Back to the office? Chicago’s in-office job growth shows encouraging signs.
- The COVID-19 pandemic introduced volatility into the job market for non-remote, office-using roles. Initial withdrawals began in Q1 2020, with trailing 12-month deltas bottoming out after a 46k decline in job postings for the year ending March 2021. The bounce-back from pandemic lows was later tempered by the continued prevalence of remote and hybrid work, as organizations balanced employee retention.
- Leverage in Chicago’s job market has since shifted from employees, who capitalized on hybrid/remote flexibility, to employers stabilizing return-to-office strategies. Following eight net-positive periods of job growth YoY since January 2025, and 13 consecutive months of positive contributions averaging +1.8% since June 2024, Chicago’s momentum may drive increased office utilization and space planning efforts.
- As of the year ended July 2025, YoY job postings are up 23k compared to July 2024, a 25% increase. This surge is driven largely by onsite job growth in Chicago’s professional services sectors, including over 30% increases in the consulting, research, accounting and recruiting, and legal services sectors, compared to national growth of 22% and 24%, respectively.
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