The Upjohn Institute New Hires Quality Index held steady in August, with average wages for new hires holding at $22.15 an hour, tying the high point for 2025. But hiring volume slipped again, down 0.3 percent from July and 2.6 percent from a year ago. Adjusted for population growth, hiring rates are at record lows, 10.5 percent below pre-pandemic levels.
In this month’s report, index creator Brad Hershbein explores also examines the hiring differences between men and women. In the years after the pandemic, women—especially mothers—led the way in labor force participation and often landed higher-paying jobs. Over the past year, however, men have regained ground. The average earnings power of male new hires rose 1.5 percent, while that of women slipped 0.3 percent, narrowing the gap between the groups.
Hiring volume tells another story. Both men and women have faced steady declines since 2022, but women’s hiring fell 3.0 percent in the past year compared with 2.0 percent for men. Hiring rates for both are now near historic lows.
The NHQI tracks both the wages and volume of newly hired workers. See the full data and interactive charts at upjohn.org/nhqi.