The Monthly Workforce Update shows continued employment growth despite cooling labor demand, while new AI adoption slows and changes in work activities remain concentrated within existing occupations

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Revelio Labs, a leading workforce intelligence company, today released its latest edition of Revelio Public Labor Statistics (RPLS) and the AI Labor Market Tracker. The US economy added 56.9k jobs in September, even as active job postings declined another 1.8%. Meanwhile, the latest AI Tracker shows that the number of firms newly adopting generative AI tools has fallen 48% from its April peak. Despite the slowdown in new adoption, cumulative adoption continues to rise, while 90% of year-over-year changes in work activities occur within existing occupations rather than through shifts between them.

Revelio Labs’ Monthly Workforce Update brings together RPLS and the AI Labor Market Tracker for a comprehensive readout on US employment, AI adoption, labor demand, and the forces shaping the labor market.

Key findings – September 2026

• The US economy added 56.9k jobs in September, led by Public Administration and Health Care and Social Assistance. Information and Transportation recorded employment declines.
• Active job postings fell 1.8% month over month to 18.12 million, down 1.3% compared with September 2025. Leisure & Hospitality experienced the largest monthly decline (14.6%).
• Hiring rates declined across 13 of 17 sector categories, while attrition rates declined across 15, reinforcing the picture of a low-hire, low-fire labor market.
• The pace of new firm AI adoption has fallen 48% from its April peak, including a 17% decline in August compared with July. Cumulative adoption nevertheless continues to rise, reaching 7% of eligible US hiring firms.
• AI-adopting firms continue to expand employment relative to non-adopters, with a 27% increase in the relative headcount gap since the pre-ChatGPT baseline.
• 90% of year-over-year changes in work activities occur within occupations rather than through shifts in the occupational mix, up from 89% in the previous tracker.

US adds 56.9k jobs as hiring and attrition continue to cool

The US economy added 56.9k jobs in September, with employment gains driven by Public Administration and Health Care and Social Assistance. Meanwhile, Information and Transportation recorded declines in employment.

Despite continued employment growth, labor demand weakened further. Active job postings fell 1.8% from August to 18.12 million, leaving them 1.3% below their September 2025 level. Leisure & Hospitality experienced the largest contraction, with postings down 14.6% month over month. Education & Health Services and Professional & Business Services also recorded declines exceeding 2%.

The slowdown is also visible in worker flows. Seasonally adjusted hiring rates declined in 13 of the 17 sector categories tracked in the hiring and attrition data, while attrition rates fell in 15. Both hiring and attrition declined in sectors including Health Care and Social Assistance, Professional and Business Services, Manufacturing, and Retail Trade.

Taken together, the latest figures reinforce the picture of a labor market in low-hire, low-fire mode. Employers continue to add jobs, but both recruitment and worker departures are slowing, pointing to reduced movement across an otherwise relatively stable labor market.

Pace of new AI adoption falls 48% from April peak

The latest AI Labor Market Tracker shows that the pace of new firm-level adoption of generative AI continues to moderate. The number of newly adopting firms declined 17% in August compared with July and is now 48% below its April peak.

This slowdown does not represent a reversal in overall adoption. Cumulative adoption continues to rise, with approximately 7% of eligible US hiring firms now classified as AI adopters.

Meanwhile, adopting firms continue to expand employment relative to non-adopters. The relative headcount gap between the two groups has increased by 27% since the pre-ChatGPT baseline, although adopting firms were already growing faster before adoption. Employment gains are uneven across seniority levels, with a 32% relative increase for senior roles compared with 6% for junior roles.

The tracker also shows that changes in work activities continue to occur predominantly within existing occupations rather than through shifts in the occupational mix. Currently, 90% of year-over-year changes in work activities take place within occupations, up from 89% in the previous tracker.

To make these changes more accessible, Revelio Labs has expanded its Activity Explorer, allowing users to search individual occupations and examine how their mix of work activities has evolved since 2022. For example, Data Scientists show an increase in data analytics and AI implementation work, while Registered Nurses show an increase in staff supervision and operational support.

“The labor market continues to add jobs, but both hiring and attrition are still slowing,” said Lisa Simon, Chief Economist at Revelio Labs. “On the AI side, we’re seeing a slowdown in the number of firms newly adopting these tools, although overall adoption continues to increase. At the same time, the composition of work is evolving, largely within existing occupations. These developments remind us that understanding AI’s impact on the labor market requires looking beyond headline employment numbers to how firms adopt technology and how jobs themselves are changing.”

Explore the full releases

Full RPLS release, September 2026 → https://www.reveliolabs.com/public-labor-statistics/

AI Labor Market Tracker → https://www.reveliolabs.com/ai-labor-market-tracker

Both releases include downloadable data and charts. Journalists and researchers may reproduce the figures with attribution to Revelio Labs.

About Revelio Labs

Revelio Labs is a workforce intelligence and research company building the definitive standard for global workforce information. Our team of data scientists, economists, and engineers transforms billions of public employment records into clean, reliable, and standardized data spanning more than 30 million companies, over 5 billion job postings, and 195+ countries. Through the Revelio Terminal, economic research, and public labor market releases, Revelio Labs provides a comprehensive view of the global workforce, helping organizations make critical labor market decisions. Learn more at reveliolabs.com.

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SOURCE Revelio Labs