LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | February 2022
Over 186 million workers in the U.S. have LinkedIn profiles; over 650,000 companies in the U.S. use LinkedIn Talent Solutions to find, source, and hire talent, and members can add over 38,000 skills to their profiles to showcase their professional brands. That gives us unique and valuable insight into U.S. workforce trends.
This LinkedIn Workforce Report is a monthly report on employment trends in the U.S. workforce. It’s divided into two sections: a National section that provides insights into hiring and migration trends across the country, and a City section that provides insights into localized employment trends in 20 of the largest U.S. metro areas: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland-Akron, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.
Our vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Whether you’re a worker, an employer, a new grad, or a policymaker, we hope you’ll use these insights to better understand and navigate the dynamics of today’s economy.
Key Insights
LinkedIn hiring hits a new record in January, despite omicron fears: Nationally, across all industries, hiring in the U.S. was 8.1% higher in January 2022 compared to last month December 2021. National hiring was 27% higher compared to this time last year, and jumped 10.6% from pre-COVID levels in January 2020. While signs point towards Friday’s BLS employment data being less upbeat, LinkedIn’s strong hiring rates this month suggest many employers are already looking past omicron. Looking ahead, it’s still possible we’ll experience a brief, lagged impact in the coming months - particularly as many had to cancel or push back interviews due to omicron, delaying their job start dates.
Transportation & Logistics, Health Care, and Construction see biggest monthly gains: The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in January 2022 were Transportation & Logistics (13.6% higher), Health Care (12.8% higher), and Construction (8.1% higher). The industries with the strongest hiring rates relative to pre-COVID levels were Recreation & Travel (55.1% higher), Software & IT Service (31.7% higher), and Transportation & Logistics (23.6% higher). These three industries highlight key facets of recovery: talent shortages, investment in new technologies for a remote/hybrid workplace, and ongoing problems with supply chains.
Texas cities leading hiring gains compared to pre-COVID levels: 18 of 20 metro areas we follow closely had hiring above pre-COVID levels, up from 17 of 20 last month. The metro areas experiencing the strongest hiring rates relative to pre-COVID levels were Miami (20.9% higher), Houston (20.2% higher) and Dallas (20.1% higher). Three out of the five top cities hiring above their pre-COVID levels were in Texas, whereas coastal hubs like San Francisco, NYC, and Washington D.C. continue to lag behind in hiring gains. Southern cities with emerging tech scenes and more affordable housing continue to attract talent.
Hiring
The LinkedIn hiring rate is a measure of hires divided by LinkedIn membership. Nationally, across all industries, hiring in the U.S. was 8.1% higher in January 2022 compared to last month December 2021. National hiring was 27% higher in January 2022 compared to last year January 2021.
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in January 2022 were Transportation & Logistics (13.6% higher); Health Care (12.8% higher); and Construction (8.1% higher).
Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through January 2022
Industry | Jan-21 | ··· | Oct-21 | Nov-21 | Dec-21 | Jan-22 | MoM% Change | YoY% Change |
Agriculture | 1.20 | ··· | 1.29 | 1.47 | 1.19 | 1.25 | +5.5 | +3.9 |
Arts | 0.64 | ··· | 0.88 | 0.99 | 0.98 | 1.03 | +4.5 | +61.5 |
Construction | 1.01 | ··· | 1.21 | 1.32 | 1.21 | 1.31 | +8.1 | +29.5 |
Consumer Goods | 1.03 | ··· | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.16 | 1.18 | +2.1 | +14.2 |
Corporate Services | 1.12 | ··· | 1.36 | 1.47 | 1.36 | 1.37 | +0.2 | +22.5 |
Design | 0.82 | ··· | 1.03 | 1.14 | 1.04 | 1.07 | +2.4 | +30.9 |
Education | 0.91 | ··· | 1.13 | 1.18 | 1.13 | 1.20 | +6.9 | +31.8 |
Energy & Mining | 0.90 | ··· | 1.11 | 1.16 | 1.14 | 1.14 | +0.4 | +27.6 |
Entertainment | 0.80 | ··· | 1.03 | 1.10 | 1.07 | 1.12 | +4.4 | +40.9 |
Finance | 1.14 | ··· | 1.34 | 1.45 | 1.38 | 1.41 | +1.9 | +23.4 |
Hardware & Networking | 0.83 | ··· | 1.02 | 1.15 | 1.04 | 1.07 | +2.9 | +28.6 |
Health Care | 1.23 | ··· | 1.31 | 1.40 | 1.29 | 1.45 | +12.8 | +18.4 |
Legal | 1.02 | ··· | 1.10 | 1.16 | 1.11 | 1.13 | +2 | +10.8 |
Manufacturing | 1.04 | ··· | 1.28 | 1.30 | 1.26 | 1.29 | +2 | +24 |
Media & Communications | 0.94 | ··· | 1.08 | 1.12 | 1.11 | 1.13 | +1.8 | +20.4 |
Nonprofit | 0.95 | ··· | 1.09 | 1.18 | 1.10 | 1.14 | +3.2 | +20.4 |
Public Administration | 1.07 | ··· | 1.14 | 1.23 | 1.16 | 1.12 | -3.2 | +4.5 |
Public Safety | 0.96 | ··· | 1.05 | 1.08 | 1.06 | 1.05 | -1.5 | +8.7 |
Real Estate | 1.23 | ··· | 1.28 | 1.37 | 1.29 | 1.32 | +2.1 | +7.3 |
Recreation & Travel | 0.75 | ··· | 1.22 | 1.27 | 1.30 | 1.39 | +6.4 | +85 |
Retail | 0.94 | ··· | 1.03 | 1.10 | 1.08 | 1.12 | +3 | +19.3 |
Software & IT Services | 1.25 | ··· | 1.58 | 1.62 | 1.66 | 1.70 | +2.4 | +36.2 |
Transportation & Logistics | 1.14 | ··· | 1.36 | 1.49 | 1.35 | 1.53 | +13.6 | +33.7 |
Wellness & Fitness | 1.11 | ··· | 1.31 | 1.37 | 1.33 | 1.36 | +2.8 | +23.1 |
Methodology: “Hiring Rate” is the count of hires (LinkedIn members in each industry who added a new employer to their profile in the same month the new job began), divided by the total number of LinkedIn members in the U.S. By only analyzing the timeliest data, we can make accurate month-to-month comparisons and account for any potential lags in members updating their profiles. This number is indexed to the average month in 2016 for each industry; for example, an index of 1.05 indicates a hiring rate that is 5% higher than the average month in 2016.
Migration
The U.S. cities losing the most people are State College-DuBois, PA; College Station-Bryan, TX; and Tuscaloosa, AL. For every 10,000 LinkedIn members in State College-DuBois, PA, 207 left in the past 12 months.
The U.S. cities gaining the most people are Austin, TX; North Port-Sarasota, FL; and Nashville, TN. For every 10,000 LinkedIn members in Austin, TX, 130 arrived in the last 12 months.
Check out our reports for Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland-Akron, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C., to see which jobs are open.
