Hiring Pulse

What's moving inU.S. hiring

Job postings, executive changes at public companies, job openings and AI adoption, taken straight from public sources. The page checks for new data twice a day and updates whenever a source publishes.

Last checked Nov 5, 2026, 7:45 AM EST.

Demand

Where hiring is heating up

Change in job postings on Indeed over the past year, by job family (Oct 30, 2026 compared with Oct 31, 2025).

Rising

  • Mechanical Engineering+44.8%
  • Industrial Engineering+40.5%
  • Electrical Engineering+34.6%
  • Software Development+23.8%
  • Scientific Research & Development+21.5%
  • Project Management+16.0%

Cooling

  • Dental-12.8%
  • Childcare-9.8%
  • Education & Instruction-8.9%
  • Social Science-7.1%
  • Medical Information-5.9%
  • Community & Social Service-4.7%

All U.S. postings, Indeed Job Postings Index (Feb 1, 2020 = 100). 47 job families compared. Source: Indeed Hiring Lab, Job Postings Index (CC BY 4.0).

Leadership

Executive and board changes at public companies

212

public companies filed changes to their board or top executives with the SEC in the week of Oct 26 to Nov 1, 2026.

Week by week

168
Sep 7
178
Sep 14
170
Sep 21
216
Sep 28
168
Oct 5
130
Oct 12
181
Oct 19
212
Oct 26

Most active industries that week

  • Banking, finance & real estate49
  • Manufacturing48
  • Tech, software & telecom34
  • Pharma & biotech25
  • Business & other services21
  • Retail & wholesale9

Counts companies with an original Form 8-K that includes Item 5.02 that week. Item 5.02 covers departures and appointments of directors and senior officers, and changes to their pay arrangements. Source: SEC EDGAR, Form 8-K filings (Item 5.02).

Labor market

Job openings and payrolls by industry

7.52 million jobs were open in September 2026 (4.5% of all jobs). Payrolls were up 496,000 jobs over the year to September 2026.

IndustryJob openingsSep 2026vs. a yearearlierPayroll jobs, 12-month changeto Sep 2026
All industries7.52 million+4.9%+496,000
Professional & business services1.31 million+3.4%+123,000
Health care & social assistance1.48 million+4.4%+520,400
Financial activities364,000-6.7%−107,000
Information116,000-2.5%−120,000
Manufacturing584,000+50.1%+40,000
Construction298,000+44.7%+109,000
Retail trade698,000+18.7%+26,500
Leisure & hospitality779,000-32.4%+62,000

Seasonally adjusted. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS and Current Employment Statistics.

AI at work

How AI is changing the work

24.6%

of U.S. businesses used AI in the last two weeks.

Census survey, October 2026. Up from 17.3% in November 2025, when the current question began.

7.3%

of U.S. job postings mention AI.

Indeed, Sep 30, 2026. A year earlier: 3.7%.

95.7%

of businesses using AI kept their headcount the same.

Census, November 2025 to February 2026. 2.0% reduced headcount and 2.3% increased it.

Businesses using AI, by industry

Average of the latest 3 Census surveys.

  • Information48.5%
  • Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services43.5%
  • Finance and Insurance40.5%
  • Educational Services34.4%
  • Manufacturing21.1%
  • Retail Trade17.3%

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About the data

Figures are shown exactly as each source publishes them; Eklabre doesn't adjust or model them. Indeed data is updated about weekly, the Census survey every two weeks, BLS figures monthly and SEC filings daily.