The Jobs That Are Actually Available Right Now: 7.1 Million Openings, Ranked by Where the Work Is

The U.S. economy had 7.1 million job openings in August 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employers made 5.2 million hires, while workers recorded 3.1 million quits and employers reported 1.6 million layoffs and discharges. The figures were little changed from the prior month.

America currently has a stalled labor market. Hiring is weak, layoffs remain subdued, and workers are finding fewer opportunities to move.

The phrase “most available jobs” has three different meanings. Confusing them produces misleading rankings:

Openings by industry: where vacancies actually sit right now, measured by the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS.
Largest occupations: where the largest total number of jobs already exists, measured by BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Projected growth: where employment is expected to expand over the next decade, measured by BLS Employment Projections.

This ranking starts with current openings, then measures occupational scale and future growth.

1. Where the Openings Are Right Now

JOLTS measures positions open on the last business day of the month. A qualifying opening must have work available, be capable of starting within 30 days, and be under active recruitment. It is not a guarantee that a specific applicant will be hired.

The latest detailed August table reports the following seasonally adjusted openings:

Source: BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, August 2026. Figures are seasonally adjusted and preliminary where identified by BLS.

Health care remains the largest current opening pool. But the cooling data matters. Openings declined from 1.474 million in July to 1.359 million in August, while layoffs and discharges increased from 149,000 to 199,000. The simple claim that “health care is always hiring” requires qualification.

The broader labor market also weakened. The September Employment Situation showed just 29,000 net new nonfarm payroll jobs and a 4.2% unemployment rate. Health care added about 17,000 jobs, slower than its 12-month average. Leisure and hospitality added approximately 10,000, mostly in food services, after a sharp slowdown the month before.

Home health aide assisting an older adult in a bright living room

2. Where the Most Jobs Actually Exist

An opening count measures current vacancies. It does not measure the total size of an occupation. For scale, the latest BLS OEWS data show where millions of Americans already work:

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wage definitions should be checked against the specific BLS table before making local compensation decisions.

The scale is significant. Home health and personal care aides form one of the country’s largest occupations, but the median wage is considerably lower than the national wage for registered nurses or software developers.

That distinction is central to any serious career decision. A job can be widely available without being highly paid. A high-paying occupation can have strong long-term prospects while remaining difficult to enter today.

3. Where Employment Growth Is Going

The BLS projects that the economy will add approximately 5.2 million jobs between 2024 and 2034. The projected-growth list is not a current vacancy list. It is a model of employment change over a decade.

The largest projected numeric gain belongs to home health and personal care aides, with 739,800 additional positions. The occupation is also supported by population aging and continued demand for in-home services.

Other major projected gainers include:

Software developers, projected to add approximately 267,700 positions.
Medical and health services managers, projected to add approximately 142,900 positions.
General and operations managers, among the occupations identified by BLS as major sources of projected employment growth.
Nurse practitioners, driven by health care demand and an aging population.
Data scientists, supported by demand for data analysis, automation, and artificial intelligence.

By percentage growth, the leading occupations are different:

Sources: BLS occupations with the most job growth and BLS fastest-growing occupations.

The split is clear. Health aides represent big volume with modest pay. Software developers, data scientists, and nurse practitioners represent smaller labor pools with higher credential requirements and higher potential pay.

Wind turbine technician and solar installer working on renewable energy infrastructure

4. The Pay-versus-Volume Reality

Home health and personal care aides are projected to produce the largest numeric employment gain in the country. Their median annual wage is $34,900.

Software developers represent a much smaller occupation by employment count, but their median annual wage is $133,080.

Availability and pay do not point to the same jobs. The occupations that offer the most accessible entry points may not offer the fastest route to higher earnings. The occupations with the highest compensation often require a degree, license, technical portfolio, experience, or a lengthy screening process.

Readers should also account for local costs. A salary that works in a lower-cost labor market may not support the same household in a major coastal metro area.

5. What This Means If You Are Job Hunting Now

The strongest immediate evidence points to health care, skilled trades, logistics, retail, food service, and selected infrastructure work.

Health care remains the largest opening category even after its August cooling. Skilled trades may offer a more direct path for people willing to complete a technical credential. Relevant gates include:

Certified nursing assistant credentials
Licensed practical nurse or registered nurse training
Commercial driver’s licenses
HVAC certifications
Electrical apprenticeships and licenses
Industrial maintenance credentials
Solar and wind technician training

Technology and professional services are tighter. They are not closed. Indeed Hiring Lab reported that engineering held the top position for job-posting growth, supported by artificial intelligence infrastructure and data-center construction. Software development has shown signs of a rebound, but technology, media, and professional services postings remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Indeed also reported that 60% of occupational sectors were above their pre-pandemic posting baselines by mid-September. Its Job Postings Index was up 0.7% year over year, the first positive annual reading in nearly four years. New postings, however, remained about 6% below the pre-pandemic baseline.

The practical strategy is direct:

Target industries with verified openings rather than relying on prestige or social-media narratives.
Identify the credential that gates the occupation.
Consider AI-adjacent infrastructure work, including engineering support, data centers, electrical systems, cooling, and construction.
Compare wages with rent, transportation, health care, and taxes in the local market.
Build a second income option carefully. Freelance work and small service businesses may complement employment, but they are not guaranteed passive income ideas.

Job seeker researching employment options on a laptop with a resume and notebook

For additional context, read Why Main Street’s current-events coverage, small-business and community coverage, and technology coverage. Career planning should connect employment income to household budgeting, how to build wealth, and financial education for entrepreneurs.

6. A Calibration Note Before You Apply

JOLTS is a survey with a lag. Its openings count describes positions open at one point in time. It does not identify how many candidates applied, whether the employer is moving quickly, or whether the opening will still exist when an application is submitted.

BLS projections are models, not sworn forecasts. They estimate how employment could change under stated assumptions. They do not guarantee wages, hiring conditions, or regional demand.

One month of payroll data is also noisy and routinely revised. The September payroll increase of 29,000 is a warning signal, not a complete economic verdict.

The most reliable approach is to watch the three-month trend across openings, hires, layoffs, payroll growth, wage postings, and local job listings.

The current market is best described as low-hire, low-fire. Layoffs remain historically subdued, but hiring and worker mobility have stalled. The doors are open in some sectors. They are narrower in others.

Why Main Street

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Why Main Street is not a bank, financial institution, employment agency, or financial adviser. This article is for general educational and informational purposes. Why Main Street does not guarantee the accuracy, availability, wages, or future performance of any job, occupation, employer, credential, or industry. Verify current requirements with employers, state licensing agencies, schools, and official government sources.