Job Activity: August 2026
Posted by EDI Staffing on September 17, 2026
As a smaller, relationship-driven agency, we prioritize transparency with our clients, candidates, and internal team. Sharing these monthly insights is one way we keep everyone informed on where hiring demand is strongest and how the market is evolving in real time.
August brought small adjustments in hiring demand across states, industries, and departments we’ve recruited in, as well as the types of candidates and skills employers are seeking.
Here’s a deeper look at our activity in August:
Top States
Recruitment spanned across 15 states last month, with PA, NY, and MN having the most demand for our recruiters…
- PA 23%
- NY 13%
- MN 10%
- NC 10%
- MA 8%
- TX 8%
- CA 5%
- MD 5%
- TN 5%
- AL, CO, GA, MI, MT, NH: Less than 3% each
Remote Flexibility
We saw a 9% increase in on-site work in August…
- On-site: 53%
- Hybrid: 18%
- Remote: 30%
Industry Breakdown
Manufacturing and retail continued to lead efforts last month; we also saw an uptick in the healthcare industry needing contract and permanent staff.
- Manufacturing & Industrial 28%
- Retail & Consumer Goods 25%
- Supply Chain & Logistics 15%
- Healthcare 8%
- Energy / Utilities 5%
- IT / Technology 5%
- Engineering / Architecture 5%
- Marketing / Media 5%
- Automotive 3%
- Food & Beverage 3%
Top 10 Skills
EDI continued to be our #1 sought-after skill month over month. We also saw our clients demanding specific experience in manufacturing and engineering…
- EDI
- ERP
- Manufacturing
- Engineering
- IT Systems
- Oracle
- SQL
- CAD
- POS
- Acumatica
Hiring by Department
After a big change in July, hiring activity saw little change across department efforts in August. Our biggest jump was a 20% increase in hiring across HR, recruiting, and sales…
- IT 33%
- HR/REC/Sales 25%
- EDI 20%
- Engineering 13%
- FIN/ADM 8%
- MANF/WARE 3%
Takeaway
On the technology side, EDI and ERP continued to lead the way, with demand also extending into Oracle, SQL, IT systems, CAD, POS, and Acumatica. The combination of technical and industry-specific skills we’re seeing suggests that companies aren’t simply looking to add people — they’re looking for candidates who can step into their existing systems and operations and contribute quickly. And while on-site work became more common in August, 48% of opportunities still offered either remote or hybrid flexibility, showing that workplace flexibility remains an important part of today’s hiring landscape.
Looking to better understand how these shifts affect your specific niche? We’re always happy to share a deeper dive into what we’re seeing. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to chat about these trends or where we see the market heading next.
Get in touch with our team here.