San Francisco Jobs Report: Hotels and Health Care Keep Hiring as Tech and Finance Shrink

Published: September 28, 2026 | By LocalJobPage Team

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The San Francisco jobs picture this fall looks a lot like a Friday night on Union Square: the hotels and restaurants are busy, the hospitals are hiring, and a good chunk of the office towers south of Market are quieter than they used to be. The latest federal numbers for San Francisco and San Mateo counties show the region holding about 1.13 million jobs, up roughly 0.9% from a year ago, with nearly all of that growth coming from hospitality, health care and construction.

Tech and finance are shrinking, hotels and hospitals are growing, and that tells you exactly where to point your job search right now.

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What the San Francisco Jobs Report Shows

The figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks the San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City metro division as one labor market. The count runs from the Financial District to SFO and down the Peninsula to Redwood City. The numbers are not seasonally adjusted, and the most recent months are preliminary, so expect small revisions.

Here is the headline: total employment peaked at 1,136,400 in June, eased slightly over the summer, and landed at an early estimate of 1,131,400 in August. July ran about 0.9% ahead of July 2025. Modest growth, but the mix underneath matters more than the total.

The unemployment rate climbed from 3.3% in May to a preliminary 3.9% in July. Some summer rise is normal in unadjusted numbers as graduates enter the market. California's Employment Development Department publishes the local monthly release on its Labor Market Information site.

💼 Where San Francisco Is Adding Jobs

Leisure and hospitality is the standout. The sector, which covers hotels, restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, grew 4.9% year over year in July and reached 133,500 jobs in August, about 4,900 more than in March.

Education and health services rose 3.8% from a year earlier and hit 169,200 jobs in August, its highest level since at least March. That covers hospital systems, clinics, home health, senior care and private schools. The city's big medical employers, including UCSF Health, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter's CPMC, sit in this category.

Construction grew 3.9% to 39,700 jobs. It is a smaller sector, but it has climbed from 38,300 jobs in March, good news for electricians, carpenters and laborers.

Where the Region Is Losing Ground

The information sector, where most software, internet and media jobs are counted, was down 2.1% from a year earlier in July and stood at 103,900 jobs in August, about 1,100 fewer than in March. Financial activities fell 3.7% year over year. Professional and business services, the region's largest sector at 273,100 jobs, was flat against last year. Government slipped 0.9%.

Tech has not vanished; the information sector still employs more than 100,000 people here. But competition is stiff, and a career changer may find faster traction in health care administration, hotel operations or the trades.

🔎 Where to Aim Your Search This Fall

The growth sectors hire across skill levels, from front desk and line cook openings you can start next week to licensed nursing and electrical work. If you are coming out of tech or finance, look at operations, scheduling, billing and IT support roles inside hospitals and hotel groups. Pay varies widely by role and employer, so compare several postings before you apply.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is San Francisco adding or losing jobs in 2026?

Adding, slowly. The San Francisco and San Mateo region had about 0.9% more jobs in July 2026 than a year earlier, according to preliminary federal data.

Which San Francisco industries are hiring the most?

Leisure and hospitality grew fastest at 4.9% year over year, followed by construction at 3.9% and education and health services at 3.8%.

Are tech jobs in San Francisco still declining?

The information sector, which includes most software and internet jobs, was down 2.1% from a year earlier in July. It still employs more than 100,000 people in the region.

What is the San Francisco unemployment rate?

The preliminary rate for the San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City area was 3.9% in July 2026, up from 3.3% in May. Those figures are not seasonally adjusted.

Get Found by San Francisco Employers

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