---
title: "Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51)"
slug: the-tech-drought
summary: "Information-sector job openings were little changed at 116,000 in September 2026"
category: "AI & Work"
unit: thousands
frequency: monthly
direction: lower_is_worse
latest_value: 116.0
latest_period: "2026-09"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-11-03T15:46:27Z"
source: "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS"
source_url: https://www.bls.gov/jlt/
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51) [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51).\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51).\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/."
---

# Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51)

Also tracked as The Tech Drought.

> Information-sector job openings were little changed at 116,000 in September 2026

## Current Reading

As of September 2026, Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51) is **116,000** (stable).

job openings in the information sector (NAICS 51)

## What Changed

- Information-sector job openings were little changed at 116,000 in September 2026 (preliminary), compared with 91,000 in August 2026.
- The highest since August 2025.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2026-09 | 116K |
| 2026-08 | 91K |
| 2026-07 | 78K |
| 2026-06 | 89K |
| 2026-05 | 72K |
| 2026-04 | 82K |
| 2026-03 | 83K |
| 2026-02 | 80K |
| 2026-01 | 100K |
| 2025-12 | 112K |
| 2025-11 | 88K |
| 2025-10 | 117K |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 2010: **274,000** in April 2022
- Low since 2010: **53,000** in March 2010
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **116,183**
- Post-pandemic average (2020-01 – 2024-12): **154,850**

## Methodology

This indicator carries monthly observations and is interpreted as lower values indicate worse household conditions. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS — [https://www.bls.gov/jlt/](https://www.bls.gov/jlt/)

Data retrieved: 2026-11-03T15:46:27Z

## Related Indicators

- [continued-unemployment-claims-sa](https://americandefault.org/indicators/continued-unemployment-claims-sa/)
- [indeed-job-postings-index-us](https://americandefault.org/indicators/indeed-job-postings-index-us/)
- [jolts-quits-rate](https://americandefault.org/indicators/jolts-quits-rate/)

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/the-tech-drought.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/the-tech-drought.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-tech-drought.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/the-tech-drought.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51) [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51)." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Information Sector Job Openings (NAICS 51)." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/the-tech-drought/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.