The global job market experienced a positive shift in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, with job postings growing by 6,4% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), a sign of potential early stabilisation as companies cautiously resumed hiring following year-end slowdowns.
These are among the findings of the Job Analytics Database from GlobalData.
A new report, “Global Hiring Activity Trends & Signals – Q1 2026,” reveals that AI and Cloud were the top tech themes for Q1 2026, followed by Cybersecurity in new job postings. GenAI and Machine Learning were the top themes within AI.
The US and India posted the highest number of GenAI jobs.
Sherla Sriprada, business fundamentals analyst at GlobalData, says: “Job postings in the US grew by 6.3%, driven by strong hiring by domestic and European companies. In Canada, job postings increased by 13,4%, primarily driven by administrative and IT operations roles. Meanwhile, the UK experienced a decline in job postings, with entry-level opening dropping by 25,6%.”
In the banking & payments industry, job postings were driven by increased demand for roles in data/AI, payment operations, and sales.
The retail and technology industries continued to lead with the highest number of new job postings during the quarter. Job postings in the retail industry were led by hiring for digital, supply chain, and customer engagement roles, while technology job postings increased due to the sustained momentum of digital transformation initiatives.
Meanwhile, office productivity applications gained traction, followed by customer relationship management applications.
Sriprada concludes: “While the rise in job postings suggests that companies are gradually rebuilding their workforces, many remain cautious due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions and evolving trade-policy risks.”