Eastridge Quarterly Talent Intelligence

Eastridge Quarterly Talent Intelligence Q2 2026

ABOUT THIS REPORT The Eastridge Quarterly Talent Intelligence is designed to help HR leaders and hiring managers make more confident workforce decisions. Each issue translates national labor market data from Lightcast into practical guidance on which roles are hardest to fill, where wages are moving, and how to build a talent strategy that stays ahead of the market. KEY TAKEAWAYS What HR Leaders Should Know Right Now Short on time? These are the three findings with the most direct implications for your hiring strategy in the second half of 2026. The available talent pool is not growing back to pre-2023 levels Labor force participation peaked at 62.82% in 2023 and has declined to 61.70% as of May 2026, with no near-term reversal in the data. Retirements, the normalization of independent work, and persistent caregiving gaps are structural contributors. Waiting for the labor market to loosen is not a strategy. Organizations that are building proactive talent pipelines now will have a measurable advantage over those still relying on reactive job posting. Fast-growing sectors are competing with you for the same workers Healthcare and Transportation added more net jobs than any other sectors nationally over the past year. For employers in manufacturing, professional services, or distribution, this matters because those sectors recruit from the same labor pools. A warehouse associate or logistics coordinator today may be weighing offers across three industries. Pay alone does not win that candidate. Total value proposition, schedule flexibility, and clear growth opportunity all factor in. Candidates are negotiating with salary data. Your offers should too. Advertised wages rose 5.4% nationally over the past twelve months, and major job boards now display pay ranges on virtually every listing. Candidates arrive at offer conversations knowing what the market pays. Organizations that lead with transparent, competitive pay ranges see stronger applicant quality and lower fall-off rates. Those that treat comp as a final-stage reveal consistently lose candidates to competitors who were more straightforward earlier in the process. Market Data ● Dataset: Lightcast Q3 2026 ● Reporting period: April–June 2026 ● Published: July 2026 ● Postings tracked: 1.72 million nationally

SECTION 1 U.S. Labor Market Snapshot - Q2 2026 Three numbers define the talent environment heading into the second half of 2026: a near-record volume of open positions, wages that have climbed more than 5% in twelve months, and a shrinking pool of workers actively looking for jobs. For HR leaders, that combination means competition for qualified candidates is not easing. The employers who win talent in this environment are those who move quickly, pay competitively, and have a sourcing partner already working the market. ON LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION The rate has declined steadily since 2023 and is showing no signs of recovery in current data. This is not a post-pandemic bounce-back story. Retirements, caregiving gaps, and the growth of independent work are all pulling workers out of the traditional labor pool permanently. For hiring leaders, the practical implication is clear: if your sourcing strategy is still primarily reactive, you are competing for a shrinking pool. Proactive pipeline-building and employer brand investment have moved from nice-to-have to operational necessity. Labor force participation 61.70% Declining - peaked 62.82% in 2023 Unique job postings 1.72M Nationally, Apr - Jun 2026 Median advertised salary $38.62/hr +5.4% vs. prior year National unemployment 4.07% May 2026 - historically low SECTION 2 Roles in Demand: What the Market Is Competing For The following analysis breaks down the most actively competed roles across four hiring verticals. For each, we surface the top five roles by national posting volume, average days to fill, and a demand signal based on volume and market competition. The final column is written for hiring leaders thinking through Q3 planning, not just a data point but what it should change about how you approach that role.

Manufacturing, Production and Skilled Trades Manufacturing and production hiring is running at near-peak intensity nationally. These are not roles that post and fill in a week. The data shows that even well-resourced employers take three to four weeks to fill standard production positions. For HR leaders planning Q3 headcount ramps, the window to get ahead of this is now. Role National postings Avg. days to fill Demand signal What this means for your hiring Project Manager 56,082 20 days Very high demand One of the most posted roles nationally across all industries. PMP-certified candidates command a premium and are rarely available long. Speed matters here. Customer Service Representative 70,549 21 days High demand Deceptively competitive. High volume masks high turnover. Many postings are backfills. Employers with strong onboarding and visible growth paths see significantly better retention. HR Generalist / HR Specialist 24,810 20 days Moderate demand HR teams leaned out post-2023 are rebuilding. Generalists with HRIS experience and a background in both recruiting and employee relations are the most sought-after profile. Operations Manager / Coordinator 27,922 19 days Moderate demand Fills relatively quickly, but scope and compensation vary widely. A clearly defined role and a realistic comp range are the biggest levers for attracting strong candidates. Controller / Financial Analyst 27,777 20 days Moderate demand Finance hiring has rebounded as companies shift focus to profitability. Controllers with public company or multi-entity experience are particularly difficult to source. PLANNING NOTE Manufacturing clients who manage workforce needs reactively, opening requisitions when a vacancy occurs, consistently lose ground to competitors who maintain warm candidate pipelines. If you are planning any volume hiring in Q3 or Q4, the conversation with your workforce partner should start today, not when the need becomes urgent.

