2024 Employment Picture

The latest year-over-year comparison by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, updated monthly.

Numbers in thousands

Year-over-year employment statistics for an assortment of industries
Unemployed total includes a small number of persons whose last job was in the Armed Forces. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

From November 2023 to November 2024, the total number of jobs decreased by 693,000, marking a 0.42 percent decline in total hires. Within the same timeframe, the total number of unemployed grew by 881,000, marking a 15.1 percent uptick in job losses.

Over the same period, the largest year-over-year job decreases were for farming, fishing and forestry occupations, which saw a 17.9 percent drop in hires. Production occupations came in second with a 6.6 percent slump in total occupations. Sales and related jobs jobs saw the third-largest change, with the total number of employed moving down by 5.5 percent over the same period.

Year-over-year, the overall unemployment rate grew by 0.5 percent.

—Posted on December 26, 2024