Job Activity: July 2026
Posted by EDI Staffing on August 14, 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.
At a glance, July brought a noticeable shift in hiring priorities. Retail & Consumer Goods took the lead across industries, while IT and EDI roles saw a significant increase in demand, together accounting for more than three-quarters of department-level hiring activity. We also saw more flexibility in where candidates work, with on-site opportunities declining 15% from June as hybrid and remote roles gained ground. Meanwhile, EDI continued to remain our most in-demand skill, alongside the growing search for manufacturing, retail, cloud, ERP, and automation expertise.
Here’s a deeper look at our July activity:
Top States
Recruitment spanned across 17 states last month, with NJ, NY, and NC taking the lead over PA and CA…
- NJ 23%
- NY 16%
- NC 9%
- PA 9%
- CA 5%
- MA 5%
- MD 5%
- TX 5%
- WA 5%
- AL, CO, GA, IL, KS, MN, NH, VA: 2% per
Remote Flexibility
There was a 15% dip in on-site work in July…
- On-site: 44%
- Hybrid: 30%
- Remote: 26%
Industry Breakdown
Retail and consumer goods industry led efforts for July…
- Retail & Consumer Goods 30%
- Manufacturing & Industrial 23%
- Automotive 16%
- Food & Beverage 9%
- Healthcare 7%
- Professional Services 5%
- Marketing / Media 5%
- IT / Technology 2%
- Supply Chain & Logistics 2%
Top 10 Skills
EDI continued to be our #1 sought-after skill month over month. We also saw our clients demanding specific industry experience in manufacturing and retail…
- EDI
- Manufacturing
- BlueCherry
- Retail
- AWS
- ERP
- Gentran
- Azure
- Electronics
- Automation
Hiring by Department
There was a big change across hiring departments in July. IT and EDI departments more than doubled their staffing needs…
- IT 47%
- EDI 30%
- FIN/ADM 9%
- HR/REC/Sales 5%
- MANF/WARE 5%
- Engineering 2%
- Supply Chain 2%
Takeaway
Last month’s hiring activity points to a market that is becoming a bit more specialized and technology-driven. After a strong month for finance and administrative hiring in June, demand shifted sharply toward IT and EDI teams seeking candidates with both technical expertise and industry-specific knowledge. The rise in retail, manufacturing, ERP, cloud, and automation skills suggests that companies are continuing to invest in the technology and systems that support their operations – even as they offer more flexibility in where that work gets done.
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.