{
  "publisher": "Jobsearch.ing",
  "generated": "2026-08-22",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-08-22",
  "methodologyVersion": "1.0.0",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://jobsearch.ing/job-market/",
  "methodologyUrl": "https://jobsearch.ing/methodology/job-search-friction-index/",
  "period": "2026-06",
  "frictionIndex": {
    "value": 111,
    "baseline": 100,
    "baselineMeaning": "Average 2019 conditions.",
    "indexPointDifferenceFromBaseline": 11,
    "scale": "A standardised composite. 15 index points is one standard deviation of the composite. Index points are NOT percentages: a reading of 111 means 11 index points above the 2019 baseline, never 11 per cent harder than 2019.",
    "classification": "Harder than typical",
    "historicalPercentile": 66,
    "historicalPercentileOf": 294,
    "historicalCoverage": "2000-12 to 2026-06, excluding 2020-03 to 2021-02",
    "changeOnMonthIndexPoints": -2,
    "changeOnYearIndexPoints": 4,
    "higherMeans": "harder"
  },
  "dimensions": {
    "opportunityPressure": {
      "difficultyPercentile": 23,
      "direction": "easier",
      "unemployedPerJobOpening": 0.96
    },
    "hiringVelocity": {
      "difficultyPercentile": 69,
      "direction": "harder",
      "hiresRatePercent": 3.4
    },
    "searchDuration": {
      "difficultyPercentile": 69,
      "direction": "harder",
      "medianWeeksUnemployed": 11,
      "longTermUnemployedSharePercent": 27.3
    }
  },
  "jobMarketDisconnect": {
    "percentilePointGap": 46,
    "historicalPercentile": 98,
    "historicalPercentileOf": 294,
    "threshold": 40,
    "aboveThreshold": true,
    "definition": "Mean of the hiring-difficulty and search-duration-difficulty percentiles, minus the opportunity-pressure difficulty percentile. Positive means hiring and search look worse than the supply of openings implies.",
    "unit": "percentile points",
    "canonicalUrl": "https://jobsearch.ing/job-market/job-market-disconnect/"
  },
  "statePressure": {
    "period": "2025-12",
    "periodWarning": "State data covers 2025-12, not 2026-06. State JOLTS is released well behind the national series.",
    "mostCompetition": {
      "state": "Washington",
      "unemployedPerJobOpening": 1.8
    },
    "leastCompetition": {
      "state": "South Dakota",
      "unemployedPerJobOpening": 0.54
    },
    "nationalUnemployedPerJobOpening": 1.15,
    "canonicalUrl": "https://jobsearch.ing/job-market/states/"
  },
  "triggerEvents": [
    {
      "id": "disconnect-above-threshold",
      "severity": "major",
      "description": "Openings and hiring are diverging by 46 percentile points, the 98th percentile of the series.",
      "value": 46,
      "threshold": 40
    }
  ],
  "triggerEventsNote": "Thresholds crossed this month. These are leads for a human to check against the published series, not conclusions.",
  "downloads": {
    "frictionCsv": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-search-friction.csv/",
    "frictionJson": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-search-friction.json/",
    "disconnectCsv": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-market-disconnect.csv/",
    "disconnectJson": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-market-disconnect.json/",
    "statesCsv": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-search-pressure-by-state.csv/",
    "statesJson": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/job-search-pressure-by-state.json/",
    "meterSvg": "https://jobsearch.ing/data/friction-meter.svg/"
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "publisher": "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
      "survey": "Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey",
      "url": "https://www.bls.gov/jlt/"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
      "survey": "Current Population Survey",
      "url": "https://www.bls.gov/cps/"
    },
    {
      "publisher": "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
      "survey": "Local Area Unemployment Statistics",
      "url": "https://www.bls.gov/lau/"
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Jobsearch.ing, Job Search Friction Index, 2026-06. Index 111 (100 = average 2019 conditions), 66th percentile of 294 months. Source data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, retrieved 2026-08-22."
}