October Jobs Data: A Global Pullback Comes into Focus

How the Global Job Market is Shifting Going Into October

The global job market entered a period of sharp deceleration in September, with most regions and sectors experiencing notable slowdowns. According to the latest Aura Jobs Report for October, job postings decreased by approximately 10% globally through September, reflecting widespread economic caution, a cooling hiring appetite, and deeper sectoral corrections, particularly in technology and internet sectors.

At the same time, Aura CEO Evan Sohn appeared on CNBC to provide a real-time perspective on these shifting labor dynamics. With the official U.S. jobs report delayed due to a government shutdown, Sohn and others are turning to alternative data to fill in the gaps. Aura’s workforce analytics helped paint a more nuanced, forward-looking picture of what's really happening in the workforce and economy at large.

This October job market update combines key findings from Aura’s report with commentary from Sohn’s national broadcast appearance on CNBC, providing a clear view of where hiring is cooling, where resilience remains, and what these signals mean for the months ahead.

Global Hiring Falls: But Not Everywhere

September saw broad-based declines across major economies, with the United States posting a steep 13.8% month-over-month drop in job postings. Other regions fared even worse:

• Latin America: down 16%

• “Other” (smaller or mixed markets): down 17.2%

• North America overall: down 13.3%

• Asia-Pacific: down 8.3%

These slowdowns point to a mix of recessionary jitters, post-summer hiring pullbacks, AI-related restructuring, and early signs of Q4 budget tightening.

U.S. Hiring Pullback Deepens in Key Sectors

In his CNBC interview, Evan Sohn highlighted that Aura’s job posting data showed a grinding halt in hiring across most industries, with only minor exceptions in retail and education near the end of the month. Even healthcare, typically a defensive sector, declined significantly, which Sohn called a "looming concern."

This is consistent with the Aura job market report for October, which shows:

The biggest shock came from the Internet sector, which collapsed by 32%, and computer software, which dropped 19%. Sohn called this a "major correction," and suggests that there may be a combination of:

• VC funding pullbacks

• AI-related role consolidation

• Declines in tech-related consumer spending

Europe Emerges as a Hiring Outlier

Europe bucked the global trend with a +2.8% increase in job postings. Within Europe:

• France led with +6.7%

• The United Kingdom followed at +5.3%

• Germany and the Netherlands remained relatively stable

This resilience may be driven by different macroeconomic cycles, more supportive labor policies, or counter-cyclical investments,  such as government infrastructure spending or digital transformation initiatives that are still underway.

Remote Work Share Climbs Despite Hiring Slowdown

Industries Driving the Next Wave of Remote Jobs

The composition of remote hiring is also changing:

• Social services and family care remote roles exploded (+171%), indicating rising demand for virtual support functions.

• Travel & tourism rose 71%, likely a result of pent-up seasonal demand plus digital-first booking trends.

• In contrast, retail (-30%), online media (-29%), and industrial sectors saw a sharp decline in remote job postings.

This shows that remote work is becoming more specialized and targeted toward sectors that can genuinely benefit from it.

Job Postings vs. Hiring Intentions: What Employers Are Signaling

On CNBC, Sohn also pointed out that many firms still intend to hire but are struggling to execute their plans. There’s a widening gap between ambition and action,  especially in sectors where uncertainty is high or where economic visibility is limited.

As NFIB data also revealed, companies cite high uncertainty, reduced candidate pools, and confusion over macroeconomic policy (such as Federal Reserve decisions) as reasons to delay hiring decisions. Sohn noted that had the Fed cut rates earlier in the summer, we might have seen more stability or growth in Q4 hiring plans.

What These Job Market Shifts Mean for Q4

Here’s how leaders, investors, and strategists might want to interpret the current signals:

Why Workforce Intelligence Matters Now

Aura’s October Jobs Report shows hiring demand slowing across the board, in a clear recalibration.  For companies and investors, understanding the job market's composition, timing, and geographic diversity is crucial. And that’s exactly where workforce intelligence platforms like Aura are proving essential.

As Evan Sohn noted on CNBC, traditional reports are either lagging or have been delayed, and by the time they arrive, key decisions have already been made. If your team is still waiting for monthly labor releases to make workforce decisions, you may already be behind.

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