Current Employment Statistics (CES4142000001) · Wholesale trade, seasonally adjusted
How many jobs are there in wholesale trade?
The number of jobs in wholesale trade was 6,078 thousand in the month ended , up 0.4% from a year earlier (preliminary).
Jobs in wholesale trade, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Jobs in wholesale trade, in thousands, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Jobs in wholesale trade, in thousands | 6,078 thousand | 6,073 thousand | 6,052 thousand | 5,759 thousand | 5,795 thousand |
| Change over a year | +0.4% | +0.5% | −0.8% | +3.5% | +0.3% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The number of jobs in wholesale trade was 6,078 thousand in September 2026, the highest since December 2024.
Over a year it is up 0.4% (ours). The source marks this value preliminary.
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 6,073 thousand in | +0.1% |
| Three months | 6,059 thousand in | +0.3% |
| Twelve months | 6,052 thousand in | +0.4% |
| Five years | 5,759 thousand in | +5.6% |
| Ten years | 5,795 thousand in | +4.9% |
In historyOurs
The number of jobs in wholesale trade of 6,078 thousand in was higher than in 1,029 of the 1,052 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 23.
Highest since : 6,133 thousand in . Lowest since : 1,463 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 4,192.5 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 1,053 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the number of jobs in wholesale trade is up 0.4%, which ranks 14 of the 35 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the number of jobs in wholesale trade beside the industries on the jobs by industry page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Inside itOurs
Of the 3 industries inside wholesale trade that BLS reports, the change over a year was largest for merchant wholesalers, durable goods, up 0.9%, and smallest for merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, down 0.2% (ours).
Openings and turnoverJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
In August 2026 the survey counted, for wholesale trade, 188 thousand job openings, 171 thousand hires, 81 thousand quits and 73 thousand layoffs and discharges.
Over a year the counts are job openings down 2.6%, hires up 31.5%, quits down 6.9% and layoffs and discharges up 69.8% (ours).
Job openings, hires, quits and layoffs in wholesale trade
- Job openings188127 to 376
- Hires171108 to 219
- Quits8141 to 137
- Layoffs and discharges7324 to 249
Each row is one measure of the second survey for wholesale trade, in thousands over the last ten years, one month to a point, on one scale, with its newest value and its range printed beside it. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
Observed .
Understanding the number of jobs in wholesale trade
Where it stands today
The number of jobs in wholesale trade was 6,078 thousand in September 2026.
What does the number of jobs in wholesale trade measure?
Wholesale trade covers businesses that buy goods in bulk and sell them to other businesses rather than to the public: merchant wholesalers of durable and nondurable goods, and the agents and brokers who arrange such sales.
Read more
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) counts these jobs each month in a survey of employers, the Current Employment Statistics, and publishes them in the Employment Situation report at the start of the next month. The count is all employees on payrolls, in thousands, seasonally adjusted.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, how the change over a year ranks among the lines of the jobs by industry page, the industries inside it with their own change over a year. For this industry it also shows the job openings, hires, quits and layoffs from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), a second BLS survey, beside the count of jobs.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the number of jobs in wholesale trade in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1939
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 6,073 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 6,065 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 6,059 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 6,054 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 6,052 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 6,051 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 6,053 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 6,045 thousand | −0.5% | |
| 6,043 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 6,048 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,055 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,052 thousand | −0.8% | |
| 6,043 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 6,052 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 6,057 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 6,068 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,067 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 6,062 thousand | −1.1% | |
| 6,076 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,073 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 6,092 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,090 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 6,095 thousand | −0.5% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 6,099 thousand | −0.4% | |
| 6,106 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 6,110 thousand | 0.0% | |
| 6,112 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 6,109 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 6,128 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 6,127 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 6,121 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 6,126 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 6,133 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 6,132 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 6,127 thousand | +1.4% | |
| 6,126 thousand | +1.6% | |
| 6,117 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 6,113 thousand | +1.8% | |
| 6,101 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 6,099 thousand | +2.1% | |
| 6,092 thousand | +2.5% | |
| 6,094 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 6,090 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 6,073 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 6,060 thousand | +4.0% | |
| 6,049 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 6,043 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 6,031 thousand | +4.7% | |
| 6,025 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 6,002 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 5,988 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 5,971 thousand | +5.3% | |
| 5,945 thousand | +5.2% | |
| 5,914 thousand | +5.0% | |
| 5,877 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 5,852 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 5,828 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 5,800 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 5,774 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 5,759 thousand | +3.5% | |
| 5,744 thousand | +3.7% | |
| 5,723 thousand | +3.6% | |
| 5,700 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 5,672 thousand | +3.1% | |
| 5,651 thousand | +3.0% | |
| 5,634 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 5,619 thousand | −4.7% | |
| 5,607 thousand | −4.9% | |
| 5,599 thousand | −5.1% | |
| 5,590 thousand | −5.1% | |
| 5,577 thousand | −5.4% | |
| 5,566 thousand | −5.5% | |
| 5,539 thousand | −5.9% | |
| 5,522 thousand | −6.2% | |
