LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | August 2026
Published on August 13, 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 July 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
Hiring holds steady this summer. Across all industries, U.S. hiring was virtually unchanged (+0.2%) from June to July. Year-over-year, hiring was 7.6% lower in July 2026 compared to last July. The LinkedIn Hiring Rate is now down 8% from the start of the year and 26% below its pre-pandemic (February 2020) pace. Overall, hiring has been volatile in recent months, gaining ground in late spring before losing momentum in June and remaining flat this month, leaving hiring levels largely unchanged.
Hiring strength and weakness spread across industries. From June to July, hiring accelerated in 7 of 20 industries, led by Retail (+12.1%), Technology, Information and Media (+6.8%), and Administrative and Support Services (+6.2%). Compared to last year, hiring has slowed the least in Manufacturing (-0.3%), Farming, Ranching, Forestry (-0.5%), and Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage (-1.5%).
Hiring picks up across many metros. Hiring accelerated in 12 of the 20 metros tracked from June to July. Hiring accelerated the most in Minneapolis-St. Paul (+4.9%), Detroit (+4.5%), and Houston (+3.7%) and slowed the most in Cleveland (-7.0%), St. Louis (-5.8%), and Dallas-Fort Worth (-3.3%). Austin (-2.7%), Detroit (-4.0%), and the San Francisco Bay Area (-4.0%) have experienced the least slowdown since July 2025.
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 0.2% higher in July 2026 compared to last month June 2026. National hiring was 7.6% lower in July 2026 compared to last year July 2025.
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED HIRING
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in July 2026 were Retail (12.1% higher); Technology, Information and Media (6.8% higher); and Administrative and Support Services (6.2% higher).
Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through July 2026
Accommodation and Food Services
0.90
···
0.81
0.91
0.85
0.83
-2.7
-7.6
Administrative and Support Services
0.79
···
0.73
0.80
0.72
0.76
+6.2
-4.1
Construction
1.21
···
1.12
1.25
1.19
1.18
-0.6
-2.5
Consumer Services
1.10
···
1.04
1.06
1.01
1.00
-1.5
-9.3
Education
1.08
···
1.00
1.06
0.98
0.96
-1.8
-11
Entertainment Providers
0.91
···
0.83
0.89
0.83
0.80
-3
-11.7
Farming, Ranching, Forestry
0.92
···
0.94
0.96
0.91
0.92
+1
-0.5
Financial Services
0.99
···
0.94
0.98
0.88
0.89
+1.4
-9.5
Government Administration
0.93
···
0.84
0.91
0.86
0.84
-2.8
-10.3
Holding Companies
0.75
···
0.79
0.78
0.75
0.72
-4.5
-4
Hospitals and Health Care
1.08
···
0.96
1.03
0.97
0.94
-3.4
-13
Manufacturing
0.86
···
0.78
0.89
0.83
0.85
+2.8
-0.3
Oil, Gas, and Mining
0.86
···
0.70
0.87
0.78
0.75
-4.1
-12.7
Professional Services
0.84
···
0.79
0.83
0.76
0.80
+5.5
-5.3
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services
0.92
···
0.77
0.84
0.77
0.76
-0.3
-16.9
Retail
0.81
···
0.70
0.77
0.67
0.75
+12.1
-7.2
Technology, Information and Media
0.86
···
0.82
0.88
0.76
0.82
+6.8
-5.5
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage
0.97
···
0.89
1.00
0.97
0.96
-0.9
-1.5
Utilities
1.23
···
1.03
1.15
1.10
1.05
-3.9
-14.3
Wholesale
0.78
···
0.73
0.78
0.76
0.72
-5.9
-8.6
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.
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