Engineering and Technical Engineering talent is in high demand across every manufacturing sub-sector, and the competition is no longer limited to your direct industry peers. Technology companies, defense contractors, and infrastructure firms are all recruiting from the same pool. The employers who fill these roles fastest are those who move from first interview to offer in five days or fewer. PLANNING NOTE Engineering candidates at the 3 to 8 year mark are almost universally receiving counteroffers. If your process requires three interview rounds and two weeks of internal approvals, you will lose candidates before you make an offer. Streamlining your technical hiring process is one of the highest-ROI changes an HR team can make in this market. Role National postings Avg. days to fill Demand signal What this means for your hiring Maintenance Technician 39,083 27 days Very high demand Longest average posting duration in this vertical. The skilled trades pipeline has been underfunded for a decade. Expect competition from every sector, not just your own. Electrical Engineer 30,638 18 days High demand Defense, infrastructure, and EV-adjacent manufacturing all compete for the same candidates. Shorter duration masks high offer competition. Counteroffers are common. Mechanical Engineer 28,098 20 days High demand Candidates with 3 to 7 years of experience are the most contested segment and the most likely to counteroffer. Compensation expectations have moved up sharply. Manufacturing / Validation Engineer 27,670 21 days High demand Critical for pharma, med device, and semiconductor clients. Validation roles are increasingly required by regulators, making these non-discretionary hires. Quality / Process Engineer 38,014 22 days High demand Strong demand across manufacturing sub-sectors. Candidates expect a technical career path. That story should be part of the pitch from the first conversation.

Professional, Corporate and Administrative Professional hiring tends to feel more manageable than high-volume industrial roles, until it is not. Project managers, customer service leaders, and HR professionals rank among the most posted roles in the country, which means candidate quality varies widely. The ability to quickly identify and advance the right candidates is what separates effective professional recruiting from reactive hiring. PLANNING NOTE In professional hiring, the cost of a wrong hire frequently exceeds the cost of a longer search. Organizations that invest in a thorough but efficient process, with clear role definition, structured interviews, and a decisive offer stage, consistently produce better long-term outcomes than those who rush to fill. Role National postings Avg. days to fill Demand signal What this means for your hiring Project Manager 56,082 20 days Very high demand One of the most posted roles nationally across all industries. PMP-certified candidates command a premium and are rarely available long. Speed matters here. Customer Service Representative 70,549 21 days High demand Deceptively competitive. High volume masks high turnover. Many postings are backfills. Employers with strong onboarding and visible growth paths see significantly better retention. HR Generalist / HR Specialist 24,810 20 days Moderate demand HR teams leaned out post-2023 are rebuilding. Generalists with HRIS experience and a background in both recruiting and employee relations are the most sought-after profile. Operations Manager / Coordinator 27,922 19 days Moderate demand Fills relatively quickly, but scope and compensation vary widely. A clearly defined role and a realistic comp range are the biggest levers for attracting strong candidates. Controller / Financial Analyst 27,777 20 days Moderate demand Finance hiring has rebounded as companies shift focus to profitability. Controllers with public company or multi-entity experience are particularly difficult to source.

