All Eight Major Industries Reported Job Gains Worldwide in September, Here Is Where Hiring Is Strongest

Globally, job gains in September were the highest since May 2023, and September marked the first time in over three years that all eight major industries recorded higher employment, in worldwide purchasing managers' survey data compiled by S&P Global with J.P. Morgan. Employment varied markedly by region, with strong job gains in the US alongside robust increases in India and Japan, while jobs were cut in the UK, Australia, Canada, Russia and Brazil. For Metaintro readers deciding where to aim a job search, the sections below set out which countries and sectors added staff in September and which cut them.

What Did the September Surveys Show About Global Hiring?

The global PMI Employment Index rose to its highest since May 2023, signalling net job gains for a third successive month, and the rate of job creation accelerated throughout that period. That contrasts with the largely stalled or falling employment seen in the first six months of the year.

The past two months have seen the strongest global job gains since the second quarter of 2023, with factories and service firms both contributing.

• Manufacturing payrolls rose worldwide at a pace not seen since May 2022.
• Service sector payroll growth hit its highest since June 2023.

PMI surveys are built from the answers of business executives, since the monthly data are derived from surveys of senior executives at private sector companies, and in these indices readings above 50 indicate expansion, while those below that threshold signal contraction.

Why Were Employers Holding Back, and What Changed?

Backlogs of work have risen sharply over the past year, but employers showed a reluctance to hire amid subdued business confidence and elevated levels of uncertainty, often linked to geopolitical events such as US tariffs and the war in the Middle East.

Mentions of uncertainty dampening business optimism or order books have fallen to their lowest since February, just prior to the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

The survey data therefore indicate that reduced uncertainty is encouraging employers to play catch-up with the growing demand seen over the past few months, Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, wrote in S&P Global's October 7 jobs commentary.

In the eurozone, backlogs increased for the first time since June 2022, prompting companies to expand their workforces again. In the US, new orders rose at their fastest rate in over four years, driven by strong domestic demand, while employment increased for a third consecutive month.

Which Industries Are Adding Workers Fastest?

The labour market improvement was led by technology firms, which have taken on extra workers at a rate not seen for over two years in recent months. On the output side, tech growth reached its fastest rate since January 2010, with accelerating growth in both software and related services and tech equipment.

The spread goes beyond the big industry groups. Some 18 of the 25 more detailed sectors covered by the PMI recorded higher employment in both August and September, the broadest jobs growth by sector for over three years.

Not every niche is hiring, since construction materials and forestry and paper products saw ongoing steep job cuts.

Output growth in consumer services, led by tourism and recreation, and consumer goods accelerated, contrasting with a slowdown in financial services from a spike in August.

Where Is Hiring Strongest in the United States?

Among the major developed economies, the strongest job gain came in the US in September, where the improvement was the steepest since June 2022. The national services survey shows the same thing, with employment rising for a third consecutive month and job creation at its fastest since June 2022.

The S&P Global US Services PMI rose to 58.8 in September 2026 from 56.5 in August, slightly above the flash estimate of 58.7, and the latest expansion was the strongest since July 2021. Strong new orders continued to outpace capacity, pushing backlogged work higher for the 19th consecutive month.

S&P Global's US services survey also breaks out activity by sector and confidence.

• Business activity was strongest in technology, while growth also accelerated across consumer businesses, industrials and healthcare.
• Business confidence strengthened to a one-year high.

How Are Japan, India and China Hiring?

Strong job creation continued in Japan, with the September gain among the highest recorded by the survey after the pace of hiring revived again during the month. In the final reading, Japan's composite index eased to 52.3 in September 2026 from 53.5 the previous month and a flash estimate of 52.5, while employment rose at its fastest pace since February, alongside a stronger increase in backlogs of work. In the flash survey, sentiment hit a seven-month high on optimism over demand in AI, semiconductors, defence and automobiles.

India led in terms of jobs growth among the major emerging markets. The HSBC India Services PMI was revised lower to 55.2 in September 2026 from the preliminary estimate of 55.8, after a final reading of 54.1 in the previous month, and firms increased employment, though the pace moderated and was softer than in August. Across the whole private sector, the final reading, which came in below the flash estimate, put the HSBC Composite PMI at 55.9 in September 2026, up from 54.6 in the previous month, and the resumption of job creation in manufacturing, alongside sustained employment growth among service providers, lifted overall private-sector employment.

Job creation in mainland China continued to run at one of the strongest rates seen over the past three-and-a-half years. In services, the RatingDog China General Services PMI edged up to 51.6 in September 2026 from 51.4, and, in Reuters coverage carried by The Star, employment rose for a fifth consecutive month as firms took on more staff to cope with heavier workloads, though the rate of hiring eased to a four-month low.

What Is Happening to Jobs in Europe and the UK?

Modest employment growth was seen in the eurozone for only the second time in the past nine months. The final composite PMI output index climbed to 53.1 from 52.0 in August, and outstanding work increased for the first time since June 2022, prompting companies to hire additional staff, although employment growth remained marginal.

Within the bloc, all five countries covered by the composite survey recorded growth for the first time since November, with Spain leading the expansion, followed by Ireland, while Germany's upturn accelerated. Italy and France registered more modest growth.

The collective signal from the PMI surveys is one of GDP growing at a 0.4% quarterly rate, with momentum accelerating as we head into the fourth quarter, Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said of the eurozone, according to the Anadolu Agency report on eurozone activity.

UK jobs continued to be cut, albeit with recent months having seen a moderation in the pace of job losses. The S&P Global UK Services PMI was revised to 52.1 in September 2026, and employment continued to fall, marking two years of job cuts, although the decline eased to its slowest pace since October 2025. There is one bright corner, since resilient technology services demand remained a bright spot for UK service firms.

