May Labor Market Data Reveals New Program Opportunities

Mary Ann Romans

July 16, 2026

Labor market data helps colleges and universities evaluate whether an academic program connects to real employment opportunities. The strongest analysis does not rely on one number. It combines job postings, employment volume, wages, underemployment, graduate outcomes, skills demand, student demand, and competition.

Note: While labor market data provides critical insights, it represents just one component of overall market demand and must be evaluated alongside student demand and competitive landscape metrics.

US Job Postings Trends: In May, job postings rose 6% YOY; postings are up 24% since December.U.S. job postings rose 6% year over year in May and were up 24% since December, signaling continued employer demand. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

Job Postings Increased Six Percent In May

Job postings were up six percent year over year in May and have increased by 24 percent since December.

This indicates continued employer demand and resilience in the labor market. For academic program planning, rising job postings can signal opportunity in fields where employers need talent.

However, strong job growth can also create pressure for higher education. When jobs are easier to find, some prospective students may choose work over school. When unemployment rises, more people often return to school to improve their employment prospects.

What this means: Strong job postings are good for graduate opportunities, but they may not automatically translate into higher enrollment.

Management And Technical Roles Are Growing

The labor market data showed growth in several occupations, including industrial engineers, software developers, physical therapists, marketing managers, nursing assistants, financial managers, general and operations managers, project management specialists, and sales managers.

Fastest-Growing Job Postings Year-Over-YearManagement roles represented five of the 10 fastest-growing occupations by job postings in May 2026. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

This matters because many graduates do not work in occupations directly tied to the name of their major. Over time, many move into management or operations roles where they use transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving, analysis, leadership, and time management.

Software developer postings were also up 32 percent, challenging the idea that AI is simply reducing demand for technical talent.

What this means: Academic programs should not be judged only by direct job matches. Many degrees create value by preparing graduates for broader career paths.

Business And Operations Skills Are Rising

Several business and operations skills had strong year-over-year growth in job postings, including scalability, operational excellence, business operations, automation, and operational efficiency.

Which skills are growing in demand in the US? In May, demand for skills in business operations had the greatest YOY growth.Business operations, software and technology, and manufacturing-related skills were among the fastest-growing skill areas in May 2026. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

This data points to a labor market that increasingly rewards people who can improve systems, increase efficiency, scale organizations, and apply technology to business problems.

What this means: Operations, automation, and AI skills are relevant across many programs, not only computer science or business. They increasingly matter in health care, logistics, manufacturing, public administration, education, and other fields.

Supply Chain Shows Strong Program Opportunity

Supply Chain is highlighted as a strong program example. A bachelor’s in supply chain management scored in the 98th percentile overall among tracked bachelor’s programs.

Supply Chain scored in the 98th percentile overall, with strong student demand, employment opportunity, and competitive intensity metrics. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

Supply chain also scored in the 99th percentile for student demand, with strong size metrics across Google searches, new student enrollment, and completions.

Student demand metrics included:

  • Google searches and new enrollment in the 94th percentile
  • Overall completions in the 96th percentile
  • Online completions in the 98th percentile
  • Google searches up 16 percent year over year
  • New student enrollment up six percent
  • Completions up three percent

Student Demand Supply Chain scores in the 99th percentile for Student DemandSupply Chain student demand was strong across search volume, enrollment, and completions. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

What this means: Supply Chain is not just a labor market opportunity. It also has strong student demand, which is important because a program with strong employment demand but weak student interest may be harder to grow.

Supply Chain Employment Was In The 92nd Percentile

Supply chain scored in the 92nd percentile for employment opportunity.

Employment indicators included:

  • Entry-level job postings in the 97th percentile
  • Current employment in the 97th percentile
  • Annual job openings in the 97th percentile
  • Entry-level jobs up three percent year over year
  • Three-year historic employment growth of five percent
  • Job postings per graduate: 1.6
  • Entry-level wage proxy in the 77th percentile
  • Post-entry median wage with a bachelor’s in the 69th percentile
  • Underemployment: 41 percent

Employment Opportunities Supply Chain scores in the 92nd percentile for EmploymentSupply Chain’s employment opportunity score reflects strong job postings, employment volume, annual openings, and wage indicators. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

What this means: Supply Chain has a strong labor market foundation. The field is large, hiring activity is strong, and employment is growing. However, the 41 percent underemployment rate shows why institutions should still evaluate whether graduates are moving into roles that fully use their education.

Graduate Outcomes Show Broader Career Paths

Graduate outcomes data showed that Supply Chain graduates enter a wide range of occupations.

An analysis of 45,483 bachelor’s graduates in Supply Chain found that they entered 689 occupations. Common pathways included transportation, storage, and distribution managers; logisticians; general and operations managers; buyers and purchasing agents; chief executives; purchasing managers; sales managers; and marketing managers.

