February 2025 Job Market Report: AI Hiring & Workforce Trends

Introduction

Aura’s February 2025 Job Market Report measures global hiring demand activity by analyzing job posting data through January 2025. With this data, we analyze job trends by country, state, and industry and call out AI job trends and remote work activity. We can use this data to draw correlations between shifts in global economic conditions and labor market responses.

By comparing this month’s insights against last month’s data, we uncover emerging job market patterns across continents—such as North America’s renewed hiring vigor, Europe’s rebound, and parts of Asia seeing potential slowdowns—and discuss how these shifts tie into broader economic indicators like consumer demand, evolving trade policies, and the increasing influence of AI in the workplace.

Job Market Report Analysis: Feb 2025

The U.S. labor market’s sharp expansion of open job posts (+27%) could be linked to strong consumer spending after an almost 1 trillion dollar holiday season and renewed and growing business confidence from the SMB Confidence Index.

Global job posting data appears strong, with India’s decline of 10% being an outlier. This could be symptomatic of global firms diversifying IT spending away from traditional hubs or a temporary deceleration following robust year-end growth.

Beyond these geographic shifts, cross-industry data reveals that AI is no longer confined to the tech realm. This continues a trend from last month, where professional services firms such as management consultants were the strongest AI hirers. This month, Marketing & Advertising’s +237% AI hiring surge, for instance, highlights how machine learning and automation are reshaping customer engagement, creative content generation, and digital marketing spending. This continued shift in AI demand—from pure tech verticals to more traditional sectors—signals a rebalancing in the talent market that could permanently alter where specialized AI roles emerge.

Likewise, remote work’s sustained presence, hovering around 5.8% of new postings, suggests a long-term hybrid culture forged by employer strategies and employee expectations—even as return-to-work mandates are in the news. Specific industries, like Hospitality and Healthcare, appear to be accelerating remote or flexible work in a surprising fashion.

By examining the interplay between technology adoption, industry resilience, and changing workforce models, Aura's February 2025 job market report provides a holistic look at where global and industry hiring is heading—and how leaders can adapt to these multi-layered, rapidly evolving market forces.

Job Postings Surge, But Hiring Lags: A Labor Market Mismatch?

While job postings surged across multiple global markets in January—highlighted by the U.S.’s 27% increase in new listings—the latest Employment Situation Summary from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests a disconnect between employer demand and actual hiring activity.

Despite the strong uptick in job postings, total nonfarm payroll employment in the U.S. rose by only 143,000 in January, well below December’s revised 307,000 gain. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.0%, and wage growth remained steady at 0.5% month-over-month, but overall hiring appears to be moderating.

This disparity between posted job demand and actual filled positions could reflect multiple factors:

Extended hiring cycles: Employers may be posting more roles but moving cautiously in making final hiring decisions.
Skills mismatches: Companies could be struggling to find qualified candidates, especially in AI, tech, and professional services.
Return-to-office and structural shifts: Some industries, particularly retail, healthcare, and social assistance, are hiring aggressively, while others—like mining and energy—are contracting, leading to uneven hiring momentum.

Another sign of employer caution is the decline in average workweek hours, which fell to 34.1 hours in January, down 0.1 hours. This suggests that businesses might be scaling back hours before cutting jobs altogether. Additionally, the number of long-term unemployed, at 1.4 million, and underemployed workers, at 4.5 million part-time for economic reasons, remained high, indicating that many job seekers are still struggling to transition into full-time roles despite the surge in listings.

Ultimately, while job postings indicate strong forward-looking employer intent, the slower pace of actual hiring suggests that businesses remain measured in how quickly they expand their workforce. If this divergence persists, it could point to either a delayed hiring rebound or a potential pullback if economic uncertainty rises.

Global Job Market Overview

Job Postings Across the Globe

global job posting trends

Industry-Level Breakdown of Job Posting Trends

AI Hiring Trends

Total AI job postings rose on an absolute basis to 7.5% of all software-related jobs.

Overall AI Job Trend Graph

AI Job Growth by Industry

AI-related hiring remained strong, but sector-specific trends shifted from December. We see an interesting development where the more technically inclined industries had slower AI growth than less technical industries.

Top Industries for AI Hiring

ai job postings by industry trends

IT & Services (-11%) – Reversing December’s +19% surge, possibly reflecting an adjustment after rapid hiring in AI-related roles.
Staffing & Recruiting (+73%) – A major increase, aligning with broader hiring demand in AI.
Internet (+5%) – Slower than December’s +33%, reflecting cautious tech hiring.
Computer Software (+14%) – Steady growth.
Marketing & Advertising (+237%) – A significant jump, showing AI’s impact on content, digital ads, and automation.

Fastest-Growing & Declining AI Sectors

AI’s impact varied significantly by industry:

Top 5 Industries by % Change in New AI Job Postings Last Month

change in ai job postings count by industry

Fastest-growing AI sectors:

Hospitality (+19%) – AI adoption rising in customer experience and service automation.
Broadcast Media (+11%) – AI-driven content generation is growing.
Recreational Facilities & Services (+10%) – Automation in entertainment and leisure.

Industries seeing AI hiring declines:

Photography (-32%) – Automation reducing demand for traditional roles.
Utilities (-14%) – Slower AI adoption compared to high-tech sectors.
Media Production (-7%) – AI reshaping traditional media jobs.

Compared to December 2024, AI hiring momentum softened in IT & Services, while Marketing & Advertising exploded in AI job growth.

Remote Work Trends

Remote Job Growth Over the Last 6 Months

Remote job postings stabilized in January 2025, rebounding after a December dip.

Overall Remote Job Trends for Past 6 Months

overall remote job trends

Key takeaways:

Remote hiring declined in December but rose again in January, returning to 5.8% of total jobs posted.
Return-to-office mandates may have influenced fluctuations, though hybrid work remains dominant.

Remote Hiring by Industry

Some industries saw continued remote job expansion, while others cut back:

Remote Jobs - % Change in New Jobs Added

change in remote job by industry

Industries increasing remote hiring:

Hospital & Healthcare (+69%)
Staffing & Recruiting (+41%)
Hospitality (+35%)

Industries reducing remote work:

Leisure, Travel & Tourism (-4%)
Mental Healthcare (-4%)

Research (-3%)

Compared to December’s report, remote hiring trends remained steady, reinforcing a long-term trend toward remote and hybrid workforce models.

Key Takeaways

Job Market Comparisons: December 2024 vs. January 2025

Stronger U.S. Growth in Job Postings: +27% in January, a significant increase from December’s +1.38%.
India’s Decline (-10%) Contrasts With December’s +8% Growth – A potential slowdown.
Canada’s Recovery (+43%) Reverses December’s -18% Decline.

Industry Trends

Retail (+38%) & Hospitality (+38%) continued strong growth.
IT & Services hiring slowed from +19% in December to +12% in January.
Marketing & Advertising AI hiring surged +237%, surpassing tech industry growth.

AI & Remote Work Adjustments

AI job growth cooled in IT & Services but surged in non-technical industries like marketing and hospitality.
Remote work grew to 5.8% of all jobs posted, with continued hybrid workforce demand.

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

The February 2025 Job Market Report highlights renewed hiring demand, shifting AI adoption trends, and unexpectedly stable demand for remote work.

🔍 For deeper workforce insights, schedule a demo with Aura.

Data Source: Publicly available, self-reported job postings as of the end of January 2025.

February 2025 Job Market Report: Workforce & AI Hiring Trends