{"schema_version": 1, "id": "san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10", "product": "Metro Job Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 338, "label": "San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA MSA", "slug": "san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "general_conditions", "slug": "metro-job-market", "label": "General Market Conditions"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T08:03:21.146008+00:00", "headline": "Tech slack, education gains keep San Jose steady above state average", "headline_summary": "San Jose-area unemployment rose to 4.3% in August but still trails California's 5.1% statewide rate by a full point, as education and leisure job gains offset continued information-sector contraction.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "4.3%", "context": "Up from 4.1% in July; vs 5.1% statewide"}, {"label": "Metro total employment", "value": "1,188,200", "context": "Up 4,400 jobs month-over-month (Aug 2026)"}, {"label": "California statewide unemployment", "value": "5.1%", "context": "Flat 3rd straight month; down from 5.5% a year ago"}, {"label": "Metro private-sector compensation growth", "value": "3.6% YoY", "context": "Through June 2026; outpaces national average"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Metro unemployment ticked up, but the gap with California widened favorably.", "body": "San Jose MSA unemployment rose to 4.3% in August from 4.1% in July, yet remains nearly a full point below California's flat 5.1% statewide rate. Local economic resilience relative to the state argues for caution against reading the monthly uptick as a trend reversal."}, {"headline": "Information-sector contraction continues to shape the region's job mix.", "body": "Information employment held at roughly 98.6K, up only 0.5% year-over-year, while Professional & Business Services fell 0.4% \u2014 both soft spots offset by leisure/hospitality and education/health gains. Composition of growth matters more than the headline number for assessing the region's underlying economic health."}, {"headline": "Skilled-trade and finance pay strength signals targeted demand.", "body": "Electrician pay (up significant) and Financial Analyst pay (up significant) locally outpace national gains, consistent with continued data-center and infrastructure investment alongside corporate finance activity. Pay softness in Data Engineer (down moderate) and Business Analyst (down moderate) roles suggests selective retrenchment within tech-adjacent functions."}, {"headline": "Public-sector and education gains are quietly stabilizing the regional labor market.", "body": "Education and health services added 2,100 jobs locally even as information and parts of professional services contracted, echoing the statewide pattern where education/health led California's job gains. Public and quasi-public sector stability appears to be absorbing some of the slack left by private tech-sector softness."}], "local_conditions": "San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA unemployment rose to 4.3% in August 2026 from 4.1% in July, even as total employment climbed 4,400 jobs to 1,188,200, with leisure and hospitality and education/health services driving the gains while the information sector continues to contract. Advertised pay in the metro's technical occupations \u2014 Financial Analyst (up significant), Electrician (up significant), Warehouse Manager (up significant) \u2014 continues outpacing national figures even as Data Engineer and Business Analyst postings show moderate pay declines, suggesting demand is bifurcating by specialization.", "implications": "Metro unemployment at 4.3% still sits a full percentage point below California's 5.1% statewide rate, reinforcing that Silicon Valley's labor market remains tighter than the state it anchors \u2014 a signal economic development leaders can use when framing the region's competitive position to site-selection consultants or policymakers. Divergent pay trends across technical roles (strength in financial analysis and skilled trades, softness in data engineering and business analysis) point to uneven recalibration inside the region's core industries. Commerce leaders should consider monitoring sector-level job ad trends, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings), to distinguish which parts of the local economy are expanding capacity versus consolidating roles.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "October's metro unemployment figure, due at month-end, will show whether the August uptick to 4.3% was a one-month blip or the start of a trend. A second consecutive increase would be the first sign of sustained softening in a metro that has outperformed the state for most of 2026."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "eBay's October WARN filing (229 workers, San Jose) and Intel's Folsom-area reduction add to a steady drip of tech-sector WARN activity across Northern California. Watch whether displaced technical workers show up in rising advertised-pay competition for adjacent roles, or in weaker local information-sector job ad volume, a signal of hiring demand (one ad often covers several openings)."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "SB 951's new requirement for WARN notices to disclose AI-driven layoffs, paired with EDD's forthcoming quarterly displacement reports, will give the region its first systematic look at how much of its tech-sector contraction is automation-linked versus demand-driven. This has direct bearing on how commerce and workforce leaders frame retraining and investment priorities."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National wage growth (4.1% average hourly earnings) continues to outpace CPI, but California's wage growth ranks 44th among states despite 6th-highest wage levels. Local compensation costs rose 3.6% year-over-year through June, a pace to track against inflation data as it affects household spending power across the metro's consumer-facing sectors."}], "roles": [{"role": "Retail Sales Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37532.5, "metro_p50": 42525.0, "metro_p75": 45448.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 33340.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Retail Cashier", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 36918.0, "metro_p50": 41600.0, "metro_p75": 43680.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 31268.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39509.0, "metro_p50": 45760.0, "metro_p75": 47840.