May 2026 Jobs Recap: U.S. Hiring Remains Volatile With Extended Decline in Job Listings

Key Takeaways:

• Slight decline in job listings: Active job listings saw a slight decline of 1% in May 2026, dropping to 4.06 million from 4.10 million in April, reflecting cautious hiring strategies by employers, and extension of slowdown notices in April. 

• Broad-based industry declines: Industries that saw a decline include Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (-3.5k), Public Administration (-2.3k), and Real Estate, and Rental and Leasing (-2k). However, Educational Services saw the largest increase (1.7k).  

• Major occupation drops: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical occupations experienced the largest drop (-12.5k) followed by Food Preparation and Serving Related (-5.6k), and Office and Administrative Support (-4.5k). 

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

May 2026 saw the LinkUp 10,000 register 3.8 million job listings, down by 1% from April. The job listings were also below May 2025 levels with a 5.3% year-over-year drop. The drop highlights a clear slowdown in U.S. hiring activity, as the broader labor market cools. Companies are becoming more cautious with their hiring strategies, increasingly opting for targeted, role-specific recruitment while scaling back on large-scale hiring as they reevaluate plans. 

Monthly LinkUp 10,000 | May 2025 - May 2026

Jobs Data By Industry (NAICS)

Industries that experienced the largest drops in job openings: 

• Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (-3.5k) 

• Public Administration (-2.3k) 

• Real Estate, and Rental and Leasing (-2k) 

Industries in May, with largest gains in job openings:  

• Educational Services (1.7k) 

• Construction (1.2k) 

Job Listings by Industry (NAICS) | May 2026

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

Industry Spotlight: Educational Services

The Educational Services sector saw an increase of 1.7k job openings in May 2026, was driven by increased federal and state funding for schools, a major initiative for corporate AI upskilling, and the early launch of summer program staffing. Growing adoption of EdTech solutions and intensified AI upskilling efforts led both schools and higher education institutions to recruit more instructional designers, technical trainers, and support staff. 

Jobs Data By Occupation (O*NET)

Occupations that experienced the largest gains in May: 

• Educational Instruction and Library (11.7k) 

• Sales and Related (1.4k) 

Occupations with largest drop: 

• Healthcare Practitioners and Technical (-12.5k) 

• Food Preparation and Serving Related (-5.6k) 

• Office and Administrative Support (-4.5k) 

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) | May 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 May, the closed duration rose to 51.1 days, from 43.4 days in April as organizations demonstrate increased diligence and selectivity in filling open positions.

Time to Fill By Month | May 2025 - May 2026

Jobs Data By State

During the month of May, 73% of the U.S. states saw a drop in job listings from April. The states that saw the largest decreases: 

• Delaware (-7.4%) 

• Rhode Island (-5.4%) 

• Washington, D.C. (-4.9%) 

The states with largest gains in May were: 

• Puerto Rico (4.2%) 

• New Mexico (2.3%) 

• Alabama (2.1%) 

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