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38%. That's the share of employed Americans who told Robert Half — as of December 2025 — that they plan to look for a new job heading into 2026. As of June 15, 2026, the data suggests that wave is now cresting: up from 27% in July 2025 and 29% just twelve months before that, this is the most active job-search intent the firm has measured in two years. According to Google News, citing a PR Newswire release from Robert Half, the survey covered more than 2,000 employed workers and more than 450 unemployed job seekers — making it one of the larger workforce sentiment snapshots of the cycle.
The catch: the market they're walking into is harder than the one most workers remember. Job postings are down 16% year-over-year. Applicants per role have surged 26%. The average job search now runs five to six months, and 68% of active job seekers already expect this one to take longer than their last. More demand from candidates, more friction in the system — that's not a paradox. That's a window for anyone who shows up with a strategy.
The Market Shift: A Thaw Running Into a Wall
Dawn Fay, Operational President of Robert Half, described the shift directly: "Many workers felt the need to stay put in 2025, but we're beginning to see signs of a thaw as we head into the new year. Career growth and development are back in focus, and if an employer can't offer those opportunities, workers no longer feel compelled to stay."
The top reasons workers cited for considering a move tell a clear story: better benefits (36%), limited career advancement (34%), more competitive pay (33%), and burnout (24%). These aren't frivolous reasons — they're the kinds of gaps that compound over time and become harder to ignore once the job market softens its grip on workers who've been holding position.
The macro numbers look stable on the surface. As of May 2026, unemployment held at 4.3%, with 7.3 million Americans out of work (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Job openings remained flat at 6.9 million in April 2026, per the BLS JOLTS report. But "stable openings" in a market with 26% more applicants per role means the same number of seats with a much longer line.
Chart: Percentage of employed U.S. workers who reported plans to look for a new job, per Robert Half surveys. Source: Robert Half / PR Newswire.
The trend is also global. In Canada, 33% of employed workers plan to search in the first half of 2026, up from 26% in July 2025, with technology professionals (43%) leading. In Europe, 47% of workers want to move — but 77% report feeling unprepared to do so. That confidence gap is a useful data point: wanting out and being ready to land somewhere better are two different things.
Where Your Leverage Actually Lives
The "competitive market" framing misses something important: not every candidate is in the same market. Tech and healthcare workers report 44% job search intent — the highest of any group surveyed. And that's not just an attitude gap. As of mid-2026, 78% of tech and IT leaders plan to increase permanent headcount in the second half of the year, up sharply from 61% earlier. Healthcare is projecting more than 2.3 million new jobs by 2033, accounting for over one-third of all projected U.S. job growth — a trend Smart Health AI broke down in detail in their recent piece on healthcare job growth versus every other sector.
The single clearest edge in this market is AI fluency — and this is where personal finance and financial planning intersect with career strategy in ways most workers haven't priced in. Industry analysts note that "specialized skills are the currency of today's job market," and the number is specific: professionals with demonstrated AI expertise earn 56% more on average than peers without it. That premium isn't limited to engineers. It's showing up in finance, operations, marketing, and healthcare administration. Gen Z professionals (42%) and working parents (42%) are among the most motivated job seekers in the current cycle — and the ones most likely to be chasing that skills gap.
The market doesn't care about fair. What it does care about: specific, verifiable skills and a warm path into the building.
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AI Is Rewriting Both Sides of the Hiring Equation
There's a structural irony running through the 2026 job market. As of mid-2026, 87% of companies use AI in recruiting — usage that roughly doubled from 26% to 53% in a single year. AI-generated resumes and automated application systems contributed directly to the 26% surge in applicants per role. The result: 70% of technology leaders say they're more likely to turn to staffing firms specifically because of the volume and uneven quality of inbound applications. AI created the flood, and now companies are paying humans to drain it.
For job seekers, the implication is two-layered. First, your resume needs to clear an ATS (applicant tracking system — the software that filters applications before any recruiter sees them) built to handle a much noisier signal environment. Tools that help tailor language to specific job descriptions have become table stakes, not an edge. Second — and more important — whatever gets you past the ATS has to be followed by something distinctly human on the other side. The 59% of job seekers who cite "too many applicants" as their top obstacle are losing at the volume game. The ones landing roles are winning at the relationship game.
