LinkedIn Job Statistics 2026: What the Numbers Actually Tell You
- Sophie Ricci
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Table of Contents
LinkedIn Job Statistics 2026
- LinkedIn now has over 1.15 billion members across 200 countries – representing essentially everyone with a professional email address
- Over 65 million decision-makers and 10 million C-level executives – providing direct access to hiring authorities and budget holders
- Only 1% of LinkedIn users actually post content weekly – yet this tiny fraction generates 9 billion impressions per week
- Hiring in 2025 is running about 20% slower compared to pre-pandemic levels – companies have become more cautious with hiring budgets
- Wholesale sector jumped 15.7% month-over-month in July 2025 – showing the highest hiring velocity among all industries
- Technology sector showed 10.6% month-over-month growth – after two brutal years of layoffs, the trend is finally reversing
- Data analyst average salary hit $111,000 in 2025 – jumping over $20,000 from early 2024, signaling strong demand
- SQL shows up in 64% of data analyst job descriptions – making it a non-negotiable skill for the role
- Profiles with “Open to Work” frame receive 37% higher response rates from recruiters – over 28 million people actively use this feature
- LinkedIn InMail response rates: 18% to 25% – compared to cold email’s 1-5%, making InMail 5x more effective
- Keeping InMail under 400 characters boosts replies by 22% – short, professional messages significantly outperform longer ones
- Cold email open rates dropped from 36% to 27.7% in 2024-2025 – showing increasing deliverability and engagement challenges
- Multichannel approaches increase engagement by 287% – combining LinkedIn + Email versus single-channel outreach
- Professionals with high Social Selling Index create 45% more opportunities – and are 51% more likely to hit their sales quotas
- 74.24% of LinkedIn visits come from desktop devices – meaning users are in work mode, ready to consume detailed professional content
Here’s the thing about job hunting in 2025: everyone’s scrolling through LinkedIn, but almost nobody knows what’s actually happening behind the scenes. You’re probably wondering if that “Open to Work” banner helps or hurts, whether data analyst roles are still hot, or if companies are even hiring anymore.
Let me break down the linkedin job statistics that actually matter—without the corporate fluff.
The Real Story Behind LinkedIn’s Numbers
LinkedIn now has over 1.15 billion members across 200 countries. That’s basically everyone with a professional email address. But here’s what matters more: the platform hosts over 65 million decision-makers and 10 million C-level executives. That’s where your opportunity lives.
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Think about it this way: if you’re trying to land a job or fill a position, you’re swimming in the same pool as a billion other people. The question isn’t whether LinkedIn works—it’s whether you’re using it right.
According to linkedin users data, about 31.25% of all LinkedIn traffic comes from the United States, making it the dominant market for B2B connections and professional opportunities. But here’s the kicker: despite having a billion members, only 1% of LinkedIn users actually post content weekly. Yet this tiny fraction generates 9 billion impressions per week.
What does this mean for you? If you’re actively engaging and posting, you’re already in the top 1% of visibility.
National Hiring Trends: What’s Actually Happening
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Hiring in 2025 is running about 20% slower compared to pre-pandemic levels (July 2019 baseline). Companies got cautious, budgets got tighter, and that “hiring spree” everyone talked about? It’s over.
But wait—it’s not all doom and gloom.
While national hiring saw a modest 4.6% month-over-month increase from June to July 2025, the annual comparison shows it’s still 4.9% lower than July 2024. Translation: things are stabilizing, but we’re not back to the “spray and pray” hiring days.
The reality? Companies are being selective. They’re hiring for must-have roles, not nice-to-have ones. Your application needs to hit harder and be more specific than ever before.
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Industries That Are Actually Hiring Right Now
Here’s where the linkedin job data gets interesting. Not all industries are struggling. Some are quietly booming:
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Wholesale jumped 15.7% month-over-month in July 2025. Retail followed with a 12.2% increase. If you’re in supply chain, logistics, or retail tech, opportunities are opening up.
Technology sector (yes, tech) showed 10.6% month-over-month growth after two brutal years of layoffs. While year-over-year is only up 0.3%, the trend is reversing. Companies are finally filling engineering and sales roles again.
Financial Services posted a 9.9% monthly increase, showing stability when everything else feels uncertain.
On the flip side, Government Administration dropped 13.5% year-over-year, and Holding Companies fell 9.3%. If you’re targeting these sectors, adjust your expectations accordingly.
Quick breakdown of hiring velocity by sector (July 2025):
- Wholesale: +15.7% MoM, -6.9% YoY
- Retail: +12.2% MoM, -1.6% YoY
- Tech, Info & Media: +10.6% MoM, +0.3% YoY
- Financial Services: +9.9% MoM, -0.9% YoY
- Professional Services: +7.3% MoM, -4.0% YoY
- Healthcare: -0.5% MoM, -3.5% YoY
- Education: +0.1% MoM, -4.6% YoY
The pattern? Short-term gains don’t always mean long-term recovery. Focus on industries with positive monthly AND yearly trends for the safest bet.
