42% above pre-pandemic levels, according to the report by the industrial staffing company PeopleReady. Nationwide, there are 1.7 job openings for each jobseeker.
The report, Shaping the Future of Work, said the year-over-year increase in 2022 job postings in key sectors included:
- Education and health services: 2.0 million (+31%)
- Manufacturing: 3.2 million (+21%)
- Hospitality: 2.7 million (+12%)
- Construction: 1.1 million (+8%)
- Business and professional services: 4.2 million (+7%)
- Retail: 4 million (+0.6%)
“Hiring needs persist despite current economic uncertainty, with a surge of jobs added to the U.S. economy in January,” said Taryn Owen, president and COO of TrueBlue, PeopleReady’s parent company.
The report highlighted “Jobs to watch in 2023” where demand is expected to remain high based on significant year-over-year increases in types of job postings. These include:
- Chemical Engineers (+58.8% in 2022)
- Food Batchmakers, Manufacturing (+46.9% in 2022)
- Civil Engineers (+46.8% in 2022)
- Educational and Guidance Counselors (+32.5% in 2022)
- Elementary School Teachers (+23.5% in 2022)
- Host & Hostesses, Hospitality (+22.6% in 2022)
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers & Brazers, Energy sector (+16.5% in 2022)
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Manufacturing (+12.4% in 2022)
- Tutors (+12.3% in 2022)
