Unpacking the January 2022 U.S. Jobs Report

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the January 2022 Jobs Report, showing an unexpectedly strong market. The main takeaway? Now is the best time to job search. Keep reading for our take on the Jobs Report, as well as some tips and tricks to optimize your job search.

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Takeaways from the January 2022 U.S. Jobs Report

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Experts were blown away by the number of jobs added in January, with the total coming in much higher than predicted.

• Despite daily COVID-19 cases peaking in January, the U.S. Jobs Report showed improvement in the overall labor market.
• Employers added 467,000 jobs in January — nearly 350k more than expected!
• Despite coronavirus concerns, employers fought hard for talent in the continued employee's market. They had to: according to the Wall Street Journal, there are 100 job openings for every 60 unemployed Americans.
• Competition for employees and a tight hiring market resulted in double the wage growth last month vs. January 2021.
• Remote work increased in January as some employees stayed home to avoid the Omicron surge. 
• Unemployment remained largely unchanged from December, with a slight increase to 4%.

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What does this mean for job searching and job outlook?

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‍As President Biden said, “America’s job machine is going stronger than ever.”

If you're ready to start looking for a new job or want to get back to it, now's the time! 

Not only is there an objective surplus of open roles, but you also have leverage to negotiate for higher compensation.

Looking for a new role but not sure where to start? Try Teal’s free job searching platform. Organize your applications by saving listings from various job boards to one central Job Tracker, tailor your resume to each position you’re applying for using the Resume Builder, and optimize your LinkedIn profile with our LinkedIn Review tool so you stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. Here’s to landing a job you love in 2022.