Data Analyst Jobs: Still Worth It?
You asked about data analyst job linkedin opportunities, so let’s get specific.
Data analyst roles are not dying to AI—they’re evolving. The average salary hit $111,000 in 2025, jumping over $20,000 from early 2024. That’s a massive signal of demand, not decline.
Here’s the catch: entry-level positions (0-2 years experience) are softening as basic tasks get automated. But mid-level roles (4-6 years experience) now make up 8% of postings, and companies are willing to pay premium rates for people who can translate data into business strategy.
Skills that matter most in 2025:
- SQL: Shows up in 64% of job descriptions (non-negotiable)
- Excel: Still in 41.3% of postings (yes, really)
- Tableau: Leads visualization tools at 28.1%
- Power BI: Close second at 24.7%
- Machine Learning: Mentions doubled year-over-year to 14% (the new frontier)
The market isn’t looking for people who can just pull reports anymore. They want data storytellers who can explain what the numbers mean for revenue, customer retention, or product strategy.
If you’re pivoting into data analysis, focus on learning business context, not just technical tools. The algorithm can clean data. It can’t yet explain why Q3 revenue dropped or which customer segment is worth targeting next.
The Geography of Opportunity
Not all cities recovered equally. New York City posted a massive 14.7% month-over-month hiring increase in mid-2025, challenging the “death of cities” narrative. If you’re in finance, media, or advertising, NYC density is your advantage again.
But secondary markets are growing too: St. Louis (+6.9%) and Denver (+6.8%) are outperforming their size. These cities offer a strategic edge: less competition, growing companies, and lower cost of living.
Meanwhile, San Francisco Bay Area hiring remains 36% below pre-pandemic levels despite a 2.0% year-over-year increase. The gold rush is over. Selling into Silicon Valley or landing a tech role there requires more sophistication than it used to.
Cities seeing decline:
- Atlanta: -2.8% MoM
- Cleveland: -1.2% MoM
- Detroit: -1.0% MoM
If you’re mobile and open to relocation, target cities with momentum, not just prestige names.
Open to Work: Does That Green Banner Actually Help?
Let’s settle this debate once and for all.
Yes, it works. Profiles with the “Open to Work” frame receive 37% higher response rates from recruiters. Over 28 million people use it, and recruiters actively filter for it to find responsive candidates.
The stigma of “desperation” is mostly in your head. Recruiters don’t see it that way. They see someone who’s actively looking and likely to reply, which makes their job easier.
Should you use it? If you’re serious about finding a new role, absolutely. If you’re passively browsing while employed, maybe skip it to avoid awkward conversations with your current boss.
The data doesn’t lie: people with the banner get more outreach. Whether you get the right outreach depends on how well your profile is optimized for the roles you actually want.
Remote Work Reality Check
Here’s what the agreement privacy policy and platform data tells us about remote work in 2025:
28% of the global workforce works remotely, but here’s the gap: 98% of employees want remote work at least some of the time. That massive disconnect creates fierce competition for fully remote roles.
Hybrid work has become the compromise for senior positions. Companies list roles as “remote” to attract applicants, then reveal hybrid requirements during interviews. It’s frustrating, but common.
Fully remote postings receive exponentially more applications, allowing employers to be hyper-selective. If you’re applying to remote-only roles, your competition just multiplied by 10x.
Strategic move? Target hybrid roles in your city. Less competition, more leverage to negotiate remote flexibility once you’re in.
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LinkedIn InMail vs Cold Email: What Actually Works
If you’re on the hiring or sales side, here’s the linkedin statistics jobs professionals need to know:
LinkedIn InMail response rates: 18% to 25%
Cold email response rates: 1% to 5%
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That’s not a typo. InMail is 5x more effective for reaching decision-makers. Why? Trust. The recipient can instantly verify who you are, your mutual connections, and your employment history.
Best practices for InMail:
- Keep it under 400 characters (boosts replies by 22%)
- Lead with context, not a pitch
- Treat it like a professional text message, not a sales letter
Cold email isn’t dead—it’s just harder. Open rates dropped from 36% to 27.7% in 2024-2025, and 17% of cold emails never reach the inbox due to authentication failures.
The winning strategy? Combine both. Use LinkedIn to build familiarity, then follow up via email. Multichannel approaches increase engagement by 287% compared to single-channel outreach.
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The Social Selling Index: Does It Actually Matter?
Here’s an interesting stat: professionals with a high Social Selling Index (SSI) create 45% more opportunities and are 51% more likely to hit their quotas.
