Workspan Daily News Bytes for Oct. 2, 2026

U.S. Private Sector Added 90,000 Jobs in September; Pay Gains at 3.2%

U.S. private-sector employment increased by 90,000 jobs in August and pay was up 3.2% year-over-year, according to the ADP National Employment Report, released Wednesday, Sept. 30. The payroll processing firm noted hiring accelerated for the first time since May, led by education and healthcare as well as leisure and hospitality. Financial activities and professional and business services showed weakness.

Among the goods-producing industries:

Manufacturing, +17,000
Construction, +15,000
Natural resources/mining, -1,000

In the service-providing industries:

Education/health services, +55,000
Leisure/hospitality, +22,000
Other services, +6,000
Information, +3,000
Trade/transportation/utilities, 0
Financial activities, -16,000
Professional/business services, -11,000

Regarding compensation, base pay increased 3.0% year-over-year for job-stayers and 4.8% for job-changers. Gross pay rose 4.4% year-over year for job-stayers and 7.3% for job-changers.

“It’s a strong report,” said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. “After a three-month slowdown, job creation rebounded and pay growth remained solid.”

American Job Openings Held Steady in August

The number of U.S. job openings remained at 7.1 million in August, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), released Tuesday, Sept. 29, by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Among the survey’s key findings:

The number of hires changed little, at 5.2 million, while the rate was 3.3%. Hires changed little in all industries.
The number and rate of total separations remained unchanged, at 5.1 million and 3.2%, respectively. Total separations decreased in state and local government education (-30,000).
The number and rate of quits also were unchanged, at 3.1 million and 1.9%, respectively. Quits decreased in wholesale trade (-34,000) and in state and local government education (-21,000). Quits increased in nondurable goods manufacturing (+28,000) and in private educational services (+13,000).
The number and rate of layoffs and discharges were changed little, at 1.6 million and 1.0%, respectively. Layoffs and discharges were little changed in all industries.
The number of other separations was little changed, at 363,000.

Demand for AI Data Center Work Surges, But Median Pay Drops

Job postings for artificial intelligence (AI) data center work have jumped 118% over the past year, and demand for skilled trade workers to build these facilities has risen 109% at the same time. This is according to new research by employment website ZipRecruiter.

The data showed specialized trades were growing even faster:

Electricians (+293%)
Control system technicians (+134%)
Welders and pipefitters (+124%)
HVAC/cooling installers/mechanics (+104%)
General maintenance mechanics (+96%)

Despite the hiring spree, the median salary across all data center job posts sat around $91,600, down 7.8% from a year ago. Pay dropped across the board:

Skilled trade jobs: $61,900 (down 3.5%)
Operations jobs: $52,500 (down 22%)

At the same time, the average starting salary listed across all data center jobs more than doubled year-over-year to roughly $190,200.

In addition, the research showed the fastest-growing data center job markets were in:

Cincinnati (+192%)
Houston (+172%)
Memphis, Tenn. (+165%)
Pittsburgh (+155%)
Indianapolis (+153%)

Although hiring was spreading to new regions, coastal cities still paid the most:

San Jose, Calif. ($151,900)
San Francisco ($141,000)
Seattle ($130,800)

Many Workers Worry Being Overqualified Could Cost Them a Job

Fifty-seven percent of American workers said they would remove experience from their resume if it doubled their chances of landing a job, according to a 2026 Overqualification Report by employment website Monster.

Overall, 40% of surveyed workers believed they had already been rejected because employers viewed them as overqualified. That included 21% who said they were directly told they were overqualified, and another 19% who strongly suspected that was the reason they were rejected.

In addition, 43% of respondents said they removed or downplayed at least one part of their background. The most reported changes included:

Older work experience (18%)
Graduation year (6%)
Years of experience (6%)
Major accomplishments (4%)
Advanced degree (4%)
Leadership experience (4%)
Senior job title (2%)

The report suggests workers may intentionally pursue lower-level roles for reasons beyond career advancement. Reasons workers who would knowingly apply for a job they were overqualified for included:

Better work-life balance (25%)
Opportunity to work for a company they really want to join (19%)
Less stress or responsibility (18%)
Greater job stability (14%)
Remote or flexible work (13%)
Career change (11%)

Figures and Facts of the Week

25,000: The number of Americans who fell for an employment scam in 2025, according to data from the Better Business Bureau.
300: The number of employees recently laid off by The Walt Disney Company. According to reports, most of the cuts were to HR and technology roles. The media company, who had announced in April as many as 1,000 roles would be eliminated, stated the reductions were to reduce costs.
240: The percentage of AI mentions in Glassdoor reviews rose from May 2025 to May 2026, according to a new analysis from the employment review website. AI-positive comments tended to focus on the company benefiting from the AI boom (44%) or using AI well internally (41%). Meanwhile, many workers were concerned about AI replacement (20%), while others resented being force-fed AI tools (14%) or thought their company was focused on AI at the expense of their core business (13%).
75: The percentage of HR leaders who said increasing operational efficiency was their top workforce priority for the next 12 months, according to new research by people intelligence platform Surface. Other priorities included accelerating AI adoption (54%), retaining high performers (47%), upskilling employees (35%) and improving workforce adaptability (33%).
61: The percentage of global workers who felt confident they could grow their skills, according to a new survey by management consultant firm PwC. Despite that number, only 51% of the workers cited being able to access learning and development resources, down from 59% last year.
61: The percentage of U.S. professionals who think free job boards sell their personal data, according to a new survey by career website JobLeads.
41: The percentage of part-time workers in the U.S. private sector who don’t have access to paid sick leave, according to data analyzed by the National Partnership for Women and Families.
14: The percentage that CEO pay rose in 2025 at the top 350 U.S. firms. The figure equates to an average of $27.9 million. The new analysis by the Economic Policy Institute also noted CEOs made 325 times as much as the typical worker in 2025, and from 1978 to 2025, top CEO compensation skyrocketed 1,316% while typical workers’ compensation increased only 28%.