U.S. job openings in decline infographic
Graphic compares U.S. job openings against the number of unemployed people.
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ECONOMY

Declining U.S. job growth is bad news for Harris

By Ninian Carter

November 5, 2024 - An unwelcome statistic for the Kamala Harris campaign is that the number of U.S. job openings available to job seekers have been tumbling under the Biden administration.

The number of job openings available to job seekers is narrowing in the United States, with some 12,000 non-farm payroll jobs added in October – down from 223,000 new jobs added in September.

The smaller-than-expected growth is partly down to the unprecedented impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as recent national strike action, making it the worst performance since December 2020.

Throughout much of the past six years (excluding Covid-19 lockdowns), it has been a favourable job seeker’s market, with more job openings than people in unemployment.

However, the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that shows job growth slowing under the Biden administration, will come as little comfort to Kamala Harris as voting takes place in the knife-edge race for the White House.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 05/11/2024; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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