Weekly Insights

Job openings for nurses are declining

In 2025, healthcare has emerged as a rare bright spot in an otherwise sluggish job market, with healthcare jobs rising steadily throughout the year. However, the gains haven’t been evenly distributed throughout the field. Job openings for Licensed Practical Nurses have fallen nearly 12%, while Intensive/Intermediate Care Nurse openings are down 10%. This may signal a period of hiring stagnation as employers focus on reducing labor costs, with only higher-margin, diagnostic roles like radiology seeing growth, and lower-cost roles like medical assistants holding steady.

AI skills are in demand across industries

It’s no surprise that AI-related skills are now required in nearly one-third of IT job openings. But AI is transforming roles far beyond IT. Nearly 17% of marketing roles and more than 10% of insurance roles now list the regular use of AI tools as a requirement, compared to just 5% of customer service jobs.

Talent is increasingly dissatisfied with the recruitment process at all stages

According to our survey of nearly 2,800 candidates, satisfaction with the job search and placement experience has fallen from 2024 to 2025. With the job market at a standstill, firms have a critical opportunity to stand out by offering the high-touch, personalized experience job boards simply can’t match.

AI’s biggest wins with job seekers

Candidates understand that AI is solving the “black hole” problem in recruiting, and they clearly see the benefits of a faster, more responsive placement process. And recruiters feel it, too.

“Being able to see that chatbot interaction immediately and get it distributed out to a recruiter has made that turnaround time so, so much faster. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback on just responsiveness.”

— Recruitment industry chief operating officer

Retail job numbers well below last two years

Retail is often a bellwether for consumer confidence and economic health. In 2025, retail job openings have been relatively stable, following typical seasonal patterns, but at a lower level than either of the past two years. And it remains to be seen whether the end of the year will look more like 2023, which saw an improvement around the holidays, or like 2024 when there was a late decline.

Specialized nursing drives healthcare job growth

As the U.S. labor market slows, healthcare remains one of the few bright spots for job growth. However, the gains are not evenly distributed across the industry. Specialized nursing openings increased 8% from Q1 to Q2 and are up 27% YoY. Physicians were the only other role to add jobs in 2025, though total physician openings in Q2 were still down 11%, compared to 2024.