The index is down 3.9% from a year ago

According to the Conference Board, Lightcast Help Wanted OnLine Index of job ads fell in January to a reading of 164.6, down from a reading of 167.2 in December. The 1.6% decline between December and January follows a 5.5% increase between November and December.

The index measures the change in advertised online job vacancies over time, reflecting monthly trends in employment opportunities across the US.

Overall, the index is down 3.9% from a year ago.

The Conference Board produces the index in collaboration with Lightcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass), a provider of labor market data and analysis. The ads are collected from more than 50,000 online job domains.