The SSI measures four things:
- Establishing your professional brand
- Finding the right people
- Engaging with insights
- Building relationships
Translation: If you’re actively engaging on LinkedIn—commenting thoughtfully, posting occasionally, and building genuine connections—you’re statistically more likely to succeed in your career.
Passive LinkedIn users (profile exists, never post, rarely engage) miss this multiplier effect. You don’t need to be an influencer. You just need to be visible and valuable to your target audience.
For more on leveraging LinkedIn strategically, explore social selling techniques that drive real results.
Technical Changes You Need to Know About
LinkedIn rolled out some major policy updates that affect how your data is used:
As of November 2025, LinkedIn uses member data (posts, profile details, usage patterns) to train its AI models by default. If you’re concerned about intellectual property or privacy, you can opt out manually in settings.
This affects the agreement privacy policy, cookie policy, and how your join sign data is processed. The changes expanded to EU, UK, and Swiss users in late 2025, testing GDPR boundaries.
What this means for you: LinkedIn’s AI matching tools (for jobs, connections, content) are getting smarter by feeding on billions of user interactions. If you’re job searching, this actually helps—the algorithm gets better at surfacing relevant opportunities. But if you’re posting proprietary content, be aware it might train future AI.
Privacy controls: Navigate to Settings > Data Privacy > and review your AI training opt-out options.
Device Usage: Why This Matters for Your Content
Here’s a weird stat that affects strategy: 74.24% of LinkedIn visits come from desktop devices, with only 25.76% from mobile (August 2024 – January 2025).
Compare that to Instagram or TikTok, which are mobile-first, and you realize LinkedIn users are sitting at desks, in work mode, ready to consume detailed information.
What this means:
- Long-form posts perform better than you think
- Detailed case studies and white papers actually get read
- Complex infographics work (they’re not squinting at a phone screen)
- Professional, in-depth content beats snackable content
If you’re creating content or building a personal brand, optimize for desktop viewing. That means readable fonts, detailed explanations, and content that rewards attention—not scroll-and-skip behavior.
Why LinkedIn Outbound Beats Traditional Cold Outreach
Let’s connect the dots on linkedin job data and outreach effectiveness.
Traditional cold email is struggling with deliverability issues (spam filters, authentication failures, low open rates). Meanwhile, LinkedIn provides direct access to 65+ million decision-makers with guaranteed delivery to their inbox.
The breakdown:
Feature | LinkedIn InMail | Cold Email |
Response Rate | 18-25% | 1-5% |
Open Rate | 50-60% | 20-28% |
Deliverability | 100% (no spam folder) | ~83% (17% bounce/spam) |
Cost | High ($29.99+/mo) | Low (near zero marginal cost) |
Scalability | Limited (credit caps) | Unlimited |
The smart play? Use LinkedIn for high-value targets where response rates matter. Use email for volume and follow-ups. Combine both for maximum effectiveness.
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What This Means for Your Strategy
Here’s the synthesis of all these linkedin job statistics:
If you’re job searching:
- Target industries with positive month-over-month AND year-over-year growth
- Use the “Open to Work” banner—it works
- Optimize your profile for desktop viewers (detailed, professional, data-rich)
- Focus on mid-level positions if you have 4-6 years experience (highest demand)
- Learn business context, not just technical skills
If you’re hiring or selling:
- LinkedIn InMail is worth the premium for qualified leads
- Post consistently to join the top 1% of visible users
- Target secondary markets (St. Louis, Denver) for less competition
- Use multichannel sequences (LinkedIn + Email) for 287% better engagement
- Focus on relationship-building, not transactional pitches
If you’re in data analysis:
- SQL and business logic are your competitive advantages
- Machine Learning skills are becoming table stakes
- Mid-level roles (4-6 years) are the sweet spot
- Salary growth (+$20K YoY) signals strong demand
The market isn’t what it was in 2021. But it’s not broken either. It’s just more selective, more strategic, and more sophisticated. The opportunities are there for people who understand the actual numbers—not the headlines.
Conclusion
The linkedin statistics jobs data for 2025 tells a clear story: macro slowdown, but micro opportunities everywhere.
National hiring is down 20% from pre-pandemic levels, but Wholesale, Retail, and Tech are rebounding. Data analyst jobs are growing in complexity and pay. LinkedIn InMail crushes cold email for response rates. Remote work is competitive, but hybrid roles offer leverage. And that “Open to Work” banner? It increases your recruiter response rate by 37%.
The biggest insight? Success in 2025 isn’t about working harder. It’s about working smarter with better data, targeting growth sectors, and leveraging platform psychology (like posting to join the top 1% of visibility).
Whether you’re job hunting, hiring, or building professional relationships, the numbers don’t lie. But they only help if you actually use them to guide your strategy.
FAQs
What are the most in-demand jobs on LinkedIn in 2025?
Is the "Open to Work" banner effective or harmful for candidates?
What is a good response rate for LinkedIn InMail vs Cold Email?
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