Are job orders going up or down? And what does it take to fill them? Each month, Bullhorn tracks key indicators from our proprietary data to reveal changes in the global hiring landscape. Check in at the start of every month for the latest trends in permanent and contract hiring.
Month ending 31 July 2026 Last updated 4 August 2026
Contract job orders increase 2% in July
After stalling in May, contract job orders rose 2% from June to July. However, pipeline is still -4% below where it was this time last year. Average fill rate for contract jobs continues to trend up over the last few years, but lost some ground this month, signaling a slight pullback in the urgency employers feel to fill roles. Recruiter effort crept up just 1%, but has remained largely stable for the last year.
Permanent job orders rose 6% this month, putting them just about on par with where they were in July of 2025. However, after two very strong months, fill rate fell 13% for permanent jobs, a significant decline and not typical of the summer season. However, this may simply be a return to baseline after two months that were extraordinary. But it is worth keeping an eye on how permanent fill rate looks over the next few months to see if there is a broader slowdown in hiring confidence.
The signs point to a stable contract market that is still cautious, and permanent regaining ground against 2025 but not outpacing it.
Permanent job orders rise 6% in July
Contract fill rate 3% ahead of 2025 levels
Recruiter effort holds steady
Methodology
Hiring outlook metrics were calculated from Bullhorn ATS data for customers that have opted in to share aggregated data. Customers were qualified as professional or commercial if the majority of their placements were within these industries. Temporary/contingent placements are those with a set end date; permanent/direct hire placements are those without.
Jobs orders per recruiter is calculated as the volume of job order records created divided by the unique number of users within the calendar month.
Job fill rate is calculated as the proportion of job order records that were placed within 90 days of their open date. This is a trailing indicator that covers jobs created three calendar months prior to the period.
Submissions per job order is calculated as the volume of client submissions divided by the volume of job orders in the period. This metric represents records created in the previous calendar month.
