Light industrial hiring dips at the start 2026

Job postings across manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and wholesale trade fell to 1.48 million in Q1 2026, a modest 2.6% decline from Q4 2025. Warehousing and transportation led the pullback, dropping 17.4% from last quarter. However, manufacturing and wholesale trade were more resilient, with each adding more than 10,000 openings since last quarter and remaining broadly stable year over year.