Tech Job Market: Monthly Hiring Counts 2020–2026
The 2021–2022 period saw an unprecedented tech hiring boom, with job postings reaching record highs as companies expanded aggressively post-COVID. The peak was 2020-01 with 551 postings. The tide turned sharply in 2023: mass layoffs at Meta, Amazon, Google, and others triggered a significant hiring contraction that persisted into 2024. Meanwhile, the AI boom created a bifurcated market — strong demand for ML engineers and AI product roles, while generalist roles remained suppressed. The data below spans all 76 months tracked.
| Month | Total Job Postings |
|---|---|
| 2020-01 | 551 |
| 2020-02 | 349 |
| 2020-03 | 360 |
| 2020-04 | 261 |
| 2020-05 | 294 |
| 2020-06 | 276 |
| 2020-07 | 277 |
| 2020-08 | 349 |
| 2020-09 | 325 |
| 2020-10 | 352 |
| 2020-11 | 340 |
| 2020-12 | 332 |
| 2021-01 | 353 |
| 2021-02 | 485 |
| 2021-03 | 441 |
| 2021-04 | 454 |
| 2021-05 | 453 |
| 2021-06 | 501 |
| 2021-07 | 470 |
| 2021-08 | 410 |
| 2021-09 | 427 |
| 2021-10 | 341 |
| 2021-11 | 471 |
| 2021-12 | 325 |
| 2022-01 | 270 |
| 2022-02 | 373 |
| 2022-03 | 327 |
| 2022-04 | 322 |
| 2022-05 | 360 |
| 2022-06 | 308 |
| 2022-07 | 212 |
| 2022-08 | 281 |
| 2022-09 | 225 |
| 2022-10 | 194 |
| 2022-11 | 231 |
| 2022-12 | 202 |
| 2023-01 | 157 |
| 2023-02 | 189 |
| 2023-03 | 180 |
| 2023-04 | 151 |
| 2023-05 | 141 |
| 2023-06 | 131 |
| 2023-07 | 142 |
| 2023-08 | 155 |
| 2023-09 | 130 |
| 2023-10 | 150 |
| 2023-11 | 166 |
| 2023-12 | 134 |
| 2024-01 | 114 |
| 2024-02 | 168 |
| 2024-03 | 145 |
| 2024-04 | 136 |
| 2024-05 | 203 |
| 2024-06 | 163 |
| 2024-07 | 176 |
| 2024-08 | 162 |
| 2024-09 | 136 |
| 2024-10 | 166 |
| 2024-11 | 161 |
| 2024-12 | 153 |
| 2025-01 | 121 |
| 2025-02 | 200 |
| 2025-03 | 176 |
| 2025-04 | 132 |
| 2025-05 | 152 |
| 2025-06 | 154 |
| 2025-07 | 154 |
| 2025-08 | 137 |
| 2025-09 | 131 |
| 2025-10 | 169 |
| 2025-11 | 198 |
| 2025-12 | 169 |
| 2026-01 | 112 |
| 2026-02 | 224 |
| 2026-03 | 280 |
| 2026-04 | 160 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did tech hiring decline in 2023?
Tech job postings experienced approximately a 42% year-over-year decline in 2023, following mass layoffs at major companies including Meta, Amazon, Google, and others. This was one of the sharpest contractions in modern tech hiring history.
When was the peak of the tech hiring boom?
Tech hiring hit record highs during the 2021–2022 period, when companies expanded aggressively post-COVID. Monthly job postings in HN Who is Hiring threads reached their highest levels ever during this period.
How has AI affected tech hiring volumes?
The AI boom created a bifurcated job market: strong demand for ML engineers and AI product roles, while generalist roles remained suppressed. AI is also cited as a factor in approximately 25% of tech layoffs in 2026, as companies automate roles previously filled by junior engineers.
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