Why Are Canada, Australia and Brazil Cutting Jobs?

Both Canada and Australia saw jobs being cut on average after net job creation had been reported in the prior three months.

The S&P Global Canada Composite PMI rose to 48.7 in September 2026 from 47.8, but remained below the neutral mark for the fourth consecutive month, and employment recorded a net decrease. In September, service firms faced uncertainty over tariffs and the war in Iran. Staffing levels declined in response to weaker activity and new business, exacerbated by difficulties finding suitably skilled workers.

Australia's composite PMI was 51.3 in September 2026, the lowest reading since June, with services continuing to grow at their slowest pace in three months and manufacturing output contraction deepening. Employment also declined further in September. Job vacancies fell to 325,000 in August 2026, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and vacancies in Professional, scientific and technical services were down by 17.3 per cent in the three months to August, the same fall behind the slowdown in Australian professional and technical vacancies.

Russia and Brazil saw falling employment, with Brazil posting the steepest decline since March 2021 and companies citing weak demand and political uncertainty. The S&P Global Composite PMI for Brazil declined to 47.4 in September 2026 from 49.1 in August, and firms and clients appear to have adopted a wait-and-see approach ahead of the first round of the presidential election. Service providers faced budget constraints among clients, competitive pressures, weak demand and project cancellations, and amid dwindling new work, service providers also reduced headcounts. Brazil's jobless rate and employment level cover a rolling quarter rather than the single September PMI month, with unemployment at 5.3% in the rolling quarter ended in August 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter, and private-sector employees with a formal contract, excluding domestic workers, at 39.5 million, the highest level in the historical series, and broadly stable both quarter over quarter and year over year.

Are Staff Costs Rising as Employers Hire Again?

Staff costs show up in several of the cost readings.

• United States. Cost pressures intensified, with input costs rising sharply to their highest level since November 2022 amid higher gas and labour costs.
• United Kingdom. Input-cost inflation accelerated to its fastest pace since June, reflecting higher fuel prices and payroll costs, even though UK employers were still cutting staff.
• Mainland China. In services, input costs rose for the nineteenth straight month, largely due to higher labor, raw material, and energy expenses.
• Japan. In the flash survey, input costs reflected higher energy and raw material costs linked partly to the Middle East war and a weaker yen, alongside rising staff and transport expenses.

How Strong Is the Global Economy Behind These Jobs?

The J.P. Morgan Global Composite PMI Output Index rose from 53.5 in August to 54.3 in September, matching the prior highs seen in May 2023 and December 2021. That reading is consistent with above-trend annualised global GDP growth of 3.4%.

For a second successive month, the global upturn was led by the service sector, after services growth had slowed sharply at the onset of the war in the Middle East, with travel and tourism hit hard.

The 3.4% figure comes from historical comparisons indicating that the September PMI is broadly indicative of global GDP growth running at an annualised rate of 3.4%, so it is a survey signal, not an official GDP estimate.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

The survey data indicate that reduced uncertainty is encouraging employers to play catch-up with growing demand, but the September surveys also show that where you live and what sector you work in still shape how many employers are adding staff.

• Technology led the hiring upturn. Tech firms have taken on extra workers at a rate not seen for over two years, and tech services demand was a bright spot even in the UK.
• In the US, demand is not only in tech. Activity growth accelerated across consumer businesses, industrials and healthcare, not just tech.
• In Japan and China, workloads are growing. Japanese firms added staff alongside a stronger increase in backlogs of work, and Chinese service firms hired to cope with heavier workloads.
• In Canada, show skills that are hard to find. Staffing cuts there were exacerbated by difficulties finding suitably skilled workers, so make the skills you have easy to see on your applications.
• In the UK, Brazil and Australia, look across sectors. Jobs were cut in September in the UK, Australia, Canada, Russia and Brazil, while globally some 18 of the 25 more detailed sectors covered by the PMI recorded higher employment in both August and September.
• Know which niches are shrinking. Globally, construction materials and forestry and paper products saw ongoing steep job cuts.

Related Articles

• The US Labor Market Is Splitting in Two as AI Cuts Office Jobs While Construction Hires
• The K-Shaped Job Market May Finally Be Closing Its Wage Gap
• Workers Without a Degree Are Having Their Best Job Market in Years
• Japan's Tech Jobs Boom: How AI and Engineering Talent Are Reshaping the Workforce
• Why UK Youth Unemployment Is a Broken Ladder Not a Lazy Generation
• Canada Bets Big on AI to Counter US Pressure, the Jobs Strategy Behind It
• Tech Hiring Grew in February While the Rest of the Job Market Shrank
• Entry-Level Grads Are Grabbing Any Paycheck as the Job Market Turns Brutal
• India Tech Hiring Surges Amid Economic Momentum
• The US Labor Market Just Got a Quiet Upgrade in Revised Data
• May Services PMI Shows Expansion, What It Signals for Service-Sector Hiring

People Also Asked

Q: Is global hiring picking up again?

A: Yes, in the September surveys the global PMI Employment Index rose to its highest since May 2023, signalling net job gains for a third successive month, after largely stalled or falling employment earlier in the year.

Q: Which industry hired the most in September?

A: Technology led, with tech firms taking on extra workers at a rate not seen for over two years, and all eight major industries recorded higher employment in September.

Q: Which countries are still cutting jobs?

A: Jobs were cut in the UK, Australia, Canada, Russia and Brazil in September, with Brazil posting its steepest decline since March 2021.

Stay ahead of the market. Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place. Create a free profile and start your search today.