---
title: "Is US Hiring Slowing Down in 2026?"
description: "US job listings dropped 9.1% in the week of 29 Jun-6 Jul 2026, and the BLS June 2026 report showed only 57,000 payrolls added vs 115,000 expected. Two independent data sources pointing the same way."
canonical: "https://mortit.com/blog/is-us-hiring-slowing-down-2026"
---
Insights

# Is US Hiring Slowing Down in 2026?

US listings fell 9.1% in the July 4 week and BLS reported only 57,000 June payrolls vs 115,000 expected. Two independent data sources, same signal.

7 min read Updated July 2026

By [Arash Abdollahi](https://mortit.com/about), Founder Published by [MORT](https://mortit.com/) Updated July 2026

TL;DR

**US job listings dropped from 51,164 to 46,516 (-9.1%) in the week of 29 Jun-6 Jul 2026, and the total market fell below 100,000 for the first time (99,035).** Independently, the BLS June 2026 report showed only 57,000 payrolls added vs 115,000 expected. The US is still 1.2% above its mid-June baseline - this is a slowdown from peak, not a reversal. Europe is partially recovering: the Netherlands is up 14.1% week-on-week, Germany up 5.7%, France up 3.8%.

## What MORT's ATS data shows this week

Country totals in MORT's data come from the full feed - not a sample - which makes them the most stable and comparable figure week to week. In the 7-day window ending 6 July 2026, the US posted **46,516 new listings**, down from last week's peak of 51,164. That is a drop of 4,648 listings (-9.1% week-on-week), the sharpest single-week decline in the tracking window.

Context matters for that number. The US is still 1.2% above the mid-June baseline of 45,986, which means this week represents a pullback from a recent high, not a reversal of the broader trend. The six-week US trajectory now reads: 45,986 (baseline), 49,039, 49,325, 49,330, 51,164, 46,516.

Total listings across all tracked markets fell to 99,035 - the first run below 100,000 across seven weeks of data (prior weeks ranged from 101,782 to 104,795).

| Country | Week of 29 Jun-6 Jul | Week of 22-29 Jun | Change WoW | vs Baseline (17-24 Jun) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **United States** | **46,516** | 51,164 | \-4,648 (-9.1%) | +530 (+1.2%) |
| United Kingdom | 7,108 | 7,634 | \-526 (-6.9%) | \-3,099 (-30.4%) |
| Germany | 4,678 | 4,424 | +254 (+5.7%) | \-171 (-3.5%) |
| France | 4,180 | 4,026 | +154 (+3.8%) | +54 (+1.3%) |
| Canada | 3,083 | 3,546 | \-463 (-13.1%) | \-323 (-9.5%) |
| India | 2,795 | 2,853 | \-58 (-2.0%) | \-184 (-6.2%) |
| Netherlands | 2,405 | 2,107 | +298 (+14.1%) | +345 (+16.7%) |
| Australia | 1,579 | 1,504 | +75 (+5.0%) | +45 (+2.9%) |
| Spain | 1,475 | 1,459 | +16 (+1.1%) | +92 (+6.7%) |
| Ireland | 577 | 544 | +33 (+6.1%) | \-62 (-9.7%) |

Source: MORT ATS feed, full-feed counts (not a sample) for each 7-day window. Baseline is week of 17-24 June 2026 (Run 1). Prior week is 22-29 June 2026 (Run 5). The 10-country total this week is 74,396.

## What the BLS June 2026 report shows

The [US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation for June 2026](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_07022026.htm), released July 2 (one day early due to the July 4 Friday holiday), reported **57,000 non-farm payrolls added** - sharply below the 115,000 consensus and the weakest monthly print in over a year. May's payroll count was revised down to 129,000 from an earlier reading, and April and May together were revised down by a combined 74,000.

The breakdown inside the June print matters. Leisure and hospitality shed 61,000 jobs - described as weaker than the usual seasonal hiring pattern for summer. The unemployment rate held at 4.2%, but the labour force participation rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 61.5%, the lowest reading since March 2021. Wage growth was 3.5% year-on-year, tracking below inflation for a third consecutive month.

The [JOLTS data for May 2026](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm) (the most recent available) showed 7.6 million job openings against 5.1 million actual hires - the openings-to-hires gap remains wide, which means many of the postings in MORT's feed reflect roles companies are still attempting to fill, not roles that closed.

## Two signals, one direction

MORT's ATS data and the BLS Employment Situation cover different things and are collected independently. MORT counts new job postings going live on company career pages (a leading indicator of hiring intent). The BLS counts actual payroll additions (a lagging indicator of hires completed). Both are pointing in the same direction this week.