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 38480.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "CDL Truck Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 59280.0, "metro_p50": 75400.0, "metro_p75": 84517.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 78872.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Delivery Driver", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37903.0, "metro_p50": 48100.0, "metro_p75": 54080.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 34826.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Construction Laborer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 41080.0, "metro_p50": 48880.0, "metro_p75": 52000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 40726.6, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Electrician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 73258.0, "metro_p50": 97500.0, "metro_p75": 109200.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 71835.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 40305.0, "metro_p50": 47838.0, "metro_p75": 51376.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Customer Service Representative", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 42640.0, "metro_p50": 50681.4, "metro_p75": 56160.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 39520.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Food Service Worker", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 39520.0, "metro_p50": 47840.0, "metro_p75": 52000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 33764.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 45760.0, "metro_p50": 53040.0, "metro_p75": 56160.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 41600.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 45250.0, "metro_p50": 57200.0, "metro_p75": 67445.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 44552.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "HVAC Technician", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72800.0, "metro_p50": 81120.0, "metro_p75": 84242.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 71406.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Registered Nurse", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 107407.0, "metro_p50": 141278.6, "metro_p75": 153251.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102252.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 144714.0, "metro_p50": 190887.0, "metro_p75": 208642.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Data Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 106819.0, "metro_p50": 134088.6, "metro_p75": 171774.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 138000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Accountant", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72790.0, "metro_p50": 93223.4, "metro_p75": 107120.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 72000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Financial Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 94265.0, "metro_p50": 133000.0, "metro_p75": 149375.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 94646.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "HR Generalist/Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 73000.0, "metro_p50": 95000.0, "metro_p75": 110424.5, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 74477.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"role": "Marketing Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 55028.5, "metro_p50": 80000.0, "metro_p75": 93600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 62916.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Operations Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 85000.0, "metro_p50": 112455.0, "metro_p75": 112455.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 86294.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Elementary/Secondary School Teacher", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 49920.0, "metro_p50": 72800.0, "metro_p75": 86799.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 55908.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Account Manager", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 81481.0, "metro_p50": 125000.0, "metro_p75": 148007.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 94009.4, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Warehouse Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 74500.0, "metro_p50": 94853.0, "metro_p75": 102750.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 75000.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Business Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 93950.0, "metro_p50": 104763.0, "metro_p75": 119600.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 98302.2, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [{"sector": "Construction", "median_pay": 101048.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Manufacturing", "median_pay": 174750.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Retail Trade", "median_pay": 94248.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"sector": "Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities", "median_pay": 69348.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Information", "median_pay": 170125.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Financial Activities", "median_pay": 102592.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "stable", "postings_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"sector": "Professional & Business Services", "median_pay": 124800.0, "pay_trend_direction": "down", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Education & Health Services", "median_pay": 77500.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Leisure & Hospitality", "median_pay": 44970.0, "pay_trend_direction": "stable", "pay_trend_magnitude": "stable", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}, {"sector": "Government", "median_pay": 77234.0, "pay_trend_direction": "up", "pay_trend_magnitude": "significant", "postings_trend_direction": "down", "postings_trend_magnitude": "significant"}], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "pdf": "san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf", "sources_html": "san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.sources.html"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:29:42.125092+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/san-jose-sunnyvale-santa-clara-ca-msa/metro-job-market/2026-10.pdf"}