Key Takeaways:
Analyzing our internal data along with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Employment Situation Report for December 2024 reveals key performance trends across industries.
- Expand Finance and IT Hiring Strategies
- Finance added 13,000 jobs in December, while IT saw an increase of 10,000 positions. These sectors remain high-demand, presenting opportunities to attract talent in fintech, IT infrastructure, and data analytics to drive innovation and meet workforce needs.
- Boost Recruitment in Construction
- Construction saw an increase of 8,000 jobs in December, continuing its positive trend. Leverage this growth by targeting skilled labor recruitment to support infrastructure projects and residential development, ensuring alignment with ongoing industry needs.
- Optimize Opportunities in Manufacturing
- Manufacturing experienced a decline of 13,000 jobs in December, driven by a loss in durable goods production (-16,000). Redirect recruitment efforts to resilient segments like nondurable goods manufacturing (+3,000) and explore opportunities in motor vehicles and parts production to counterbalance challenges.
- Strengthen Food & Beverage and Lodging Pipelines
- Leisure and hospitality, encompassing food services and lodging, grew by 43,000 jobs in December. Focus on building strong recruitment pipelines for seasonal and service roles, and implement strategies to ensure year-round workforce stability in this dynamic sector.
- Leverage Opportunities in Health Care
- The health care sector expanded by 46,000 jobs in December, driven by substantial growth in home health care services (+15,000), nursing and residential care facilities (+14,000), and hospitals (+12,000). Direct recruitment strategies toward these thriving segments to address rising demand and strengthen your impact in this critical field.
To read full BLS December 2024 Employment Situation report, click here.
December 2024: High-Performing, Mid-Tier, and Emerging Opportunity
High-Performing Industries
Food & Beverage & Lodging (51.66%)
- Performance: Dominating our sales, this sector accounted for over half of total contributions.
- Insight: A strong area of expertise for us, with consistent results. Continuing to invest in partnerships and building pipelines in food services and lodging will help sustain momentum.
Engineering (10.71%)
- Performance: A standout contributor, reflecting steady demand for technical roles.
- Insight: Focus on specialized engineering positions tailored to regional or industry-specific needs to maximize this sector’s potential.
Mid-Tier Industries
Manufacturing (6.37%)
- Performance: Strong stability, even with broader market challenges in manufacturing.
- Insight: Our results suggest strong relationships in non-durable goods or unaffected industries. Maintain these ties while exploring emerging opportunities.
Finance (6.17%)
- Performance: A steady contributor to sales, indicating consistent hiring demand.
- Insight: Prioritize roles in financial planning and analysis, which tend to remain in demand during market fluctuations.
Sales (5.20%)
- Performance: Contributed moderately, though less than in previous months.
- Insight: Anticipate increased activity in the new year. Refine efforts on high-value or leadership sales roles.
Healthcare Services (2.05%)
- Performance: Underperformed relative to market opportunities.
- Insight: There is clear potential to grow. Focus on areas of strong demand, such as home health care and nursing facilities, to increase contributions.
Emerging Opportunity Industries
Marketing (2.53%)
- Performance: Low contribution despite opportunities in areas like digital marketing and strategy.
- Insight: Evaluate recruitment strategies in this sector. Expanding into high-demand roles like brand management and digital transformation could unlock new potential.
Legal (1.12%)
- Performance: A minimal contributor relative to other functions.
- Insight: Consider targeting specialized legal roles, such as compliance or corporate consulting, to enhance performance in this field.
Human Resources (3.15%)
- Performance: A modest contributor despite consistent demand for HR professionals.
- Insight: Focus on growing fields like HR analytics, leadership development, and organizational strategy to capture more opportunities.
