Where we see Opportunity

Healthcare & Health Technology

Healthcare job opportunites continues to be a strong leader of opportunity and growth in the labor force.

Healthcare employment increased by approximately 17,000 jobs in September, led by ambulatory healthcare services and hospitals. The pace has slowed from the prior 12-month average, but demand remains substantial. Bureau of Labor Statistics

August job-openings data showed about 1.36 million openings in the space, and has the largest job openings in the economy. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Within health technology, we continue to see value in people who can operate at the intersection of healthcare and technology:

  • Data engineering and healthcare data architecture

  • Value-based care analytics

  • Clinical and operational leadership

  • Product

  • Software engineering

  • Healthcare interoperability and data standards

In specialized areas like these, finding a strong technical professional is not enough.

Employers increasingly need someone who understands the environment where that technology is being applied.

Data, Software & Cybersecurity

The tech sector has two faces..

Employment in this spaced declined by approximately 10,000 jobs in September. OK? But

However, on a positive note, employer demand for technology skills increasing.

CompTIA's October 2 analysis found 272,040 new IT job postings in September and 625,633 active postings—the highest active-posting total in more than three years. That’s solid news. And also add in, new postings are up 16% from a year ago, and active postings are up 22.4%. Active postings requiring AI-related skills reached 349,821. AOL.com

Software developers and engineers remained among the most sought-after technology professionals, with continued demand across systems engineering, technical support, data analysis, DevOps and cybersecurity-related work. CourierPR

That distinction is important:

Tech companies appetite for new employment may soften, while companies in the broader economy continue competing for technology talent.

We continue to pay particular attention to experienced data engineers, AI and data infrastructure, cybersecurity and identity/access management, cloud and DevOps, healthcare-data professionals and engineers capable of connecting technical decisions directly to business outcomes.

Specialization increasingly matters.

Finance & Accounting

Finance remains selective, with not a lot of expansion.

Employment in this sector declined by approximately 7,000 positions in September and remains below its May 2025 peak.

At the same time, August JOLTS data still showed roughly 403,000 openings, including approximately 353,000 within finance and insurance. So that is a positive.

That creates a market where employers can be cautious overall while still struggling to fill positions that are operationally critical.

We continue to see value around:

  • Controllers

  • Cost-accounting leaders

  • Operational finance

  • Finance leadership inside manufacturing and private-equity-backed organizations

In a selective market, employers may delay some hires, but have a harder time leaving critical financial leadership gaps unfilled.

Manufacturing & Industrial

Manufacturing delivered a positive report.

Manufacturing employment increased approximately 9,000 jobs in September and is up roughly 72,000 from its December 2025 low. Machinery manufacturing and plastics and rubber products each added around 5,000 positions during the month.

August JOLTS data showed approximately 522,000 manufacturing openings.

Within specialized manufacturers, we continue to see opportunity around:

  • Plant leadership

  • Capital-equipment sales

  • Mechanical engineering

  • Process improvement

These are the roles where industry knowledge cannot simply be replaced by general experience.

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The Hiring Market Isn't Frozen. It's Selective.

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AI can find more people. It can't decide which person matters.