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Entry-Level Hiring for 20 Most Common U.S. Majors Fell 20% From 2019 Levels, With Health Strongest
Entry-level hiring tied to the 20 most common majors fell 20% from December 2019 levels and 5% from one year earlier. Health fields posted the strongest conditions while engineering majors faced the weakest, with versatility helping social sciences and humanities graduates.
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Entry-level hiring for recent U.S. college graduates in the 20 most common majors fell 20% from December 2019 levels and 5% from the same period one year earlier, according to LinkedIn data reported by Forbes on June 25, 2026. LinkedIn examined U.S.
Students who earned bachelor’s degrees from 2022 to 2024 and secured full-time employment in the May after graduation. The analysis compared April 2026 hiring rates in the industries where each major’s graduates typically work against December 2019 benchmarks. Health majors recorded the strongest hiring conditions among the majors studied.
The U.S. healthcare sector added 35,000 jobs in the most recent month reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and 37,000 jobs in the prior month. Engineering majors encountered the weakest conditions, with hiring 25% below December 2019 levels.
Roughly 75% of engineering graduates enter manufacturing, professional services, construction or tech industries. Technology companies announced 123,653 job cuts in 2026 through the reporting period, an increase of 66% from the same point in 2025, with AI cited as the leading reason by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. Versatility differed sharply across fields.
Only 41% of engineering graduates worked outside their major’s top two industries. In contrast, more than 60% of social sciences and humanities graduates and 69% of English majors found positions outside their traditional top industries. Kory Kantenga, LinkedIn’s Head of Economics, Americas, said engineering faces particular challenges in both hiring volume and the ability to shift sectors.
He noted that social sciences and humanities graduates occupy a “sweet spot” because more than half have secured work in other industries even as professional and financial services hiring slowed. Kantenga advised recent graduates to identify sectors with momentum, such as healthcare or construction, and to document specific skills on profiles with demonstrable examples rather than general statements.