LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | May 2026
With over 252 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 April 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:
Across all industries, U.S. hiring slowed 4.7% in April 2026 from March. And looking at year-over-year trends, hiring was 8.5% lower in April 2026 compared to April 2025. Rising energy prices amid new geopolitical conflict may be weighing on the labor market. The LinkedIn Hiring Rate is now down 9% year to date and 27% below its pre-pandemic (February 2020) pace.
From March to April, hiring decelerated in 19 of 20 industries, led by Oil, Gas, and Mining (–8.3%), Retail (–6.6%), and Wholesale (–6.2%). Year-over-year, hiring declined the least in Technology, Information, and Media (–4.7%) and Financial Services (–5.1%). However, hiring in both industries remain weak—down over 30%—relative to their pre‑pandemic (February 2020) pace.
Looking at month-over-month trends in April, hiring slowed in 19 of the 20 metros tracked. Phoenix was the only exception (+0.5%), while declines were smallest in the San Francisco Bay Area (–1.7%) and New York City (–2.0%). Year-over-year, hiring fell in all 20 metros, with the smallest declines in the San Francisco Bay Area (–3.5%), Austin (–5.2%) and New York City (–6.0%).
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 4.7% lower in April 2026 compared to last month March 2026. National hiring was 8.5% lower in April 2026 compared to last year April 2025.
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED HIRING
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in April 2026 were Farming, Ranching, Forestry (5% higher); Holding Companies (2.3% higher); and Financial Services (1.5% lower).
Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through April 2026
Industry | Apr-25 | ··· | Jan-26 | Feb-26 | Mar-26 | Apr-26 | MoM% Change | YoY% Change
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Accommodation and Food Services | 0.89 | ··· | 0.89 | 0.91 | 0.86 | 0.81 | -5.9 | -8.8 | |
Administrative and Support Services | 0.81 | ··· | 0.78 | 0.77 | 0.77 | 0.73 | -5 | -9.2 | |
Construction | 1.20 | ··· | 1.28 | 1.17 | 1.18 | 1.12 | -5.3 | -6.8 | |
Consumer Services | 1.12 | ··· | 1.09 | 1.09 | 1.08 | 1.04 | -3.2 | -6.7 | |
Education | 1.14 | ··· | 1.05 | 1.05 | 1.05 | 1.00 | -4.9 | -12.2 | |
Entertainment Providers | 0.91 | ··· | 0.89 | 0.86 | 0.88 | 0.83 | -5.5 | -8.9 | |
Farming, Ranching, Forestry | 1.06 | ··· | 0.89 | 0.86 | 0.90 | 0.94 | +5 | -11.3 | |
Financial Services | 0.98 | ··· | 1.02 | 1.01 | 0.95 | 0.94 | -1.5 | -4.7 | |
Government Administration | 0.96 | ··· | 0.87 | 0.87 | 0.88 | 0.84 | -3.9 | -12.5 | |
Holding Companies | 0.77 | ··· | 0.74 | 0.69 | 0.77 | 0.79 | +2.3 | +2.1 | |
Hospitals and Health Care | 1.08 | ··· | 1.05 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 0.96 | -4.3 | -11.5 | |
Manufacturing | 0.84 | ··· | 0.87 | 0.81 | 0.83 | 0.78 | -5.6 | -6.5 | |
Oil, Gas, and Mining | 0.86 | ··· | 0.81 | 0.77 | 0.77 | 0.70 | -8.3 | -18 | |
Professional Services | 0.85 | ··· | 0.85 | 0.83 | 0.82 | 0.79 | -3 | -6.9 | |
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services | 0.90 | ··· | 0.86 | 0.84 | 0.80 | 0.77 | -3.7 | -14.5 | |
Retail | 0.79 | ··· | 0.76 | 0.77 | 0.75 | 0.70 | -6.6 | -11.8 | |
Technology, Information and Media | 0.87 | ··· | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.87 | 0.82 | -5.9 | -5.1 | |
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage | 1.01 | ··· | 1.00 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 0.89 | -4.9 | -11.3 | |
Utilities | 1.13 | ··· | 1.15 | 1.06 | 1.09 | 1.03 | -5.7 | -9.6 | |
Wholesale | 0.77 | ··· | 0.76 | 0.74 | 0.78 | 0.73 | -6.2 | -5.2 |
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.