Job openings, hiring rate, cost-per-hire, time-to-hire, AI recruiting adoption, and remote work share — every figure sourced from the BLS, SHRM, and named industry benchmarking reports.
Last updated July 20, 2026 · Data reflects the most recent BLS and SHRM releases available at time of publication
Every recruiting decision made in 2026 — how many reqs to open, how long a search should realistically take, whether to budget for an agency — depends on knowing where the labor market actually stands, not where it stood two years ago. The data below pulls from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ JOLTS and Employment Situation releases, SHRM’s benchmarking reports, and named third-party labor market research, so every number below can be traced back to a primary source rather than a recycled “average.”
The 2026 labor market snapshot
The headline story of 2026 is a market that looks stable on paper but is quietly slowing underneath. Job openings sat at roughly 7.6 million in May 2026, essentially unchanged from April, while the layoff rate ticked up only slightly to 1.1%. The quits rate — widely used as the best gauge of worker confidence — has held at or below 2% for nearly a year, well under the 3% peak of the 2022 Great Resignation. That matters because it signals employees aren’t voluntarily switching jobs, even with openings near recent highs.
Hiring itself has cooled more than openings suggest. June 2026 payrolls grew by just 57,000, missing consensus forecasts of roughly 115,000, with April and May combined revised down by 74,000. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2%, but largely because labor force participation fell to 61.5% — its lowest level since March 2021 — rather than because more people found jobs.
| Metric | Latest value | Trend | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings (JOLTS) | 7.6 million (May 2026) | Flat | BLS |
| Hires rate | 5.2 million total hires/month | Subdued | BLS / Indeed Hiring Lab |
| Quits rate | 1.9% | Low confidence | BLS |
| Layoffs rate | 1.1% | Stable | BLS |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2% (June 2026) | Slight decline | BLS Employment Situation |
| Nonfarm payroll growth | +57,000 (June 2026) | Below forecast | BLS |
| Labor force participation | 61.5% | 4-year low | BLS |
| Average hourly earnings growth | +3.5% year-over-year | Steady | BLS |
What this means for hiring teams: low quits plus flat openings means candidates are harder to pull out of current roles, even though headline vacancy numbers look healthy. Sourcing strategy matters more than posting volume right now.
Cost-per-hire and time-to-hire in 2026
Cost figures vary by source depending on whether vacancy cost and internal staff time are included, so we’ve listed the range rather than picking a single number. SHRM’s most-cited 2025/2026 benchmark puts non-executive cost-per-hire at $5,475 and executive cost-per-hire at $35,879 — nearly seven times higher. Other 2026 reports, using a narrower direct-spend definition, put the all-role average closer to $4,700–$4,800.
| Role level | Cost per hire | Typical time-to-fill |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | $1,500 – $3,000 | ~30 days |
| Mid-level | $4,700 – $8,000 | 42 – 44 days |
| Senior / specialized | $10,000 – $20,000 | 50 – 65 days |
| Executive | $14,900 – $35,879 | 65+ days |
Sources: SHRM 2025 Human Capital Benchmarking Report; Employ 2026 Recruiting Benchmarks Report. SHRM’s median time-to-fill figure improved from 67.7 days in 2025 to 63.5 days in 2026 across companies it tracks — small and mid-sized companies still run notably slower (83.5 days) than enterprise employers (51.7 days).
Why this matters: 57% of job seekers report losing interest in a role if the hiring process drags on too long (SHRM), and the U.S. Department of Labor estimates a bad hire can cost up to 30% of that employee’s first-year salary. Speed and accuracy compound — a CRM that keeps every candidate interaction organized reduces both. See how HireGen shortens time-to-hire ?
AI adoption in hiring
AI adoption numbers in recruiting swing wildly across reports — from the high 20s to the high 80s — mostly because sources define “using AI in hiring” differently. SHRM’s State of AI in HR 2026 report, which measures AI operationalized specifically inside the recruiting function, found adoption at 27% of organizations. Broader surveys that count any AI touchpoint anywhere in the hiring funnel report figures closer to 87–88%.
| Metric | Figure | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| AI adopted in the recruiting function specifically | 27% | SHRM State of AI in HR 2026 |
| Any AI use anywhere in hiring process | ~87% | Resume.org / industry surveys |
| HR professionals who personally use AI tools | 72% | HireVue 2025 survey |
| Recruiters planning to increase AI use in 2026 | 74–93% | Range across DemandSage, industry reports |
| Enterprise AI recruiting adoption (5,000+ employees) | ~60% | SHRM, by company size |
| Small company AI recruiting adoption (under 100 employees) | ~33% | SHRM, by company size |
| HR leaders reporting no significant business value yet from AI | 88% | Gartner, Oct. 2025 survey of 114 HR leaders |
The gap between adoption and reported value is the real story of 2026: installation has outpaced measurable impact, and adoption remains heavily concentrated among the largest employers.
