LinkedIn Workforce Report | United States | September 2026
Published on September 18, 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 August 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 improved in August but remains slow. Across all industries, U.S. hiring rose 1.9% from July to August 2026. Compared with August 2025, hiring was 6.5% slower. The LinkedIn Hiring Rate is now down 6% from the start of the year and remains 25% below its pre-pandemic (February 2020) pace. While hiring improved mildly in August after a flat summer, overall hiring remains slow.
Hiring gains seen across a variety of industries. From July to August, hiring accelerated in 15 of 20 industries, led by Technology, Information and Media (+8.1%), Wholesale (+6.7%), and Entertainment Providers (+6.5%). Compared with a year ago, hiring is up in Construction (+4.8%), Manufacturing (+1.7%), and Technology, Information and Media (+0.5%). Meanwhile, hiring is down the most in Education (-12.4%), Hospitals and Health Care (-12.1%), and Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services (-9.9%). The slowdown in education and health care continues to weigh on job creation.
Hiring picked up across the Sun Belt. Hiring accelerated from July to August in 17 of the 20 metros tracked, led by Miami-Fort Lauderdale (+9.3%), Phoenix (+7.0%), and Austin (+5.3%). Compared with a year ago, hiring was up in Austin (+0.7%) and essentially unchanged in Phoenix (+0.2%) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale (-0.2%). Relative to February 2020, hiring has held up best in Miami, where it is down just 6%.
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 1.9% higher in August 2026 compared to last month July 2026. National hiring was 6.5% lower in August 2026 compared to last year August 2025.
SEASONALLY ADJUSTED HIRING
The industries with the most notable hiring shifts month-to-month in August 2026 were Technology, Information and Media (8.1% higher); Wholesale (6.7% higher); and Entertainment Providers (6.5% higher).
Table 1: Hiring on LinkedIn, by Industry, through August 2026
Accommodation and Food Services
0.91
···
0.91
0.85
0.83
0.87
+5.6
-4.5
Administrative and Support Services
0.79
···
0.80
0.72
0.76
0.76
+0
-3.6
Construction
1.21
···
1.25
1.19
1.18
1.24
+4.8
+2.7
Consumer Services
1.09
···
1.06
1.01
1.00
1.03
+2.9
-6
Education
1.09
···
1.06
0.98
0.96
0.96
-0.6
-12.4
Entertainment Providers
0.91
···
0.89
0.83
0.80
0.85
+6.5
-6.3
Farming, Ranching, Forestry
0.99
···
0.96
0.91
0.92
0.94
+2.3
-5.6
Financial Services
0.99
···
0.98
0.88
0.89
0.92
+2.9
-6.8
Government Administration
0.93
···
0.91
0.86
0.84
0.86
+3.1
-6.9
Holding Companies
0.76
···
0.78
0.75
0.72
0.66
-7.3
-12.1
Hospitals and Health Care
1.08
···
1.03
0.97
0.94
0.95
+1.2
-12.1
Manufacturing
0.85
···
0.89
0.83
0.85
0.87
+1.8
+1.7
Oil, Gas, and Mining
0.81
···
0.87
0.78
0.75
0.75
+1
-6.7
Professional Services
0.84
···
0.83
0.76
0.80
0.82
+2.9
-2.3
Real Estate and Equipment Rental Services
0.90
···
0.84
0.77
0.76
0.81
+6.4
-9.9
Retail
0.80
···
0.77
0.67
0.75
0.73
-3
-9.6
Technology, Information and Media
0.88
···
0.88
0.76
0.82
0.88
+8.1
+0.5
Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain and Storage
0.96
···
1.00
0.97
0.96
0.92
-3.8
-4.3
Utilities
1.16
···
1.15
1.10
1.05
1.10
+4.3
-5.4
Wholesale
0.76
···
0.78
0.76
0.72
0.77
+6.7
+0.2
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.
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