Most U.S. companies surveyed are not adding new jobs, Hire With Near finds

Hire With Near surveyed 102 U.S. hiring leaders and found that more than eight in 10 are not creating new roles. The results point to weak demand, automation and caution around long-term payroll commitments as companies wait for steadier business before hiring.

Why it matters: - The findings suggest U.S. employers are still in a cautious hiring mode, with many businesses avoiding new payroll commitments even when work exists. - That trend helps explain the economy’s “low hire, low fire” pattern: companies are not laying off many workers, but they are also not expanding headcount quickly. - The slowdown matters most for job seekers, since fewer new roles mean fewer openings outside replacement hiring.

What happened: - Hire With Near released survey results from 102 U.S. founders, hiring managers, human resources leaders and department heads who described their company’s hiring plans between Oct. 21 and Oct. 26, 2026. - Sixty percent said their company is only replacing people who leave. - Twenty-three percent said the company is holding off on hiring altogether. - Eighteen percent said the company is hiring for new roles. - The survey asked whether companies were hiring and, if not, why.

The details: - Among the 84 companies not adding roles, 43% said demand is not steady enough to justify a new salary. - Twenty-one percent said AI or automation now covers work a new hire would have done. - Ten percent said they reviewed the work before posting a role and found a process problem that could be fixed without hiring. - Seven percent said the current team can handle the workload. - Six percent said the bigger problem was finding qualified people, mostly in trades such as heating and cooling, plumbing and roofing. - Companies describing demand uncertainty said they can only forecast a few months ahead. - Some said a busy month or a promising pipeline was not enough to justify a long-term salary. - Some customers are delaying purchases or splitting large projects into phases, which adds to the caution. - The 18% still adding roles are mostly hiring revenue-generating or customer-facing jobs such as technicians, specialists and client-facing staff. - Companies that are holding back most often said hiring would resume after several months of steady orders, longer client contracts or a specific deal closing. - Hire With Near said respondents were counted once under the main reason they gave.

Between the lines: - The survey points to a labor market where companies want flexibility more than expansion. - AI is now part of the hiring calculation for a meaningful share of employers, not just a future possibility. - The biggest trigger for new hiring is not optimism alone; it is proof that demand can hold long enough to support a permanent salary. - The mix of results also shows a split between office roles, which are being delayed or absorbed, and front-line or revenue roles, which are still getting funded. - Economist-style labor data cited alongside the survey show hiring and layoffs both remain subdued, reinforcing the same pattern from another angle.

What's next: - Hire With Near expects hiring to stay tied to visible revenue signals, including sustained orders, longer contracts and closing deals. - More companies may keep using automation to avoid new headcount where the work can be absorbed. - If demand becomes steadier, the firms sitting on the sidelines could open more roles, especially in customer-facing and revenue-producing functions. - Hire With Near said its placement data also shows strong demand for sales development representatives among U.S. companies hiring in Latin America.

The bottom line: - U.S. employers are not broadly freezing hiring, but many are waiting for clearer demand before they add permanent roles.