Holiday rush lands on existing staff as US businesses pull back on hiring
Hours worked rose 2.3% in October while new hires fell 5.0%. Retail added the most hours of any sector but hired 12.2% fewer people, and more of its workers left.
San Francisco, – Hourly workers across the US took on more work in October as businesses headed into the holiday season leaning on the teams they already have, according to the latest US Hourly Work Index from Deputy, the workforce management platform for shift-based teams. Across healthcare, hospitality, retail and services, hours worked rose 2.3% to 17.6 million, ending two months of decreases, while new hires fell 5.0%.
Retail shows the squeeze most clearly. Hours rose 3.4%, the most of any sector, yet new hires fell 12.2% and exits rose 5.7%, making it the only sector where more people left. The average retail worker logged 77.1 hours in the month, up 2.5%.
Workers are at least getting more warning. Schedules are now finalized 9.0 days before a shift on average, the most notice recorded this year and up from 6.5 days in January, after five consecutive monthly increases.
Key findings
- Businesses are relying on existing staff. Hours per employee rose 3.1% while new hires fell 5.0%.
- Turnover eased for a second month. Terminations fell 8.8%, the largest decrease since February.
- Retail faces a staffing squeeze. Hours rose 3.4%, while new hires fell 12.2%, worker exits increased 5.7%, and hourly pay declined 0.9% to $17.82.
- Healthcare pay is pulling ahead. Hourly pay rose 2.5% to $23.20, against a flat all-sector average of $19.62 (down 0.3%).
- Schedule notice reaches a 2026 high. Workers received 9.0 days' advance notice on average, up 19.4% from September. Security Services (up 74% to 8.3 days) and Childcare (up 50% to 11.6 days) saw the biggest gains.
- Hospitality is the only sector where hiring increased. New hires rose 8.1%, though workers received the least advance schedule notice, at 6.8 days.
Sector snapshot, October 2026
Sector | Total hours | New hires | Exits | Notice (days) | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Healthcare | ▲ 3.0% | ▼ 34.0% | ▼ 16.9% | 13.9 (▲ 12.7%) | $23.20 (▲ 2.5%) |
Retail | ▲ 3.4% | ▼ 12.2% | ▲ 5.7% | 9.5 (▲ 18.6%) | $17.82 (▼ 0.9%) |
Services | ▲ 0.8% | ▼ 10.3% | ▼ 4.5% | 8.7 (▲ 22.7%) | $18.85 (▼ 0.3%) |
Hospitality | ▲ 2.6% | ▲ 8.1% | ▼ 18.2% | 6.8 (▲ 24.2%) | $18.51 (▲ 0.1%) |
All sectors | ▲ 2.3% | ▼ 5.0% | ▼ 8.8% | 9.0 (▲ 19.4%) | $19.62 (▼ 0.3%) |
“October tells us businesses are going into the holidays with the teams they already have. Hours went up, hiring went down, and the extra shifts are landing on existing staff. In retail, that’s happening while more people are leaving” said Star Levandowski, SVP People and Operations at Deputy.
“The encouraging sign is predictability. Workers now see their schedules nine days out, more than at any point this year. When you’re asking people to take on more, giving them certainty about when they’ll work is one of the simplest ways to keep them.”
About the US Hourly Work Index
The Index is built from anonymized, aggregated data from US businesses using Deputy. The October 2026 edition covers 3.85 million shifts and 23.4 million hours worked, compared month on month with September 2026. Data is normalized for seasonality and day-of-week demand. Notice is the average number of days between a shift’s last schedule update and the shift starting.
About Deputy
Deputy is the AI people platform built specifically for shift work. Trusted by nearly 400,000 workplaces in more than 100 countries, Deputy brings together AI-powered scheduling, compliance automation, accurate payroll and mobile-first communication to help businesses run more efficiently and teams feel empowered. Discover more at www.deputy.com.