| 5,541 thousand | −5.9% | |
| 5,500 thousand | −6.6% | |
| 5,486 thousand | −6.9% | |
| 5,876 thousand | −0.1% | |
| 5,893 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 5,896 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 5,898 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,893 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,896 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,891 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,890 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,890 thousand | +0.9% | |
| 5,886 thousand | +1.1% | |
| 5,890 thousand | +1.2% | |
| 5,889 thousand | +1.3% | |
| 5,882 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 5,883 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 5,877 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 5,871 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 5,864 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 5,859 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,853 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 5,858 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 5,837 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,823 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 5,819 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 5,816 thousand | +0.1% | |
| 5,839 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,823 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 5,821 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 5,826 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,822 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,823 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,814 thousand | +0.3% | |
| 5,816 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,815 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,811 thousand | +0.6% | |
| 5,806 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,810 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,808 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,805 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 5,803 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,797 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,801 thousand | +0.4% | |
| 5,800 thousand | +0.4% |
How does it compare with the industries on the jobs by industry page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 23,959 thousand | +2.2% | 1 | |
| Private education and health | 28,005 thousand | +1.9% | 2 | |
| Utilities | 612 thousand | +1.7% | 3 | |
| Construction | 8,364 thousand | +1.3% | 4 | |
| Durable goods | 7,898 thousand | +1.1% | 5 | |
| Professional, scientific, technical | 10,844 thousand | +0.8% | 6 | |
| Accommodation and food services | 14,310 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Goods-producing | 21,623 thousand | +0.7% | 7 | |
| Other services | 6,039 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Professional and business services | 22,482 thousand | +0.6% | 9 | |
| Administrative, support, waste | 9,019 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Private service-providing | 114,094 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Total private | 135,717 thousand | +0.5% | 11 | |
| Leisure and hospitality | 16,969 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Wholesale trade (this page) | 6,078 thousand | +0.4% | 14 | |
| Local government | 15,173 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Manufacturing | 12,652 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Mining and logging | 607 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Service-providing | 137,421 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Total nonfarm | 159,044 thousand | +0.3% | 16 | |
| Retail trade | 15,480 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Trade, transportation, utilities | 28,778 thousand | +0.2% | 21 | |
| Mining, oil and gas extraction | 567 thousand | +0.1% | 23 | |
| Private education | 4,046 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6,609 thousand | −0.1% | 24 | |
| Management of companies | 2,620 thousand | −0.3% | 26 | |
| State government | 5,472 thousand | −0.5% | 27 | |
| Real estate, rental, leasing | 2,438 thousand | −0.6% | 28 | |
| Government | 23,327 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Nondurable goods | 4,754 thousand | −0.9% | 29 | |
| Financial activities | 9,082 thousand | −1.2% | 31 | |
| Finance and insurance | 6,645 thousand | −1.4% | 32 | |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,659 thousand | −1.6% | 33 | |
| Information | 2,739 thousand | −4.2% | 34 | |
| Federal government | 2,682 thousand | −8.0% | 35 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Which industries are inside wholesale trade?Newest month of each industry
| Industry | Month | Count | Share | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merchant wholesalers, durable goods | 3,429 thousand | 56.4% | +0.9% | 1 | |
| Merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods | 2,207 thousand | 36.3% | −0.2% | 3 | |
| Wholesale trade agents and brokers | 443 thousand | 7.3% | +0.2% | 2 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
How many job openings, hires, quits and layoffs were there in wholesale trade?Newest month of each measure
| Measure | Month | Count | Rate | Change over a year | Where the count stands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (preliminary) | 188 thousand | 3.0% | −2.6% | the lowest since June 2026 | |
| Hires (preliminary) | 171 thousand | 2.8% | +31.5% | the highest since December 2023 | |
| Quits (preliminary) | 81 thousand | 1.3% | −6.9% | the lowest since May 2026 | |
| Layoffs and discharges (preliminary) | 73 thousand | 1.2% | +69.8% | the highest since June 2020 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BLS counts jobs, not people: a person with two jobs on two payrolls is counted twice. Farm jobs, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, private household workers and members of the military are not counted.
- The count comes from a survey of employers, so each month's value carries sampling error. BLS revises each month twice in the two months after it is first published, and each February it benchmarks the series to a full count of jobs from unemployment insurance tax records and revises earlier values, so past values on this page can change.
- BLS publishes this series from 1939.
- The job openings, hires, quits and layoffs come from JOLTS, a separate survey of employers that BLS holds from December 2000 and publishes about a month after the payroll counts, so its newest month can be an earlier month than the count of jobs.
- The count is shown in whole thousands, but BLS publishes this series to one decimal, so the changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values, which are ours and worked out from the values as BLS publishes them, can differ in their last place from those worked out from the values as shown.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values BLS publishes; a change is in percent.
Observed . Checked .
Observed .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Wholesale trade, seasonally adjusted, through September 2026, with U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, through August 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many jobs are there in wholesale trade?", https://500metrics.com/jobs-by-industry/wholesale-trade.
Can the data be downloaded?jobs-by-industry-wholesale-trade.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 1,053 rows, to , 20,257 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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