The Indeed Hiring Lab tracks employment trends in the Retail vertical, analyzing the latest Indeed and Bureau of Labor Statistics data. We look at overall Retail employment trends, and then dive deeper into Indeed  job postings trends overall and in various Retail occupational categories. 

Takeaways 

  • Overall demand for workers remains strong but continues to tick down 
  • Leisure & Hospitality still recovering as payrolls remain below pre-pandemic peak 
  • Postings in Retail and Hospitality segments remain flat 
  • Jobs in Retail, Hospitality & Tourism, and Food Preparation & Service are all getting more interest from job seekers, relative to pre-pandemic levels 

Indeed job postings

So far this year Indeed job postings have shown signs of a slight cooling and this certainly extends into the third quarter of 2022. However, demand for workers remains quite strong. As of August 12th, Indeed job postings are 51.7% above their pre-pandemic baseline.

Line graph showing the increase of Indeed job postings from their pre-pandemic baseline.
Line graph showing the increase of Indeed job postings from their pre-pandemic baseline. US job postings have risen 51.7% since Feb 01 2020.

Leisure & hospitality payrolls 

The July Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report featured an unexpectedly large payroll gain, with Leisure & Hospitality leading the way with 96,000 jobs added. However, this chart shows there is still room for growth, as Leisure & Hospitality employment remains about a million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic peak. 

Line graph showing growth of Leisure & Hospitality payrolls through July 2022.
Line graph showing growth of Leisure & Hospitality payrolls through July 2022. 96,000 jobs were added, but employment in this sector remains about a million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic peak.

Retail job postings 

While the aforementioned Leisure & Hospitality employment data show that hiring remains strong, job postings in that space are no longer growing, according to Indeed data. Hospitality & Tourism (19.2% above pre-pandemic baseline) and Food Preparation & Service (39.9%) postings have both remained flat in recent months. Meanwhile, Retail (36.3%) postings have flattened out after notching a small gain this spring.  

Line chart showing job postings in Retail, Hospitality & Tourism, and Food Preparation & Service, seasonally adjusted, to Aug 12th.
Line chart showing job postings in Retail, Hospitality & Tourism, and Food Preparation & Service, seasonally adjusted, to Aug 12th. Hospitality postings have lost ground so far this year.

Job seeker interest 

The Indeed Hiring Lab’s Relative Job Seeker Interest measure gives a sense of how job seeker interest in different roles has changed over time. In good news for recruiting, the retail segments are all getting slightly more interest from job seekers, relative to pre-pandemic levels. 

Line graph showing % change in retail segments in relative job seeker interest compared to the national average.
Line graph showing % change in retail segments in relative job seeker interest compared to the national average. Seasonally adjusted to July 22nd, Retail segments have been getting slightly more interest from job seekers, relative to pre-pandemic levels.

For more labor market insights from the Indeed Hiring Lab, follow along on our blog at hiringlab.org.