The July 4 holiday explains part of the ATS drop. Companies routinely pause posting decisions around US public holidays, and July 4 fell on a Friday this year - meaning the long weekend covered the peak hiring-decision window of the work week. Canada, which closely tracks the US labour market, was also down 13.1% week-on-week in MORT's data.

But the BLS figure is harder to attribute entirely to a single holiday. A 57,000 payroll print against a 115,000 expectation is a large miss. The leisure and hospitality sector shed 61,000 jobs - the same sector that has been heavily represented in MORT's sample data over recent weeks (Domino's, AccorHotels, Guzman y Gomez). If that sector is shedding jobs in the official data while still posting new roles in the ATS feed, it points to high churn: companies replacing departures rather than adding net new headcount.

Indeed's [2026 US hiring outlook](https://www.hiringlab.org/2025/11/20/indeed-2026-us-jobs-hiring-trends-report/) characterised the year as a "low-hire, low-fire" market - job postings have slid from more than 10% above pre-pandemic norms to barely above them. This week's data is consistent with that trajectory.

## The European shift

The previous week's angle post covered why [US postings were growing while Europe stalled](https://mortit.com/blog/why-are-us-job-postings-growing-2026). This week that picture partially flipped: the US pulled back while Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Australia all grew week-on-week.

The Netherlands is the most notable mover: up 14.1% week-on-week (2,405 listings vs 2,107) and now 16.7% above the mid-June baseline (2,060). Germany grew 5.7% week-on-week to 4,678. France grew 3.8% to 4,180. These are not large absolute numbers - the Netherlands is still one-nineteenth the size of the US in this data - but they represent the first consistent positive movement across continental European markets in this tracking window.

The UK continues its separate trajectory: down 6.9% week-on-week and 30.4% below the mid-June baseline. The UK decline has been consistent across every run and is corroborated externally. Germany and France are in a different position - down only modestly from baseline and now ticking back up.

## What stays consistent: Software Engineering at #1

Across six consecutive weekly samples with very different company compositions - from US-tech-dominated to hospitality-heavy to a mixed engineering/healthcare draw this week - Software Engineering has remained the top role category. This week it held at 11.7% of the 1,000-job sample, unchanged from last week and up from 9.7% (third place) at the mid-June baseline.

The consistency matters because it is the only signal that has not moved with sample composition. Hospitality, Healthcare, and Skilled Trades have swung by several percentage points depending on which companies appear in the weekly draw. Software Engineering has stayed between 11.2% and 12.7% across all five recent runs.

| Role category | This week | Last week | Baseline (17-24 Jun) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Software Engineering | **11.7%** | 11.7% | 9.7% |
| Business & Operations | 10.3% | 9.0% | 10.2% |
| Skilled Trades & Field Roles | 9.3% | 6.3% | 6.5% |
| Healthcare | 8.0% | 3.5% | 9.9% |
| Sales & Account Management | 6.5% | 7.2% | 7.6% |
| Hospitality & Retail | 6.5% | 6.9% | 4.2% |
| Finance, Legal & Compliance | 3.6% | 3.7% | 5.1% |

From a 1,000-job sample of the 7-day window. This week's sample is led by Domino's (66 jobs), Bosch Group (54), Midwest Express Clinic (31), and AccorHotels (22). Skilled Trades and Healthcare swings are company-concentration effects (Domino's and Midwest Clinic respectively), not real market moves. Software Engineering is the only category that has held stable across all six sample compositions.

## Salary data this week

Salary disclosure rate in the sample was 20% (200 jobs), up from 14% last week. The USD median was $70,393-$75,000 (n=174) - a mid-range reading that reflects a more mixed company composition this week (Bosch engineering plus Domino's food service plus Midwest Express Clinic healthcare). EUR had only 16 disclosures, below the n=20 reporting threshold; GBP and AUD had 2 each. Currencies are reported separately, never blended.

For context on tech-sector US salaries: the most recent tech-heavy sample (week of 19-26 Jun, dominated by Software Engineering roles) showed a USD median of $94,000-$120,000. This week's $70,393-$75,000 reflects the mixed composition rather than a real wage move.

## What this means for job seekers

A 9.1% week-on-week drop in US listings is notable but not an alarm. The US is still above its mid-June baseline, and a single holiday-week reading is not a trend. The BLS print is harder to dismiss: 57,000 vs 115,000 expected is a large miss and it covers the full month of June, not just a single holiday week. If July's payroll figure (due early August) also comes in below trend, that will be a clearer signal of sustained softening.

For job seekers in the US, the practical implication is that the market was absorbing fewer completed hires than expected even before the July 4 posting drop. The JOLTS data shows 7.6 million open roles against 5.1 million actual hires per month - a persistent gap that means competition per role remains high even in a growing market. In a market that is cooling, fit and timing matter more than volume: [applying in the first 24 hours of a posting is associated with 8x higher interview odds](https://mortit.com/blog/why-applying-early-gets-you-hired), and that advantage compounds in a tighter market.

