Job Activity: December 2025
Posted by EDI Staffing on January 14, 2026
As a smaller, relationship-driven agency, we value transparency with our staff, clients, and candidates. It’s what builds trust and helps everyone move forward with confidence. That’s why we share these monthly reports – to provide a clear view of where we’re seeing the most job activity and where talent is making the biggest impact.
Happy New Year! Reflecting on last month, December brought a natural year-end shift in hiring activity. While overall volume softened, employers remained focused on filling critical roles and moving forward with projects that couldn’t wait for the new year. We saw demand become more selective and strategic, with companies prioritizing specialized skill sets and planning for early 2026.
Here’s the job activity our team experienced during December:
Top States
Recruitment spanned 11 states last month, with NJ, PA, and MA showing the highest concentration of our team’s job activity…
- NJ: 35%
- PA: 16%
- MA: 8%
- NC: 8%
- NY: 8%
- CA: 5%
- IL: 5%
- VA: 5%
- CT: 3%
- OR: 3%
- WA: 3%
Remote Flexibility
December saw a drastic jump in on-site work, nearly doubling from last month (at 38%). This reflects a shift in employers prioritizing hands-on support for their production environments…
- On-site: 62%
- Hybrid: 30%
- Remote: 11%
Industry Breakdown
December hiring was led by the Manufacturing & Industrial industry, with Retail & Consumer Goods as a strong runner-up. While IT remained the leading department for hiring activity, many roles in December were tied to supporting manufacturing operations rather than standalone IT initiatives…
- Manufacturing & Industrial: 30%
- Retail & Consumer Goods: 24%
- Healthcare: 16%
- Food & Bev: 14%
- Supply Chain & Logistics: 11%
- IT: 5%
Top 10 Skills
The most sought-after skills by our clients continued to be largely technical and specialized…
- EDI
- SAP
- SQL
- Finance Skills
- Power BI
- HR
- Integration Platforms
- IT Security
- Manufacturing
- Project Management
Hiring by Department
Our team saw the most activity across IT teams in December….
- IT: 46%
- EDI: 16%
- FIN/ADM: 14%
- MANF/WAR: 14%
- HR/REC/Sales: 11%
Takeaway
As companies prepare for early-2026 initiatives, hiring remains selective, with an emphasis on on-site support and specialized skills. As planning turns into execution, we’re optimistic that January will bring clearer timelines and renewed hiring activity.
Looking to find work or hire talent? Get in touch with our team here.