The labor market continues to demonstrate resilience, but challenges remain for employers to recruit and retain top talent. With unemployment creeping up slightly to 4.2% and wage growth continuing its upward trend, businesses across industries are navigating tighter labor pools and increasing costs. For industries like automotive retail, hospitality, and healthcare—where recruitment and retention are already challenging—staying ahead of workforce trends is critical. At Hireology, we’re here to help you meet these challenges with data-driven insights and tools to build a robust workforce.
BLS Employment Situation Summary Trends
- Overall Employment Growth: The economy added 228,000 jobs in March, exceeding the average monthly gain of 158,000 over the previous year.
- Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate edged up slightly to 4.2%, with over 7.1 million unemployed workers in March.
- Wage Growth: Average hourly earnings increased by 0.3% to $36.00, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 3.8%. This highlights continued pressure on employers to offer competitive wages.
- Labor Force Participation: The labor force participation rate ticked up slightly to 62.5%, signaling ongoing struggles to attract workers back into the labor market.
- Healthcare Job Gains: The healthcare sector continues to be a standout, adding 54,000 jobs in March, with notable increases in hospitals and nursing/residential care facilities.
- Hospitality and Leisure Rebound: Leisure and hospitality employment rose by 43,000, driven by gains in food services and entertainment.
- Automotive Retail Steady: Employment in motor vehicle and parts dealers increased by 3,700 jobs, signaling stable demand in the automotive sector.
Deep Dive: Industry-Specific Insights
Automotive Retail
- Employment Trends: The automotive retail sector added 3,700 jobs in March, with gains driven by motor vehicle and parts dealers. Broader manufacturing for motor vehicles saw flat growth (-0.2K), but remains above pre-pandemic levels.
- Challenges: Wage pressures remain a concern, with average hourly earnings for durable goods manufacturing increasing to $37.38—up 1.2% from February.
- What to Watch: As consumer demand for vehicles stabilizes, dealerships will need to focus on streamlining hiring processes to maintain operational efficiency.
Hospitality
- Sector Rebound: Leisure and hospitality employment increased by 43,000 in March, led by gains in food services (+29,800) and arts/entertainment (+12,300). Wage growth in this sector continues, with average hourly earnings reaching $22.75.
- Seasonal Hiring Pressures: As the summer season approaches, competition for hospitality workers is expected to intensify, making proactive workforce planning essential.
- Key Opportunity: An efficient hiring process and offering career pathing will be critical for attracting and retaining workers in this competitive labor market.
Facilities-Based Care
- Strong Growth in Healthcare: The healthcare sector added 54,000 jobs in March, with significant gains in nursing and residential care facilities (+16,700) and hospitals (+17,100).
- Retention Challenges: Nursing homes and long-term care facilities continue to struggle with high turnover, despite growing demand for their services.
- Actionable Insight: Employers should invest in retention strategies such as career development programs, competitive wages, and employee engagement initiatives to combat high turnover rates.
What This Means for Employers
Focus on Employer Branding
With wage growth continuing to rise across industries, a strong employer brand is more important than ever. Use Hireology’s career page tools to showcase your unique value proposition and attract top talent.
Streamline Hiring Processes
As demand for workers heats up in healthcare, hospitality, and automotive retail, efficient hiring processes are essential to secure top candidates. Hireology’s applicant tracking system (ATS) can help you reduce time-to-hire with automated workflows and integrated background checks with Accurate to provide exceptional support to customers.
Plan for Seasonal Fluctuations
The seasonal uptick in hospitality hiring underscores the importance of flexible workforce planning. Use data insights to anticipate your staffing needs and avoid being caught off guard by seasonal demand surges.
Looking Ahead & the Key Trends to Watch
Continued Wage Growth
Wage growth is expected to persist, particularly in high-demand industries like healthcare and hospitality. Employers will need to balance rising labor costs with efficiency. Explore more insights into changing wages in The American Hotel and Lodging Association’s 2025 State Of The Industry Partner Trends & Insights Report.
Seasonal Hiring
Seasonal hiring in hospitality and retail will pick up in the coming months, intensifying competition for workers.
Healthcare Demand
With an aging population, demand for healthcare workers will remain strong, creating opportunities for employers who can position themselves as employers of choice.
Flexibility is Key
The rise in part-time employment (+4.8 million) shows a growing need for flexible work arrangements to attract a broader talent pool.
The March employment situation summary data underscores the need for innovative hiring and retention strategies as businesses adjust to a competitive labor market. At Hireology, we’re committed to equipping you with the tools you need to attract, hire, and retain the best talent. From simplifying your hiring workflows to data-driven insights, we’re here to help your organization build a resilient workforce that thrives in any market condition. Learn how Hireology helps businesses hire 20% faster.
