Industries with the most entry-level jobs

Key facts
- #1 Transportation & Logistics, Industry: 37%
- #2 Manufacturing & Industrial, Industry: 33%
- #3 Government & Public Sector, Industry: 33%
- 16 industries ranked across all industries
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 27% across all industries.
- 1Transportation & Logistics Industry37%
- 2Manufacturing & Industrial Industry33%
- 3Government & Public Sector Industry33%
- 4Agriculture & Food Production Industry31%
- 5Construction & Real Estate Industry31%
- 6Education & EdTech Industry30%
- 7Retail & E-commerce Industry29%
- 8Professional Services & Consulting Industry29%
- 9Energy & Utilities Industry28%
- 10Financial Services & Banking Industry28%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Transportation & Logistics leads on 37%, and #10 Financial Services & Banking is at 28%.
- Agriculture & Food Production reaches #4 on a sample of 2,173 all openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Manufacturing & Industrial is the largest market in the top ten, with 42,377 all openings behind its figure.
- Industries with fewer than 1,000 all openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Some job families and industries hire far more people at the start of their careers than others. The share of openings pitched at entry level shows where a first role is most available.
How to use it
If you are early in your career, look at the top of the list for the families and industries to target, and read the same measure by city to see where they hire.
The top 25
- 1
Transportation & Logistics Industry
37%
- Entry-level openings
- 2,279
- All openings
- 6,228
- Median posted pay
- $118k
Based on 6,228 openings.
- 2
Manufacturing & Industrial Industry
33%
- Entry-level openings
- 13,949
- All openings
- 42,377
- Median posted pay
- $130k
Based on 42,377 openings.
- 3
Government & Public Sector Industry
33%
- Entry-level openings
- 3,257
- All openings
- 9,902
- Median posted pay
- $113k
Based on 9,902 openings.
- 4
Agriculture & Food Production Industry
31%
- Entry-level openings
- 668
- All openings
- 2,173
- Median posted pay
- $119k
Based on 2,173 openings.
- 5
Construction & Real Estate Industry
31%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,444
- All openings
- 4,721
- Median posted pay
- $115k
Based on 4,721 openings.
- 6
Education & EdTech Industry
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 4,378
- All openings
- 14,629
- Median posted pay
- $98k
Based on 14,629 openings.
- 7
Retail & E-commerce Industry
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 6,149
- All openings
- 21,108
- Median posted pay
- $128k
Based on 21,108 openings.
- 8
Professional Services & Consulting Industry
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 5,470
- All openings
- 18,811
- Median posted pay
- $135k
Based on 18,811 openings.
Professional Services & Consulting jobs, employers and outlook
- 9
Energy & Utilities Industry
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 2,798
- All openings
- 9,827
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 9,827 openings.
- 10
Financial Services & Banking Industry
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 9,089
- All openings
- 32,324
- Median posted pay
- $157k
Based on 32,324 openings.
- 11
Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry
27%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,915
- All openings
- 7,171
- Median posted pay
- $113k
Based on 7,171 openings.
- 12
Media & Entertainment Industry
26%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,864
- All openings
- 7,109
- Median posted pay
- $138k
Based on 7,109 openings.
- 13
Aerospace & Defense Industry
25%
- Entry-level openings
- 4,990
- All openings
- 19,939
- Median posted pay
- $148k
Based on 19,939 openings.
- 14
Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry
24%
- Entry-level openings
- 7,417
- All openings
- 31,523
- Median posted pay
- $140k
Based on 31,523 openings.
- 15
Technology & Software Industry
22%
- Entry-level openings
- 16,644
- All openings
- 74,197
- Median posted pay
- $185k
Based on 74,197 openings.
- 16
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry
19%
- Entry-level openings
- 2,604
- All openings
- 13,681
- Median posted pay
- $183k
Based on 13,681 openings.
Full ranking
All 16 industries that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Industry | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transportation & Logistics Industry | 37% | 6,228 |
| 2 | Manufacturing & Industrial Industry | 33% | 42,377 |
| 3 | Government & Public Sector Industry | 33% | 9,902 |
| 4 | Agriculture & Food Production Industry | 31% | 2,173 |
| 5 | Construction & Real Estate Industry | 31% | 4,721 |
| 6 | Education & EdTech Industry | 30% | 14,629 |
| 7 | Retail & E-commerce Industry | 29% | 21,108 |
| 8 | Professional Services & Consulting Industry | 29% | 18,811 |
| 9 | Energy & Utilities Industry | 28% | 9,827 |
| 10 | Financial Services & Banking Industry | 28% | 32,324 |
| 11 | Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry | 27% | 7,171 |
| 12 | Media & Entertainment Industry | 26% | 7,109 |
| 13 | Aerospace & Defense Industry | 25% | 19,939 |
| 14 | Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry | 24% | 31,523 |
| 15 | Technology & Software Industry | 22% | 74,197 |
| 16 | Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry | 19% | 13,681 |
How this ranking works
A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text.
The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 all openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
Sample bar: industries with fewer than 1,000 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which industry ranks first: industries with the most entry-level jobs?
- Transportation & Logistics leads: 37% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 27% across all industries.
- How many industries are ranked?
- 16 industries have at least 1,000 all openings, so the list has 16 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text. The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 all openings are ranked, and only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Industries with the most entry-level jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-most-entry-level-jobs
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-with-the-most-entry-level-jobs">Industries with the most entry-level jobs (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
The job market, once a week
One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.
Applying and hearing nothing back?
Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.
Already a member? Log in
Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?
Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.