Takeaways: 

  • Job postings continue to hum along at 10.8% above the pre-pandemic baseline, and are now down 8.3% from January 17, 2024.  
  • Despite falling modestly over the past year, job postings for Therapy roles and Physicians & Surgeons are holding up better than the rest of the labor market. 
  • Wage growth in most healthcare sectors continues to slow, with almost all sectors registering a decline in the past six months. 

Indeed job postings 

The US Indeed Job Posting Index (JPI) finished out the year in the same fashion it spent much of 2024, coasting along between 10 to 13% above the pre-pandemic baseline. As of January 17, 2025, job postings were down 8.3% from the same date last year as employer demand for workers continued to weaken, but remained 10.8% above the pre-pandemic baseline. 

Line graph titled “US job postings remain 10.8% above the pre-pandemic baseline” shows the change in Indeed job postings since their pre-pandemic baseline, through January 17, 2025. US job postings have fallen 8.3% over the past year.
Line graph titled “US job postings remain 10.8% above the pre-pandemic baseline” shows the change in Indeed job postings since their pre-pandemic baseline, through January 17, 2025. US job postings have fallen 8.3% over the past year.

Healthcare job postings 

Job postings in all Healthcare sectors analyzed by Indeed were down compared to a year ago, as of January 17, 2025, with one notable exception — Therapy job postings grew 5.3%. Declines in other categories were relatively muted, with Physicians & Surgeons, Dental, and Personal Care & Home Health job postings waning less than 5% year-over-year. All sectors within the Healthcare vertical remain well above early-2020 levels, with Pharmacy job postings bringing up the rear at 19.2% above its pre-pandemic baseline, despite a 25.7% drop in the year to January 17, 2025. 

Table titled “Therapy one of few occupations still adding postings” shows job posting trends over the past year through January 17, 2025, as well as from the pre-pandemic baseline, for several healthcare occupations. Therapy job postings expanded 5.3% over the past year while nursing job postings fell by 12.7%.
Table titled “Therapy one of few occupations still adding postings” shows job posting trends over the past year through January 17, 2025, as well as from the pre-pandemic baseline, for several healthcare occupations. Therapy job postings expanded 5.3% over the past year while nursing job postings fell by 12.7%.

Healthcare wage growth

Annual wage growth in the Healthcare vertical covers a rather wide range. Dental and Childcare wage growth are leading the pack with year-over-year gains of 4.3% and 3.5%, respectively, through December 2024. However, there has been a slowdown in both categories, with Dental wage growth dropping 0.3 percentage points in the last six months and Childcare falling 0.9 percentage points in the same time. Nursing wage growth lags the rest of the vertical, rising only 2.5% in the year to December 2024. 

Table titled “Dental and Childcare wage growth high but slowing" shows year-over-year growth in posted wages through December 2024, and the percentage point change in the past six months, by job category. Therapy and Nursing wages have grown 2.6% and 2.5% year-over-year, respectively.
Table titled “Dental and Childcare wage growth high but slowing” shows year-over-year growth in posted wages through December 2024, and the percentage point change in the past six months, by job category. Therapy and Nursing wages have grown 2.6% and 2.5% year-over-year, respectively.

For more labor market insights from the Indeed Hiring Lab, visit us at hiringlab.org.