Role National postings Avg. days to fill Demand signal What this means for your hiring Lawyer / Associate Attorney 22,938 31 days High demand Longest posting duration in any vertical in this report. In-house legal teams are expanding, pulling candidates from firms and creating firm-level backfill pressure at the same time. Contracts Manager / Specialist 23,547 20 days High demand Growing demand driven by procurement complexity, vendor risk, and M&A; activity. Candidates with government or SaaS contract experience are the hardest segment to source. Compliance Specialist 26,532 19 days High demand Regulatory pressure in pharma, finance, and healthcare is driving consistent demand. Compliance has become a line function, not a back-office one, and salary expectations reflect that. Paralegal / Legal Assistant 22,000+ 21 days Moderate demand Steady baseline demand across law firms and in-house teams. Paralegals with litigation or corporate transactional backgrounds are more competitive than generalists. Docketing / Legal Support 12,000+ 22 days Moderate demand Lower volume but highly specialized. IP docketing candidates represent a narrow talent pool. Firms that over-rely on internal promotions often find the role underfilled for months. Legal and Compliance Legal and compliance hiring operates at a different pace than most other functions, and the data reflects it. Attorney roles carry the longest median posting duration of any category tracked here, at 31 days, while compliance and contracts roles are growing rapidly as organizations face more complex regulatory and vendor environments. These roles require a sourcing approach that understands the nuance of the work, not just the title. PLANNING NOTE Legal candidates at the attorney and senior compliance level evaluate cultural fit, work structure, and growth opportunity as heavily as compensation. A compelling employer narrative and a well-run hiring process matter as much as the offer itself. Organizations that treat legal hiring as transactional consistently struggle to compete with those that approach it as relationship-driven.

SECTION 3 Pay Rate Benchmarks by Role Family Wages have risen more than 5% nationally over the past twelve months, and candidates know it. With pay ranges visible on nearly every job board and salary tools widely available, organizations that are not actively reviewing their pay bands are not just at risk of losing candidates at the offer stage. They are often filtered out before the interview. The table below provides Lightcast's national median advertised pay ranges across the role families most relevant to HR leaders using this publication. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Pay band reviews are no longer a once-a-year exercise. In a market where advertised wages are moving 4 to 7% annually and candidates have instant access to salary data, an organization operating on 2024 pay ranges is already behind. A compensation review does not always mean across-the-board increases. It means knowing where your most critical roles sit relative to the market, and closing the gaps that are costing you offers. Eastridge can provide a role-specific pay benchmark for any position you are actively hiring. Role family Median advertised Typical range YoY growth Planning guidance Assembly / Production operator $19-22/hr $17-$26/hr +6% Review bands if not updated since mid-2025. Pay below $18 is increasingly non-competitive. Warehouse / Material handler $20-23/hr $16-$28/hr +5% Competing with e-commerce and healthcare support roles for the same candidates. General machine operator $21-25/hr $18-$32/hr +6% Shift differential and overtime visibility matter as much as base rate for this profile. Maintenance technician $24-30/hr $20-$40/hr +7% Highest wage growth in manufacturing. Budget $30+ for experienced multi-trade technicians. Electrical / Mech. engineer $42-52/hr $35-$68/hr +5% Salary-only packages are losing ground to total comp offers that include equity and flexibility. Project manager $38-50/hr $30-$65/hr +6% PMP certification commands a 10-15% premium over non-certified candidates at the same level. HR generalist / specialist $28-38/hr $22-$50/hr +4% HRIS proficiency is now a baseline expectation, not a differentiator. Factor it into the range. Controller / financial analyst $40-55/hr $32-$75/hr +6% Hybrid flexibility is a near-universal expectation for finance roles at this level. Contracts / compliance mgr. $35-50/hr $28-$65/hr +5% Industry-specific experience commands a premium, especially in pharma, government, and SaaS. Customer service representative $18-24/hr $15-$32/hr +4% Career growth narrative and schedule flexibility are often more decisive than hourly rate. Source: Lightcast Q3 2026 Dataset. National medians for advertised postings, April - June 2026. Regional and industry variation applies. YoY = July 2025 vs. June 2026.

Build a workforce strategy grounded in real market data. Eastridge partners with HR leaders across manufacturing, engineering, professional services, and legal to make workforce decisions with confidence. Whether you are benchmarking pay for an upcoming hiring cycle, planning Q3 headcount, or evaluating your talent acquisition strategy, we bring the market intelligence and operational expertise to help you compete. Ready to see how your open roles stack up against the market? Eastridge can provide a custom role and pay benchmark analysis for your specific geography, industry, and job families at no cost. Data sources: Lightcast Q3 2026 Dataset (lightcast.io) - 1.72M unique job postings, United States, all industries, April - June 2026. Pay benchmarks represent national medians; regional and industry variation applies. All figures are for informational purposes only. Request Yours Now!