The Conference Board-Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine Index of job ads fell in January to a reading of 150.7 (July 2018=100), down from December 2023’s upwardly revised reading of 152.0.

January’s decrease follows a 1.1% increase between December and November; overall, the index is down 8.7% from a year ago.

The index measures the change in advertised online job vacancies over time, reflecting monthly trends in employment opportunities across the US. The Conference Board produces the index in collaboration with Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass), a labor market data and analysis provider. The ads are collected in real time from more than 50,000 online job domains.