A jobseeker holds a brochure during a NYS Department Of Labor job fair at the Downtown Central Library in Buffalo, New York, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. <\/p>\n
Lauren Petracca | Bloomberg | Getty Images<\/p>\n
Employment opportunities hit their lowest level in more than 4\u00bd years as October came to a close and the government shutdown dragged on, according to data from jobs site Indeed.<\/p>\n
The firm’s Job Postings Index<\/a> fell to 101.9 as of Oct. 24, the most recent point for which data is available. That’s the lowest since early February 2021 for a measure that uses February 2020 as a baseline value of 100.<\/p>\n The level represents a 0.5% decline from the beginning of the month and a roughly 3.5% tumble from mid-August, the latest point from which Bureau of Labor Statistics data is available.<\/p>\n Under normal conditions, the BLS on Tuesday would have reported its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a measure that Federal Reserve officials watch closely for indications of slack in the jobs market. With the shutdown on the precipice<\/a> of being the longest in history, economists and policymakers are left to look at alternative data for big-picture indicators.<\/p>\n The most recent JOLTS report, for August<\/a>, also indicated an ongoing decline in openings. The BLS reported that job openings totaled 7.23 million, about level with July but down 7% from January.<\/p>\n