January 2026 Jobs Recap: Modest uptick in job market observed in January 2026

Key Takeaways:

• Labor Market Cooling: The U.S. labor market is showing signs of recovery with job listings increasing by 1.4% month-over-month but declining by 12.1% year-over-year in January 2026, reflecting major changes in structural labor demand. 

• Broad-Based Industry Gains: Growth in job listings occurred across nearly all industries, with Finance and Insurance seeing the largest increase (+9.4k) likely due to changing regulatory requirements and pent-up demand.  

• Major Occupation Gains: Management occupations had the largest gains (+15.7k) alongside Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (+8.4k), and Architecture and Engineering (+7.6k). 

U.S. Job Listings by Month | January 2025 - January 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.

January 2026 saw the LinkUp 10,000 register 3,682,607 job listings, up by 1.4% from December. Year-over-year, however, the total remains noticeably below January 2025 levels, marking a 11.7% drop. The moderate growth in job listings indicates that U.S. employers are cautiously expanding job postings after several subdued quarters. 

Monthly LinkUp 10,000 | January 2025 - January 2026

Jobs Data By Industry (NAICS)

Industries that experienced the largest gains in job openings last month:  

• Finance and Insurance (9.4k) 

• Manufacturing (7.7k) 

• Information (7k) 

• Public Administration (5.3k) 

• Construction (4.1k) 

January 2026 witnessed an increase in job openings across nearly all industries, driven by strategic and selective hiring following months of decline. Advances in technology—particularly in areas such as AI and automation could have spurred demand for specialized skills.

Job Listings by Industry (NAICS) | January 2026

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

Industry Spotlight: Finance and Insurance

The Finance and Insurance sector experienced an increase of 9.4k in January 2026 highlighting regulatory changes that are driving demand for professionals across banking, investment, and insurance services. Regulatory changes, along with the adoption of fintech, automation, and AI tools, are prompting firms to hire for specialized technology and analytics roles. 

Jobs Data By Occupation (O*NET)

Occupations in January, with largest gains: 

• Management (15.7k) 

• Installation, Maintenance, and Repair (8.4k) 

• Architecture and Engineering (7.6k) 

• Healthcare Support (7.3k) 

• Computer and Mathematical (7k) 

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) | January 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 January, the closed duration increased to 51.5 days, from 45.5 days in December as organizations exhibit high degree of diligence in closing open positions.  

Time to Fill By Month | January 2025 - January 2026

Jobs Data By State

During the month of January, most states in the U.S. saw an increase in job listings from December. The states that saw the largest increases: 

• Nevada (6.4%) 

• Delaware (5.3%) 

• Minnesota (4.3%) 

• Arkansas (4.2%) 

• Iowa (4.1%) 

Percent Change in Active Job Listings by State (Month-Over-Month) | January 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.