According to Labor Department figures, 5.8 million people looked for work in October and had their pick among 7.02 million job vacancies.
In certain industries, the number of open jobs is especially pronounced.
A recent analysis from Indeed uses Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the industries having the hardest time filling open roles. In the report, the jobs site calculates how many hires were made for every 100 job openings in a given sector, averaged over April, May and June of this year.
Fields feeling the biggest crunch are education and health care, the results show. Within these areas, just over half, or 53, of every 100 positions were filled in a month's time.
Though very different lines of work, both educators and health-care professionals often face long hours and demanding work conditions.
BLS data finds school teachers earn a median annual salary around $58,000 to $60,000, compared with the national median wage of $38,646 per year. However, median stats can paint a broad picture: The bottom 10% of teachers, on the other hand, earn less than $40,000 annually. Issues of low pay, long hours, overcrowded classrooms and stretched resources fueled the latest teachers' strike in Chicago, which is just one example of the financial challenges teachers across the United States face.
Health-care workers may be in tight demand given the highly specialized training the field requires. Sometimes, this translates to generous paychecks: Physicians, pharmacists and dentists are some of the highest-paid jobs in the U.S. High pay could mean professionals within this space are happy with their compensation and aren't looking to change jobs, leaving open roles to sit vacant.
In other cases, however, as with home health or personal care aides, round-the-clock schedules are met with median annual wages around $24,000 despite a surge in demand. Home health care has grown by 150% to nearly 2.3 million workers in the past 10 years, according to The New York Times. A shortage of health care workers could continue to worsen as the share of the aging baby boomer population grows, while health care workers also retire out of their professions.
Other industries with high shares of vacancies include financial services, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing.
These types of jobs tend to require less specialization and may command a lower salary. However, Indeed economist Nick Bunker tells CNBC Make It that the research shows employers may have an easier time filling open roles if they raised wages. Even if salary is capped within a certain role, the report suggests companies may want to offer other benefits — professional development courses, investment in training, perks that encourage better work-life balance — to fill the employment gap.
For some workers, this news could provide guidance if a career change is on the table.
"If you're up for changing careers, there are signs showing us that health care is a strong field — it's a good opportunity now and in the future," Bunker says in the report.
These are the industries having the hardest time filling open jobs, plus what they pay, according to BLS data.
1. Education and health services
Hires per every 100 job openings: 53
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Education administrators: $95,400
- Elementary school teachers: $58,260
- Middle school teachers: $58,620
- Secondary school teachers: $60,370
- Home health aides: $24,170
- Licensed practical and vocational nurses: $46,090
- Medical and health services managers: $96,880
2. Financial activities
Hires per every 100 job openings: 63
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Accountants and auditors: $74,690
- Insurance sales agents: $50,720
- Loan officers: $62,010
- Securities, commodities and financial services sales agents: $63,420
- Real estate brokers: $56,780
- Real estate sales agents: $45,590
3. Durable goods manufacturing
Hires per every 100 job openings: 64
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Carpenters: $36,100
- First-line supervisors: $53,040
- Machine setters and operators: $36,630
- Truck drivers: $41,030
4. Transportation, warehousing and utilities
Hires per every 100 job openings: 67
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers: $149,090
- Truck drivers: $45,180
- Electrical engineers: $97,570
- Electrical power-line installers and repairers: $77,130
5. Wholesale trade
Hires per every 100 job openings: 68
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Laborers and freight, stock and material movers: $30,300
- Sales representatives: $57,950
- Sales representatives for technical and scientific products: $79,560
6. Information
Hires per every 100 job openings: 74
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Telecommunications equipment installers: $58,000
- Electronics engineers, except computer: $95,250
- Computer programmers: $84,300
- Software developers, applications: $108,160
- Software developers, systems software: $105,460
7. Non-durable goods manufacturing
Hires per every 100 job openings: 83
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Industrial production managers: $107,600
- Petroleum pump system operators: $76,600
- Chemists: $76,620
8. Mining and logging
Hires per every 100 job openings: 85
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Mining and geological engineers: $92,230
- Farm workers and laborers: $24,180
- Logging equipment operators: $41,430
9. Professional and business services
Hires per every 100 job openings: 88
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Lawyers: $123,170
- Management analysts: $89,370
- Financial managers: $143,560
- General and operations managers: $141,560
10. Retail trade
Hires per every 100 job openings: 94
Example jobs and median salary per year
- Cashiers: $22,460
- Customer service representatives: $26,900
- First-line supervisors: $39,450
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