For job seekers in Germany, France, and the Netherlands, this week's data is a mild positive: all three markets grew week-on-week for the first time in the tracking window. Whether that reflects genuine recovery or statistical noise in a small dataset will be clearer over the next two to three runs.

MORT is an AI job-matching platform that scans thousands of company career pages, scores every job 0-100% for compatibility with your skills and experience, and generates a tailored resume for each application. In a market where both the number of new listings and the pace of completed hires are slowing, targeting the roles where your fit score is highest is the most direct lever you control.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is US hiring slowing down in 2026?

Two independent data sources point in the same direction for July 2026. MORT's ATS-indexed feed shows US listings fell from 51,164 (week of 22-29 Jun) to 46,516 (week of 29 Jun-6 Jul), a drop of 9.1% week-on-week. The US is still 1.2% above the mid-June baseline of 45,986, so this is a slowdown from the recent peak rather than a reversal. The [BLS June 2026 Employment Situation](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_07022026.htm) reported only 57,000 non-farm payrolls added - well below the 115,000 consensus - with leisure and hospitality shedding 61,000 jobs.

### What did the June 2026 jobs report show?

The BLS June 2026 report (released July 2) showed 57,000 non-farm payrolls added - the weakest monthly print in over a year and sharply below the 115,000 consensus. Leisure and hospitality shed 61,000 jobs. The unemployment rate held at 4.2%, but labour force participation fell to 61.5% (lowest since March 2021). April and May payrolls were revised down a combined 74,000. Wage growth was 3.5% year-on-year.

### Why did US job postings drop in July 2026?

Two factors combined. The July 4 public holiday (falling on a Friday this year) typically suppresses new posting activity around the long weekend. But the BLS June print - covering the entire month of June, not just the holiday week - also showed a sharp miss vs expectations (57,000 vs 115,000). Leisure and hospitality directly shed 61,000 jobs, which is the sector most represented in recent MORT sample draws. MORT's full-feed US count fell from 51,164 to 46,516 (-9.1%), consistent with both the holiday effect and the softer underlying labour market.

### Which countries are seeing hiring growth in July 2026?

In MORT's full-feed data for 29 Jun-6 Jul 2026, the Netherlands was the biggest week-on-week gainer at +14.1% (2,405 listings vs 2,107 the prior week), now +16.7% above the mid-June baseline. Germany grew +5.7% week-on-week (4,678). France grew +3.8% (4,180). Australia grew +5.0% (1,579). These are the first consistent positive moves across continental European markets in this tracking window.

## Find the best-fit roles before the competition does

MORT is an AI job-matching platform that scans thousands of company career pages, scores every job 0-100% for compatibility with your skills and experience, and generates a tailored resume for each application. In a market where hiring is slowing and competition per role is rising, applying to the right roles - not just more roles - is what moves your search forward.

[Start Free](https://app.mortit.com/signup) [How AI Job Matching Works](https://mortit.com/features/ai-job-matching)

## Related Resources

### [MORT Job Market Report](https://mortit.com/blog/job-market-report)

Weekly hiring data: role mix, country totals, remote share, and salary ranges per currency

### [Why Are US Job Postings Growing While Europe Stalls in 2026?](https://mortit.com/blog/why-are-us-job-postings-growing-2026)

Last week's angle: US at 51,164 new listings, driving 67% of all week-on-week growth

### [Are Software Engineering Jobs Growing in 2026?](https://mortit.com/blog/are-software-engineering-jobs-growing-2026)

SWE at #1 for six consecutive weeks - what is driving the sustained tech demand signal

### [Why the First 24 Hours of a Job Posting Are the Only Ones That Matter](https://mortit.com/blog/why-applying-early-gets-you-hired)

8x interview odds in the first 24 hours - the data and how to always be early

## Sources

-   MORT Job Market Data, week of 29 Jun-6 Jul 2026 (MORT ATS feed, `scripts/market-report-fetch.mjs`) - proprietary full-feed data; country totals from the full feed, role and salary figures from 1,000-job sample
-   US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary - June 2026: [bls.gov](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_07022026.htm)
-   US Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (May 2026): [bls.gov](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm)
-   CNBC, "June 2026 jobs report: US adds just 57,000 jobs" (July 2, 2026): [cnbc.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/02/jobs-report-june-2026-.html)
-   Indeed Hiring Lab, "2026 US Jobs & Hiring Trends Report": [hiringlab.org](https://www.hiringlab.org/2025/11/20/indeed-2026-us-jobs-hiring-trends-report/)