April 2026 Jobs Recap: U.S. job listings tumble again in April after March gains

Key Takeaways:

• Hiring momentum slowed: Active job listings saw a 3.2% drop in April 2026 to 4.09 million from 4.22 million in March, reflecting slower hiring due to ongoing economic uncertainties.   

• Broad-based industry declines: Information industry experienced a decline in job openings (-13.2k). 

• Major occupation drops: Food Preparation and Serving Related occupations experienced the largest drop (-25.6k) followed by Management (-23.1k), and Sales and Related (-22.9k). 

U.S. Job Listings by Month | April 2025 - April 2026

LinkUp 10,000

The LinkUp 10,000 is an analytic published daily and monthly that captures the total U.S. job openings from the 10,000 global employers in LinkUp’s jobs dataset with the most U.S. openings.

April 2026 saw the LinkUp 10,000 register 3.9 million job listings, down by 3.1% from March. The job listings were also below April 2025 levels with a 7.7% year-over-year drop. The decline reflected a marked slowdown in the U.S. labor demand, underscoring the persistent long-term volatility in the broader labor market. Ongoing geopolitical and trade policy uncertainties have caused many companies to slow down their hiring momentum. 

Monthly LinkUp 10,000 | April 2025 - April 2026

Jobs Data By Industry (NAICS)

Industries in April, with largest gains in job openings:  

• Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services (10.9k) 

• Public Administration (7.4k) 

• Educational Services (7.1k) 

Industries that experienced the largest drops in job openings: 

• Information (-13.2k) 

• Retail Trade (-7.1k) 

• Finance and Insurance (-2.1k) 

Job Listings by Industry (NAICS) | April 2026

This chart displays the change in job listings across various industries, categorized by NAICS codes.

Industry Spotlight: Information

The Information sector saw a decrease of 13.2k job openings in April 2026, driven by broad strategic shifts within the technology sector. These shifts include a strong emphasis on AI adoption and operational efficiency rather than workforce expansion. Major technology companies are prioritizing cost-cutting initiatives and organizational restructuring, reducing established positions to accelerate the implementation of artificial intelligence solutions. 

Jobs Data By Occupation (O*NET)

Occupations that experienced the largest gains in April: 

• Educational Instruction and Library (15.3k) 

• Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media (4.7k) 

• Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (2.5k) 

Occupations with largest drop: 

• Food Preparation and Serving Related (-25.6k) 

• Management (-23.1k) 

• Sales and Related (-22.9k) 

Note: Beginning with the October 2025 report, occupation analysis uses a new internally generated O*NET, so some occupation trends may not be strictly comparable to earlier months and minor inconsistencies can appear. 

Job Listings by Occupation (O*NET) | April 2026

This chart displays the change in job listings across various occupations, categorized by O*NET codes.

Closed Duration

Closed duration, or the average number of days job listings remain live on company websites before removal, tracks hiring velocity across the U.S. economy. As the average duration increases, hiring velocity slows.

In April, the closed duration dropped to 48 days, from 48.4 days in March.

Time to Fill By Month | April 2025 - April 2026

Jobs Data By State

During the month of April, 90% of the U.S. saw a drop in job listings from March. The states that saw the largest decreases: 

• Mississippi (-7.7%) 

• Iowa (-7.3%) 

• West Virginia (-6.7%) 

The states with largest gains in April were: 

• South Carolina (2.2%) 

• Rhode Island (1.8%) 

• Idaho (1.3%) 

Percent Change in Active Job Listings by State (Month-Over-Month) | April 2026

DATA DISCLAIMERS

LinkUp’s monthly data recaps incorporate revisions to previously-reported monthly data with the purpose of reporting the most accurate and up-to-date data points. For more information on what circumstances may impact data revisions, visit our Data Support Center.