It's a slippery slope for big oil. 

With many stateside infrastructure investments idled thanks to the falling price of oil, aftershocks delivered to the market in the wake of the global Coronavirus pandemic only served to further hobble industry leaders, as commodity trades suffered unprecedented losses. 

And, it's showing up in the job postings. Exxon Mobil ($XOM), which disappointed on earnings Friday, May 1, to an early loss of 4% in trading, has also seen job postings plummet nearly 50% since 2020 began. Even that comes after a multi-year decline. Shares are down 37% this year. 

It's not a new narrative - for Exxon and for others, thanks to the price of oil driving lower and lower, sinking stock prices have gone hand in hand with fewer job postings. 

For Chevron ($CVX), shares are down about 26% in 2020. So far, job postings haven't dropped as much as other competitors' (which notably suffered greater stock price losses) so it's possible that Chevron has staved off the worst of the crisis - for now, at least. 

Big oil companies aren't the hardest hit amid industries seeing share values plunge and job postings decline, but it's a substantial enough industry for the US that the impacts of the slowdown are sure to be felt, especially if commodity prices remain low. Turbulence has come to define the marketplace as investors look for green shoots in the global economy - but they haven't sprung yet, in this sector. 

About the Data:

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales, and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue, and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

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