LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | March 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 February 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:
National hiring fell 3.0% from January to February and is down 6.8% compared to February 2025, leaving hiring 23% below its pre‑pandemic pace (February 2020).
From January to February, hiring declined in 17 of 20 industries, though the pullback was mild in most, at –1% to –3%. Hiring rose in Accommodation and Food Services (+1.9%) and Retail (+1.1%) and held steady in Government Administration. Compared with February 2025, however, Government Administration hiring is down 15.2%. Year over year, hiring was essentially flat in Technology, Information, and Media (–0.2%) and Financial Services (–0.5%). However, hiring in Technology, Information, and Media (–26%), Financial Services (–16%), and Professional Services (–29%) remains well below its pre‑pandemic (February 2020) pace.
From January to February, hiring declined in 16 of the 20 metros tracked. Hiring accelerated in Boston (+1.4%) and Phoenix (+1.1%) and was essentially flat in New York City (+0.2%) and Washington, DC (+0.0%). Compared with February 2025, hiring fell across all 20 metros, with the smallest declines in San Francisco (–0.3%) and New York City (–3.5%). Despite this relative stability, San Francisco hiring remains historically weak, down 33% from February 2020.
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% lower in February 2026 compared to last month January 2026. National hiring was 6.8% lower in February 2026 compared to last year February 2025.
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED HIRING
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in February 2026 were Accommodation and Food Services (1.9% higher); Retail (1.1% higher); and Government Administration (0% higher).
Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through February 2026
Industry | Feb-25 | ··· | Nov-25 | Dec-25 | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | MoM% Change | YoY% Change
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Accommodation and Food Services | 0.94 | ··· | 0.90 | 0.91 | 0.89 | 0.91 | +1.9 | -3.9 |
Administrative and Support Services | 0.85 | ··· | 0.78 | 0.79 | 0.78 | 0.77 | -2 | -9.3 |
Construction | 1.25 | ··· | 1.19 | 1.26 | 1.28 | 1.17 | -8 | -6 |
Consumer Services | 1.14 | ··· | 1.13 | 1.10 | 1.09 | 1.09 | -0.6 | -4.7 |
Education | 1.16 | ··· | 1.07 | 1.07 | 1.05 | 1.05 | -0.2 | -9 |
Entertainment Providers | 0.92 | ··· | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.89 | 0.86 | -2.9 | -5.9 |
Farming, Ranching, Forestry | 1.09 | ··· | 0.94 | 0.94 | 0.89 | 0.86 | -2.7 | -21 |
Financial Services | 1.01 | ··· | 1.00 | 1.04 | 1.02 | 1.01 | -1 | -0.5 |
Government Administration | 1.02 | ··· | 0.88 | 0.87 | 0.87 | 0.87 | +0 | -15.2 |
Holding Companies | 0.74 | ··· | 0.67 | 0.71 | 0.74 | 0.69 | -5.8 | -6.2 |
Hospitals and Health Care | 1.12 | ··· | 1.05 | 1.06 | 1.05 | 1.01 | -4.1 | -9.7 |
Manufacturing | 0.88 | ··· | 0.87 | 0.91 | 0.87 | 0.81 | -7.2 | -8.5 |
Oil, Gas, and Mining | 0.87 | ··· | 0.82 | 0.84 | 0.81 | 0.77 | -5.1 | -11.7 |
Professional Services | 0.88 | ··· | 0.84 | 0.87 | 0.85 | 0.83 | -2.5 | -5.8 |
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services | 0.93 | ··· | 0.90 | 0.90 | 0.86 | 0.84 | -1.3 | -9 |
Retail | 0.84 | ··· | 0.81 | 0.80 | 0.76 | 0.77 | +1.1 | -8.6 |
Technology, Information and Media | 0.89 | ··· | 0.88 | 0.95 | 0.89 | 0.89 | -0.2 | -0.2 |
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage | 1.03 | ··· | 0.97 | 0.99 | 1.00 | 0.96 | -4.6 | -7.5 |
Utilities | 1.17 | ··· | 1.13 | 1.17 | 1.15 | 1.06 | -7.9 | -9.5 |
Wholesale | 0.87 | ··· | 0.81 | 0.82 | 0.76 | 0.74 | -1.9 | -14.6 |
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.