The fastest-growing roles as of June 2026 include AI engineers, machine learning specialists, prompt engineers, and AI product managers. But 84% of fintech talent leaders also plan to expand AI use across non-technical functions. The AI angle isn't a niche story anymore — it's the central story of what's valuable in this labor market.
The Script: Three Moves That Change Your Odds
You don't need to be an engineer. You need to be able to say — out loud, in a room — "Here's how I used AI to do X faster with fewer errors." Pick one workflow in your current role, apply an AI tool to it this week, document the outcome with a number attached. A good career development book focused on practical AI workflows (look for anything post-2024 with case studies, not theory) can give you a structured path without going back to school. The 56% salary premium for AI-fluent professionals is real, and it's not reserved for people with CS degrees.
With 59% of job seekers citing competition volume as their top obstacle, sending applications through a portal is a numbers game you're starting from behind. The move is a direct message to a second-degree connection already inside the company. Here's the template: "Hi [Name], I noticed you're at [Company] — I'm exploring a move into [function] and saw the [role] posting. I'd value 15 minutes to hear how [Company] approaches [specific thing they're known for]. No pitch, just context. Would that work?" Short. Specific. Asks for time, not a referral. Gives them an easy out. Response rates on messages like this run significantly higher than waiting on a portal submission.
BATNA stands for Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. In plain terms: know your floor before anyone makes you an offer. Given that the average search runs five to six months, candidates who arrive at offer conversations without a pre-calculated minimum leave the most money on the table — not because they're bad negotiators, but because relief is a powerful force when you've been searching that long. Write down your current total compensation (salary plus benefits plus any equity), your target increase, and the number below which you walk. The market doesn't reward hesitation. It rewards the person who already did the math.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are so many people planning to look for new jobs in 2026?
As of December 2025, the Robert Half survey found the top drivers are a desire for better benefits (36%), limited career advancement opportunities (34%), more competitive pay (33%), and burnout (24%). Dawn Fay of Robert Half described it as a "thaw" — workers who held their positions through 2024 and 2025 out of caution are now more willing to move, particularly if their current employer can't offer growth or competitive compensation. Only 60% of hiring managers said they plan to bring on permanent staff in the first half of 2026, which means movement is happening but not uniformly.
How long does it take to find a new job in 2026?
The average job search runs five to six months in 2026, and 68% of active job seekers already expect their current search to take longer than previous ones. The primary driver is a mismatch between supply and demand: job postings are down 16% year-over-year while applicants per role have surged 26%, creating a more crowded pool than most workers have navigated before. Starting earlier — and with a network-first approach — compresses that timeline meaningfully.
What industries are hiring the most in 2026?
Technology and healthcare lead. As of mid-2026, 78% of tech and IT leaders plan to increase permanent headcount in the second half of the year, up from 61% earlier. Healthcare is projected to add more than 2.3 million jobs by 2033 — over one-third of all projected U.S. job growth. The fastest-growing specific roles include AI engineers, machine learning specialists, prompt engineers, and AI product managers across both sectors.
How is AI affecting the job market and hiring in 2026?
AI is affecting the job market on two fronts simultaneously. On the demand side, it's creating high-paying roles: professionals with AI expertise earn 56% more on average than peers without it, and 84% of fintech talent leaders plan to expand AI use in 2026. On the process side, 87% of companies now use AI in recruiting — up from 26% just a year ago — which has flooded application queues and made initial screening harder for everyone involved. The practical takeaway: AI fluency is valuable both as a marketable skill and as a tool for navigating the hiring process itself.
- As of December 2025, 38% of employed U.S. workers plan to look for a new job in 2026 — the highest two-year intent level Robert Half has recorded — driven by benefits gaps, stalled advancement, and burnout.
- The market is simultaneously loosening (more workers willing to move) and tightening (applicants per role up 26%, postings down 16%), which rewards strategy over volume.
- AI fluency is the clearest individual lever available: a 56% average salary premium separates AI-proficient professionals from peers, and that gap is widening.
- The average search runs five to six months — set your floor number before offer stage, warm your network before you need it, and clear the ATS before the competition does.
Disclaimer: This article is original editorial commentary based on publicly reported facts and survey data. It is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Individual circumstances vary. Research based on publicly available sources current as of June 15, 2026.
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