INTRO
Aspen Tech Labs, Inc.
THE DATA
Job postings in this report are sourced exclusively from direct employer career websites and are collected and updated on a daily basis. As of Q2 2026, posts from recruitment agencies are excluded from all trends unless indicated otherwise. While the dataset is not exhaustive of all job postings in the U.S., it captures a substantial share of employer hiring activity and is designed to reflect changes in hiring demand over time.
Salary data reflects advertised compensation extracted directly from job listings and may not represent final offers. Figures are normalized across hourly, weekly, monthly, and annual pay rates. Wage changes reflect aggregate trends across postings and do not imply changes within identical roles at the same employer.
Job counts represent unique active job postings per month, unless otherwise identified. Listings are deduplicated and refreshed regularly to reflect current market availability, helping ensure the data captures active hiring intent rather than reposted or stale listings. To focus on underlying job market trends, the analysis excludes employer additions or removals resulting solely from improvements to Aspen's data coverage. This helps ensure reported changes reflect real shifts in hiring activity rather than database expansion or methodological updates.
GOVERNMENT DATA
May JOLTS data showed job openings at 7.6 million, up 3.9% year over year and the highest level since May 2024, though April's figure was revised down 33,000 to match. Hires held steady at 5.2 million and quits were little changed at 3.1 million, keeping the quits rate at 1.9%. There were roughly 1.04 openings per unemployed worker, the highest ratio since January 2025.
Timing is the other constraint with government data. The BLS monthly payroll report arrives with only a short lag but, as the revisions above show, keeps getting rewritten for months afterward. JOLTS lags further still: June data won't be released until early August, meaning the openings figures above are already a full cycle behind the posting data in the sections that follow.
JOB POSTING SUMMARY
Location Breakdown
The state-level picture pointed to generally positive hiring momentum, although the pace of growth varied considerably across the country. Most states reported more job postings than a year earlier, led by Washington, DC (+11.5%), Wisconsin (+7.4%), and Idaho (+6.7%).
A small group of states moved in the opposite direction, with New Mexico recording the largest year-over-year decline (-3.9%), followed by New Jersey (-2.6%), Maine (-0.9%), and North Dakota (-0.8%)
| Metro | Number of Job Postings | QoQ % Change | YoY % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 295,833 | -0.6% | 2.2% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 173,856 | -0.6% | 2.9% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 173,752 | 5.3% | 9.3% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 169,715 | -0.9% | 1.5% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 157,415 | 3.2% | 7.6% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 130,561 | 0.4% | 5.2% |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 126,480 | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 121,484 | 0.6% | 3.3% |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 114,170 | -0.4% | 0.0% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 100,928 | 0.2% | 6.0% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 94,182 | -3.3% | 0.6% |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 88,669 | -2.2% | 5.8% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 77,109 | 1.4% | 5.9% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 73,949 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 70,038 | -0.4% | 2.0% |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 66,721 | 1.4% | 1.7% |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 66,328 | 3.5% | 8.8% |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 65,106 | 4.4% | -0.9% |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 64,294 | 2.2% | 8.0% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 62,879 | -0.6% | 3.2% |
Categories Breakdown
| Job Category | Number of Job Postings | QoQ % Change | YoY % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants | 782,468 | -2.6% | -2.3% |
| Retail | 724,553 | 3.6% | 1.2% |
| Healthcare | 586,779 | 0.6% | 3.1% |
| Nursing | 517,722 | -1.4% | 1.1% |
| Education | 356,632 | 13.9% | -3.0% |
| Business Services | 283,306 | 0.5% | 10.4% |
| Sales | 248,585 | -1.0% | -2.7% |
| Maintenance | 223,931 | 0.8% | 5.5% |
| Transportation | 212,259 | 4.2% | 8.9% |
| Information Technology | 188,711 | 0.3% | 15.1% |
| Production | 168,469 | 5.4% | 11.4% |
| Warehouse | 153,942 | 5.7% | 13.6% |
| Engineering | 140,151 | -0.9% | 20.7% |
| Administrative Support | 112,863 | -3.7% | 3.7% |
| Hotels | 100,838 | 1.9% | 3.4% |
| Pharmacy | 80,120 | 9.4% | 10.2% |
| Security | 75,782 | 0.5% | 7.4% |
| Construction | 63,960 | 0.3% | 9.5% |
| Banking | 63,699 | 1.2% | 2.7% |
| Creative | 53,066 | 1.3% | 3.6% |
| Finance | 46,153 | -1.2% | 7.4% |
| Accounting* | 44,399 | -34.1% | -5.5% |
| Marketing | 42,493 | -8.8% | -1.6% |
| Personal Service | 32,474 | -7.3% | -7.4% |
| Human Resources | 31,796 | 1.2% | 15.7% |
| Science | 30,333 | 7.0% | 14.0% |
| Legal | 25,175 | 0.8% | 8.3% |
| Dental | 24,840 | 3.1% | 10.8% |
| Veterinary | 23,953 | 2.9% | 14.8% |
| Insurance | 16,495 | -8.6% | -13.5% |
Across broader segments, white-collar roles posted the strongest year-over-year growth at +6.3%, driven largely by gains in IT, Business Services, and Engineering. Blue-collar demand grew 2.7% year over year, supported by Warehouse, Transportation, and Production. Healthcare expanded 2.8% year over year, though the picture within the sector was uneven: clinical nursing roles grew modestly while broader healthcare postings accelerated. All three segments posted small quarterly gains, suggesting the Q2 recovery was broad-based rather than concentrated in any single part of the market.