Alumni Career Paths: What occupations fo supply chain graduates go into? Supply Chain graduates enter 689 occupations, showing the importance of looking beyond narrow degree-to-job matches. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

What this means: Academic programs should not be evaluated only by one-to-one occupation matches. Graduate outcomes data provides a more realistic view of where students actually go.

Competition Is High

Supply Chain scored in the 85th percentile for competitive intensity.

Competitive indicators included:

  • 161 colleges offering the program
  • 13 additional campuses with completions in 2024
  • Twenty-six percent of bachelor’s in supply chain programs offered online
  • Twenty-two percent of completions occurring online
  • High marketing costs

Completion for Students Supply Chain scores in the 85th percentile for competitive intensitySupply chain is attractive, but competitive, with 161 colleges offering the program. Source: Gray DI Demand for Higher Education Programs, June 25, 2026.

What this means: Supply Chain is a strong opportunity, but institutions need a clear positioning strategy. This is especially important for online growth, where competition and paid search costs can be high.

The Data Takeaway

The labor market data shows that academic program opportunity depends on several connected metrics.

Job postings show whether employers are hiring. Employment volume shows the size of the labor market. Annual openings show recurring demand. Wages show economic value for graduates. Underemployment shows whether graduates are fully using their education. Graduate outcomes show where students actually go. Skills data shows what employers increasingly need. Student demand shows whether people want the program. Competitive intensity shows whether the institution can win in the market.

For Supply Chain, the data points to a strong program opportunity: high student demand, high employment opportunity, solid wages, broad graduate outcomes, and below-average operating costs. The main caution is competition, especially in online markets and paid search.

For broader program strategy, the data shows why colleges should avoid relying on job postings or direct-preparation jobs alone. Labor market data is most useful when it explains both employer demand and real graduate pathways.

Mary Ann Romans

Associate Vice President, Marketing

Mary Ann creates, defines, and executes marketing strategy at Gray Decision Intelligence.

More articles by Mary Ann
About Gray DI

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Quick Reference

Colleges should evaluate academic programs using multiple labor market indicators, including job postings, current employment, annual openings, wages, underemployment, skills demand, and graduate outcomes. Job postings show whether employers are actively hiring, but they should not be used alone. A stronger analysis also looks at the size of the labor market, how many openings occur each year, what graduates can expect to earn, and whether graduates are working in roles that use their education.

For example, supply chain scored strongly across several labor market measures, including job postings, current employment, and annual openings. That fuller view provides more confidence than a single job-posting trend.

Job postings are useful because they show real-time employer demand, but they can be volatile. Postings may rise or fall quickly based on seasonality, employer behavior, or duplicated listings. They also do not show whether a field has a large employment base, strong wages, or good long-term outcomes for graduates.

A program with high postings but low wages may not deliver strong student value. A program with moderate postings but strong employment volume and broad career pathways may be more attractive than it first appears. That is why colleges should combine job postings with employment, wage, underemployment, and alumni outcomes data.

Underemployment shows whether graduates are working in jobs that fully use their education and skills. This matters because a graduate can be employed but still not be working in a role that reflects the value of the degree.

In the Supply Chain example, underemployment was 41%. That does not mean the program is weak, especially because other indicators were strong. It means institutions should ask deeper questions: Are students gaining the skills employers want? Are internships and career pathways strong enough? Are graduates moving into roles aligned with the program’s promise? Underemployment helps colleges move beyond “Are graduates working?” to “Are graduates working in the right kinds of roles?”

Graduate outcomes matter because they show what students actually do after completing a program. Traditional labor market crosswalks often connect one degree to a narrow set of occupations, but real career paths are much broader.

For Supply Chain this month, an analysis of 45,483 bachelor’s graduates found that alumni entered 689 occupations. Common paths included logisticians, operations managers, buyers, purchasing agents, sales managers, and marketing managers. This shows why program value should not be judged only by direct occupation matches. Many programs prepare students for a wide range of roles through transferable and applied skills.

A program has stronger market potential when student demand and employer demand are both strong. If a new program is created based on high employer demand only, there is no guarantee that students will show up, stranding resources. Student demand can be measured through search volume, new enrollment, and completions. Employer demand can be measured through job postings, current employment, annual openings, wages, and skills demand.

Supply chain is a good example. It scored in the 99th percentile for student demand and the 92nd percentile for employment opportunity. That combination suggests the program has both student interest and labor market relevance. A program with only one side of the equation may require more caution. Strong employer demand without student interest can make recruitment difficult. Strong student demand without employer demand can create weaker outcomes.

Colleges should use labor market data as part of a broader academic program decision framework. The best decisions combine labor market data with student demand, competitive intensity, institutional mission, academic capacity, and financial sustainability.

A program may be attractive if it has strong employment demand, solid wages, growing student interest and manageable competition. But even strong programs require strategy. In supply chain, the data showed high student demand and strong employment opportunities, but also high competitive intensity, with 161 colleges offering the program and high marketing costs. That means a college considering supply chain should not only ask whether the market is strong. It should ask whether the institution can differentiate, recruit students, and deliver outcomes better than competitors.

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