Central Bureau of Statistics: A record number of job vacancies was about 112.5 thousand in March

The Central Bureau of Statistics today publishes an amazing statistic regarding the number of vacancies in the economy. According to the CBS, the number of job vacancies was about 112.5 thousand jobs in March, which is the highest estimate observed since the beginning of the survey in 2009. The highest estimate so far was 106.5 in May 2017.
The vacancy rate for March is 4.43% compared to the average vacancy rate of 3.59% in 2019 and 2.47% in 2020.
There has been an increase in the number of job vacancies in all sectors of the economy surveyed compared to the 2020 average, and the most significant increase is in the hospitality and food industries (hotels and restaurants), in the entertainment and leisure industries and in the trade industries.
Despite the exceptional data, examining the number of employed in the various industries compared to their pre-crisis situation, it can be seen that with the exception of information and communication (high-tech) and health and nursing industries, the number of employed in the various industries is significantly lower than in 2019.
Comparing the report of the number of employed persons in March 2021 compared with the average for 2019, it can be seen that in about 19% of the businesses there are less than half of the employed persons who were on the eve of the crisis. About 34% of the businesses in the survey population employ more jobs than they employed before the crisis broke out.
Another figure that indicates the high demand for work is the number of businesses looking for employees. In March 2021 about 30% of businesses tried to recruit workers, compared to 21% of businesses in February 2021.
Unlike previous surveys, the CBS did not make comparisons this time compared to data on job vacancies in previous publications. Annual average of 2020 and 2019.
Despite the high demand for workers, the number of employed in the various industries is still significantly lower. Thus, about 19% of businesses have less than half of the employed who were on the eve of the crisis.
The number of job vacancies in the economy may give a broader picture of the labor market. The unemployment rate has been declining sharply since the opening of the economy, reaching 12% (broad unemployment rate), and in light of the growing demand, it is possible that the upcoming unemployment data will fall at a sharper rate.
In conclusion, the complete opening of the economy, along with the continued payment of unemployment benefits to the unemployed, has created a distorted situation in which many employers are looking for workers - but without success. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics Alef - a record of about 12 years.