World Economic Forum · Future of Jobs 2030
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report projects which occupations will shrink or grow as AI reshapes work through 2030. Roles like cashiers, data entry clerks, and designers face the most direct automation pressure; social workers, civil engineers, and agricultural workers are being transformed by AI but still require a human in the loop; and roles like AI specialists, DevOps engineers, analysts, and managers are growing as they build and maintain the infrastructure AI runs on. That shift is already visible in this quarter's vacancy data.Remote Jobs
Remote roles accounted for 3.4% of all active vacancies in June 2026, essentially unchanged from a year earlier — remote hiring has kept pace with the broader market rather than gaining share. In absolute terms, remote postings totaled 216,221 in June, up 3.3% year over year, but down 14.2% from March's peak of 251,868 as the seasonal Q1 surge continued to unwind. Information Technology remained the most remote-friendly category, with 14.1% of all IT postings advertised as remote, followed by Marketing (12.3% of postings) and Business Services (10.5%).
Recruiting Agencies
SALARY INSIGHTS
| Title | Q2 2025 | Q2 2026 | YoY % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trades/Manual | |||
| Maintenance Technician | $51,282 | $53,040 | 3.4% |
| Production Worker | $43,680 | $44,720 | 2.4% |
| Electrician | $71,490 | $74,994 | 4.9% |
| Service/Frontline | |||
| Retail Associate | $16.73/h | $17.26/h | 3.2% |
| Customer Service Representative | $18.27/h | $19.00/h | 4.0% |
| Cook | $17.50/h | $18.50/h | 5.7% |
| Professional | |||
| Software Developer | $145,600 | $142,480 | -2.1% |
| Project Manager | $110,001 | $112,507 | 2.3% |
| Administrative Assistant | $46,758 | $48,100 | 2.9% |
| Healthcare | |||
| Certified Nurse Assistant | $20.50/h | $20.95/h | 2.2% |
| Physician | $299,998 | $290,534 | -3.2% |
| Registered Nurse | $102,440 | $106,080 | 3.6% |
WASHINGTON METRO OVERVIEW
The Washington metropolitan area (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV) recorded 157,415 job postings in June 2026, up 2.3% month over month and 7.6% year over year, reaching the highest level in the trailing 13-month period. After hiring slowed following federal government workforce reductions in 2025, postings bottomed out at 134,494 in November before rebounding steadily through the first half of 2026. Information Technology and Business Services led both in scale and growth, each exceeding 10,000 postings with year-over-year gains above 20%. Human Resources was the fastest-growing category overall, rising 41.8% year over year despite a relatively small base of 1,116 postings, while Pharmacy and Nursing recorded the steepest declines, down 16.4% and 6.1%, respectively.
