RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – The Triangle jobs market has been red hot for months, but that may be changing just like the weather which is cooling as Fall begins. Even as the impact of the COVID-19 Delta variant appears to have begun to decline, big jobs sites Indeed and Zip Recruiter show thousands of fewer jobs compared to just a week ago.

Others show more openings, and LinkedIn is down just slightly. But hiring may be leveling off as the North Carolina economy also is showing a bit of a slowdown.

That’s according to N.C. State economist Dr. Mike Walden who warns in his latest Index of NC Leading Economic Indicators that cooling is occurring.

“The Index, which is a forecast of the state economy’s direction four to six months ahead, fell 0.5% in August from
its level in July,” Walden reports.

“All components of the Index but one – building permits – deteriorated, led by a 3.6% jump in initial jobless claims.”

Where are the jobs in the Triangle? Here’s the latest update

At least NC’s decline wasn’t as bad as that of the national index, showing “much less than the reduction of 1.7% in the comparable national leading index,” Walden noted.

And Walden is concerned about the lingering COVID threat.

“While the Index’s retreat in August is disappointing, the Index is higher than in February and has changed modestly since then. Still, it is important to remember the virus continues to have a large effect on the direction of the economy. If the COVID Delta variant soon subsides, economic growth should improve. But if not – or if a new variant emerges – then we’ll be living with a rocky and uncertain economic future.”

Jobless rates down

Still, other data differs, especially in the Triangle, reports WRAL TechWire contributing writer Shannon Cuthrell.

Unemployment rates continue to decline across the state  according to the latest figures released by the NC Department of Commerce last week. The data, which is not seasonally adjusted, shows that the Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh metro areas shared the lowest rates of all other metros, at 3.7%, in August. (For perspective, the statewide average was 4.4%.)

Though last month’s unemployment rates only represent a tiny drop (0.2%) from July’s rates, the overall picture reveals great progress for the Triangle: Since August 2020, unemployment has declined by over 2. percentage points in the Durham-Chapel Hill and Raleigh metros.

Overall, local job openings are plentiful across different industries.

Today’s WRAL TechWire exclusive Jobs Report shows local hiring activity from a range of employers—from regional hospital systems to universities to early-stage tech startups to pharma firms like Merck, biotechs like Precision Biosciences, and tech giants like Microsoft and IBM. Large national banks, as well as financial services firms such as Credit Suisse and Deloitte, are also hiring thousands in the Triangle.

Our weekly Jobs Report compiles the latest information from the region’s top job boards, offering a breakdown of how many jobs are posted, which companies are hiring and for what positions. We’ve also included upcoming job fairs, student-centric resources and a list of Twitter accounts that track local job openings.

Let’s highlight what’s new on the job boards since last week’s Jobs Report:

National Job Search Sites

Here’s an overview of the number of local jobs posted on national job boards compared to last week, as of Sunday afternoon.

  • Adzuna:
    • ⇑ Wake County: 43,372 jobs (+3,012 from a week ago)
    • ⇑ Raleigh: 25,177 (+2,268)
    • ⇓ Durham County: 9,103 (-895)
  • Dice.com (using the 5-mile radius filter):
    • ⇑ Raleigh: 18,181 (+830)
    • ⇑ Durham: 17,905 (+827)
    • ⇑ Chapel Hill: 17,657 (+812)
  • Glassdoor: ⇑ 42,610 jobs in the Research Triangle Park area (+343)
  • Indeed (5-mile radius filter):
    • ⇓ Raleigh: 15,986 (-6,035)
    • ⇓ Durham: 9,823 (-2,534)
    • ⇑ Chapel Hill: 4,207 (+679)
  • InHerSight: Pages upon pages of jobs across the RTP area
  • LinkedIn (using the “exact location” filter):
    • ⇓ Raleigh: 27,699 (-203)
    • ⇑ Durham: 12,964 (+82)
    • ⇑ Chapel Hill: 2,636 (+87)
  • Remote Tech Jobs: Several remote jobs offered by Triangle-area employers
  • ZipRecruiter (5-mile filter):
    • ⇓ Raleigh: 31,917 (-4,041)
    • ⇓ Durham: 14,078 (-136)
    • ⇓ Chapel Hill: 3,672 (-71)