Economy
The U.S. job market looks like it went back to normal. It didn’t.
Six years on, total online job postings sit just 2% above their February 2020 level — but the mix has been turned inside out. Demand for screen-based work has collapsed, while hands-on, care and infrastructure work has boomed.
Overall U.S. job postings are close to their 2020 baseline, but the occupational composition has changed dramatically — care, health and hands-on roles are up sharply while screen-based work has fallen.
Key findings
- Physicians & surgeons lead the gains, with postings up 83% versus February 2020.
- Screen-based work fell the most: Data & Analytics −40%, IT Infrastructure & Support −30%, Software Development −26%.
- Care, health and engineering roles boomed — personal care & home health +47%, mechanical engineering +54%.
- Despite the churn, total postings ended just about 2% above their pre-pandemic baseline.
Explore the data
Coverage: Feb 1, 2020 – Aug 7, 2026 · United States
Sources
Primary source
Indeed Hiring Lab
Indeed
Indeed Job Postings Index (United States)
Published Aug 7, 2026 · Accessed Aug 14, 2026
41 occupational sectors, seasonally adjusted, 7-day trailing average, indexed to 1 February 2020 = 100.
Methodology
Based on the Indeed Hiring Lab Job Postings Index for the United States, seasonally adjusted and shown as a 7-day trailing average, indexed to 1 February 2020 = 100. Change is measured for each of 41 occupational sectors through 7 August 2026.
What this does not show
Job postings measure hiring demand, not employment. A posting can be reposted, filled quickly, or never filled — so these figures reflect what employers are advertising for, not the number of people hired or currently working.
Creator
Reuse this visualization
Embed code
<figure style="margin:0;max-width:1480px">
<a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/us-job-market-back-to-normal-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
<img src="https://chartive.org/infographics/us-job-market-2020-2026.png" alt="Diverging bar chart of the change in U.S. job postings by occupation since February 2020: physicians and surgeons up 83%, data and analytics down 40%." width="1480" height="2039" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" />
</a>
<figcaption style="font:14px/1.4 system-ui,sans-serif;color:#57534e;margin-top:8px">
Graphic by Chartive Editorial, using data from Indeed Hiring Lab — via <a href="https://chartive.org/visualizations/us-job-market-back-to-normal-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chartive</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Reuse is welcome — the embed keeps a link back to the source.