| Job Category | Number of Job Postings | QoQ % Change | YoY % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology | 17,699 | 8.5% | 25.2% |
| Restaurants | 14,438 | -2.0% | -2.8% |
| Retail | 11,851 | 3.4% | -3.5% |
| Healthcare | 10,891 | 4.0% | 2.2% |
| Business Services | 10,639 | 6.4% | 21.3% |
| Education | 8,035 | 12.7% | -2.9% |
| Nursing | 7,381 | 3.8% | -6.1% |
| Engineering | 6,236 | 2.7% | 22.3% |
| Sales | 4,817 | -2.5% | -5.2% |
| Maintenance | 4,071 | -0.4% | 7.7% |
| Administrative Support | 3,673 | 0.1% | 4.7% |
| Security | 3,124 | 2.1% | 2.0% |
| Transportation | 3,056 | 6.0% | 15.4% |
| Warehouse | 2,312 | 9.4% | 11.4% |
| Hotels | 2,027 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| Production | 2,025 | 0.1% | 6.7% |
| Finance | 1,908 | 3.5% | 15.5% |
| Construction | 1,764 | 4.8% | 13.6% |
| Creative | 1,682 | 0.8% | 15.1% |
| Banking | 1,624 | 7.7% | 12.3% |
| Pharmacy | 1,561 | 9.2% | -16.4% |
| Accounting | 1,386 | -23.7% | 16.6% |
| Legal | 1,253 | 5.6% | 37.2% |
| Human Resources | 1,116 | 6.1% | 41.8% |
| Science | 1,098 | 14.0% | 25.1% |
| Marketing | 1,050 | -15.6% | 10.6% |
| Personal Service | 712 | 4.1% | 6.7% |
| Veterinary | 519 | -3.0% | -3.5% |
| Dental | 419 | 9.4% | 15.1% |
| Real Estate | 307 | -19.8% | 2.0% |
Government Job Postings
| Employer Name | Count | QoQ % Change | YoY % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Health Administration | 10,084 | 3.9% | 35.6% |
| Virginia Jobs | 6,773 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| StateJobsNY | 3,054 | -18.8% | -12.4% |
| City of New York | 2,942 | -16.3% | -46.3% |
| State of South Carolina | 2,328 | -2.9% | 34.3% |
| State of Missouri | 2,036 | -11.6% | -2.3% |
| California Correctional Health Care Services | 1,937 | 175.9% | 1,208.8% |
| State of North Carolina | 1,855 | -9.4% | -10.6% |
| Virginia Department of Human Resource Management | 1,772 | 3.3% | 4.6% |
| Texas Health and Human Services Commission | 1,768 | -8.7% | 7.9% |
GOOGLE FOR JOBS
Looking Ahead
Beyond the widget itself, a longer-term shift is worth watching. AI assistants — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude — are increasingly becoming a starting point for job seekers: summarizing roles, comparing options, and surfacing listings through web search integration. For now, this traffic is largely invisible to traditional job distribution analytics. But as these platforms mature, the question is not just whether AI overviews will compete with the Google for Jobs widget. It is whether AI companies will build their own job advertising products, introducing a new class of distribution channel that sits outside the current ecosystem entirely. We are watching this space closely.
Indeed and LinkedIn dominate Google for Jobs referral traffic for reasons that go beyond job board reach. Indeed holds the largest database of candidate resumes, making it a natural destination for job seekers regardless of where they start their search. LinkedIn benefits from its role as a professional network: company pages, follower relationships, and social proof pull users in organically, not just through job listings. Both platforms effectively operate as destination ecosystems rather than pure job boards, which gives them a structural advantage in Google for Jobs visibility. Indeed held the larger share through most of the past year, though LinkedIn closed the gap sharply in Q2, overtaking Indeed for the first time in this dataset at 20.0% vs. 19.0% in June.
| ATS | Share % |
|---|---|
| Paylocity | 2.3% |
| Smart Recruiters Jobs | 2.2% |
| Workday | 1.7% |
| Lever | 0.4% |
| Jobvite | 0.3% |
| Employer | Share % |
|---|---|
| Robert Half | 2.0% |
| Aerotek Jobs | 1.9% |
| Compass Group Careers | 0.9% |
| The Capital Grille | 0.9% |
| Allied Universal | 0.8% |
CONCLUSION
Key Takeaways
U.S. hiring demand returned to positive territory in Q2 2026, with job postings up 3.7% year over year and each month of the quarter outpacing its 2025 equivalent. The recovery was broad across geographies and job categories, though uneven in its depth: tech-adjacent metros led the rebound and white-collar hiring grew faster than the market overall, while healthcare hiring grew more slowly than the market and agency staffing volumes lagged the direct employer recovery, particularly in IT.
On the compensation side, advertised full-time salary growth of 6.1% year over year outpaced headline inflation, though the gains were concentrated in trades and frontline roles rather than spread evenly across the market. Salary transparency continued to expand, crossing 53% nationally and accelerating sharply in states where new disclosure laws took effect this year.
Taken together, the data points to a labor market that has stabilized and is growing again, but selectively. Employers are hiring with more precision than in prior years, and the categories and geographies showing the strongest momentum in Q2 are likely to remain the bellwethers heading into the second half of 2026.
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