Remote and hybrid hiring trends
Remote work’s share of new postings has settled well below its pandemic-era peak. Roughly 6% of new US job postings in 2026 are fully remote, while about 24% are hybrid — hybrid, not fully remote, is now the dominant flexible-work model. Technology, marketing, legal, and finance carry the highest share of flexible roles; healthcare, retail, and hospitality remain overwhelmingly on-site.
| Field | Fully on-site | Hybrid | Fully remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology | 74% | 18% | 8% |
| Marketing & creative | 70% | 21% | 9% |
| Legal | 72% | 23% | 5% |
| Finance & accounting | 76% | 19% | 5% |
| Human resources | 76% | 21% | 3% |
| Healthcare | 85% | 6% | 9% |
| Administrative & support | 87% | 8% | 5% |
Source: Robert Half analysis of US job postings (TalentNeuron), 2026 Salary Guide.
Industries hiring the most
Professional and business services has driven most of the recent growth in job openings, alongside continued gains in healthcare and social assistance. Leisure and hospitality, by contrast, shed jobs in June 2026, which BLS attributed to weaker-than-usual seasonal hiring rather than a structural decline.
| Sector | Payroll change |
|---|---|
| Private education & health services | +69,000 |
| Professional & business services | +36,000 |
| Social assistance | +25,000 |
| Healthcare | +22,000 |
| Government | +8,000 |
| Leisure & hospitality | ?61,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Situation Summary, June 2026.
Hiring in a slower, choosier market takes better tools, not just more effort
HireGen centralizes sourcing, pipeline tracking, and interview scheduling so your team can move faster than the 44-day national average — without adding headcount.
See HireGen pricingFrequently asked questions
The BLS JOLTS survey put US job openings at roughly 7.6 million as of May 2026, little changed from April. Openings have been essentially flat for several months even as actual hiring has slowed.
SHRM’s benchmarking puts average time-to-hire around 42–44 days in 2026. Employ’s Recruiting Benchmarks Report separately found median time-to-fill fell from about 68 days in 2025 to roughly 63.5 days in 2026 among tracked companies — figures vary by methodology and company size.
SHRM’s most cited figure is $5,475 for non-executive roles and $35,879 for executive roles. Other 2026 reports, using a narrower direct-cost definition, place the all-role average closer to $4,700–$4,800.
It depends on the definition. SHRM’s State of AI in HR 2026 found AI adopted specifically within the recruiting function at about 27% of organizations, while broader surveys counting any AI touchpoint report figures in the high 80s. Adoption is concentrated among the largest employers.
Yes, hiring has cooled noticeably. June 2026 payrolls grew by just 57,000, well below consensus, and the quits rate has held at or below 2% for nearly a year — a sign that both hiring and voluntary job-switching have slowed even as layoffs remain low.
Fully remote postings make up roughly 6% of new US job listings in 2026, with hybrid postings around 24%. Technology, marketing, legal, and finance carry the highest share of flexible roles, while healthcare, retail, and hospitality remain overwhelmingly on-site.
Sources and further reading
- JOLTS — Job Openings and Labor Turnover SurveyU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Employment Situation Summary, June 2026U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 2025/2026 Human Capital Benchmarking ReportSHRM
- 2026 Recruiting Benchmarks ReportEmploy
- State of AI in HR 2026SHRM
- 2026 Salary Guide — Remote & Hybrid TrendsRobert Half
- May 2026 JOLTS Report AnalysisIndeed Hiring Lab
Figures are current as of publication and will shift as new monthly BLS and quarterly SHRM releases come out. Revisit this page for updated numbers rather than relying on cached values.
Explore more on HireGen
See how the leading platforms compare on price, features, and fit.
A plain-language guide to AI-driven sourcing, screening, and scheduling.
Pipeline tracking, scheduling, and reporting built for faster hiring.
Plans for teams hiring at any volume, with transparent per-seat pricing.
Want this data broken down for your industry?
Talk to the HireGen team about benchmarking your hiring speed and cost against 2026 national averages.
Book a walkthrough
Leave a Reply