• Active jobs experienced a 1.1% decline YoY in Q2 2025
  • Retail and healthcare sectors trend with highest postings
  • Job postings fell in the US as well as in other major labor markets, including India and the UK
  • Shift toward onshore hiring led to drop in offshore roles with APAC seeing a prominent decline

The number of global active jobs experienced a 1.1% year-over-year (YoY) decline during the second quarter (Q2) of 2025. Onshore hiring strengthened even as offshore roles declined, reflecting companies’ focus on optimizing operations closer to key markets. While overall hiring dipped amid layoffs and economic uncertainty, selective growth in renewable energy job postings, coupled with big data demand, signified rising need for data center talent. This highlights a strategic shift toward building resilient, future-ready workforces aligned with evolving business and regulatory priorities, reveals the Job Analytics Database of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Sherla Sriprada, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Job postings fell in the US as well as in other major labor markets, including India and the UK. However, Canada and the UAE saw hiring momentum, defying drop in other markets. Companies stepped up onshore hiring across regions, leading to a pullback in offshore recruitment, with a more prominent decline seen in the Asia-Pacific.”

GlobalData’s report, “Global Hiring Activity Trends & Signals – Q2 2025,” reveals that big data and cloud were the top tech themes for the quarter followed by AI. GenAI and smart robots were top themes within AI. Nvidia outpaced rivals in the semiconductor sector with high agentic AI job postings. The US and India posted the highest number of GenAI jobs.

Retail sector posted the highest number of new job postings during the quarter followed by healthcare, with major recruiters being Amazon, Walmart, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Tenet Healthcare, and Trinity Health. Meanwhile, foodservice sector saw strong job postings growth fueled by new store openings by global QSR players such as Domino’s Pizza.

Sriprada concludes: “The evolving job market signals a deeper structural shift toward tech-driven industries and sustainable energy. Organizations that realign talent strategies around digital capabilities, automation, and green innovation are likely to gain a competitive edge, while regions fostering skilled labor in these areas stand to benefit from stronger economic resilience.”