About 1 in 6 U.S. office job postings were entry-level, analysis finds

Hire With Near analyzed more than 120,000 U.S. job postings from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2026 and found that about one in six office roles were entry-level. The gap was widest by function and employer type, with entry-level openings far more common in administration and customer support than in software engineering, and more common at non-tech companies than at tech firms.

Why it matters: - The share of entry-level office jobs helps show where first jobs still exist as AI changes how employers think about early-career hiring. - The findings point to which functions, employer types and locations remain most open to beginners. - The analysis also highlights where employers now ask entry-level candidates for skills, education and experience that can make breaking in harder.

What happened: - Hire With Near released an analysis of more than 120,000 U.S. job postings showing that about one in six office job postings published in September and October 2026 was for an entry-level role. - Entry-level openings ranged from 42% of administration postings to about 6% of software engineering postings. - Entry-level openings were more than twice as common at non-tech employers as at tech companies. - The analysis covers nine office functions: marketing, sales, business development, customer support, administration, accounting, finance, software engineering and design. - The research looks at where first jobs are posted and what employers ask of applicants.

The details: - Entry-level openings were most common in administration and customer support. - Entry-level openings were scarcest in software engineering roles and at tech companies. - The full analysis also breaks out which types of employers, from government agencies and nonprofits to small businesses and startups, posted the most entry-level openings. - The report compares entry-level shares across states. - The analysis measures how much experience entry-level postings asked for and why postings with "junior" in the title asked for more. - The report examines how often entry-level postings mentioned a college degree. - One department was stricter about degrees in entry-level postings than in senior ones. - The analysis tracks how many entry-level openings were remote, hybrid or in-person. - The report measures how often entry-level postings mentioned training. - AI skills were rarely requested in entry-level postings, with 4% asking candidates to use AI versus 28% of senior postings. - The full analysis shows whether that gap holds inside the same companies. - One department asked for AI far more often than the rest in entry-level postings. - The full findings are available in Hire With Near's report, About 1 in 6 US Office Jobs Are Entry-Level. Here's What 120,000+ US Job Postings Show About First Jobs.

Between the lines: - The data suggests employers are still offering a meaningful pipeline into office work, but the path looks uneven by function and employer type. - The low share of AI requests in entry-level postings suggests employers may still treat AI fluency as a more advanced skill, even as AI becomes more central in office work. - The title-level use of "junior" may signal that some employers want entry-level applicants with more experience than the label implies.

What's next: - Hire With Near says the full report includes figures for every department, employer type and state, plus common entry-level job titles and the jobs most open to beginners. - The broader hiring question is whether employers expand entry-level pipelines as AI changes the skills needed for first jobs. - The report may help job seekers focus on the functions and employer types where entry-level access is strongest.

The bottom line: - Entry-level office hiring is still alive, but the easiest door into the workforce is opening much wider in some roles than others.