LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | February 2026

Published on Feb 17, 2026

With over 243 million LinkedIn members in the United States, we have unique insight into the real-time dynamics of Americans starting new jobs and moving to new cities. This month’s LinkedIn Workforce Report looks at our latest national data on hiring and migration trends through January 2026. Whether you’re a worker, an employer, a new grad, or a policymaker, we hope you’ll use these insights to better understand and navigate the dynamics of today’s economy.

For more insight into localized employment trends in 20 of the largest U.S. metro areas, check out this month’s reports for: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland-Akron, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.

Key Insights:

Nationally, across all industries, hiring in the U.S. was 3.3% lower in January 2026 compared to last month December 2025. National hiring was 5.7% lower in January 2026 compared to last year January 2025.
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in January 2026 were Holding Companies (4.1% higher); Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage (1.5% higher); and Construction (0.4% higher).
The cities with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in January 2026 were St. Louis (0.9% higher); Los Angeles (0.5% higher); and Cleveland-Akron (0.1% lower).

Hiring in the U.S.

The LinkedIn hiring rate is a measure of hires divided by LinkedIn membership. Nationally, across all industries, hiring in the U.S. was 3.3% lower in January 2026 compared to last month December 2025. National hiring was 5.7% lower in January 2026 compared to last year January 2025.

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED HIRING

The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in January 2026 were Holding Companies (4.1% higher); Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage (1.5% higher); and Construction (0.4% higher).

Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through January 2026

Industry	Jan-25	···	Oct-25	Nov-25	Dec-25	Jan-26	MoM% Change	YoY% Change
Accommodation and Food Services	0.94	···	0.91	0.91	0.91	0.89	-2.2	-5.2
Administrative and Support Services	0.85	···	0.78	0.79	0.80	0.79	-1.6	-7.2
Construction	1.26	···	1.20	1.20	1.27	1.27	+0.4	+0.8
Consumer Services	1.15	···	1.12	1.13	1.11	1.10	-1.4	-4.5
Education	1.17	···	1.08	1.07	1.08	1.05	-2.2	-10.1
Entertainment Providers	0.92	···	0.89	0.91	0.91	0.89	-2.7	-3.1
Farming, Ranching, Forestry	1.05	···	0.97	0.94	0.94	0.88	-5.8	-15.3
Financial Services	1.02	···	1.01	1.01	1.05	1.02	-2.5	-0.3
Government Administration	1.10	···	0.91	0.89	0.88	0.87	-1.6	-21.4
Holding Companies	0.79	···	0.67	0.67	0.71	0.74	+4.1	-6.5
Hospitals and Health Care	1.14	···	1.07	1.06	1.07	1.06	-1.1	-7
Manufacturing	0.90	···	0.85	0.87	0.91	0.87	-4.7	-3.6
Oil, Gas, and Mining	0.83	···	0.82	0.83	0.85	0.81	-4.6	-2.9
Professional Services	0.90	···	0.85	0.84	0.87	0.85	-2.2	-5
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services	0.92	···	0.91	0.91	0.90	0.86	-5.2	-7
Retail	0.83	···	0.80	0.82	0.80	0.77	-4.5	-7.3
Technology, Information and Media	0.89	···	0.87	0.89	0.96	0.89	-6.6	+0.7
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage	1.03	···	0.97	0.98	1.00	1.01	+1.5	-1.7
Utilities	1.23	···	1.07	1.13	1.18	1.15	-2.5	-7
Wholesale	0.80	···	0.79	0.81	0.82	0.76	-8	-5.8

Methodology: “Hiring Rate” is the count of hires (LinkedIn members in each industry who added a new employer to their profile in the same month the new job began), divided by the total number of LinkedIn members in the U.S. By only analyzing the timeliest data, we can make accurate month-to-month comparisons and account for any potential lags in members updating their profiles. This number is indexed to the average month in 2016 for each industry; for example, an index of 1.05 indicates a hiring rate that is 5% higher than the average month in 2016.