FULL LIST: University majors most likely to get you hired in 2026

A new Forbes report has identified the university majors most likely to improve graduates’ chances of securing jobs in 2026, as employers continue to slow hiring and artificial intelligence reshapes the labour market.

The report, sighted on Forbes’ website on Sunday, is based on exclusive LinkedIn data.

It found that graduates with degrees in the social sciences and humanities are proving more resilient in the current job market because their skills are transferable across multiple industries.

According to the report, hiring of new college graduates remains weak, with 20 per cent recruitment drop compared to pre-pandemic levels and five per cent lower than a year ago.

LinkedIn analysed the 20 most common bachelor’s degree majors on its platform and assessed their hiring conditions in industries and graduates’ ability to transition into other sectors.

The analysis concluded that versatility has become one of the biggest advantages for new graduates navigating today’s challenging employment market.

It noted that while engineering and computer science graduates enjoy strong employment prospects and higher starting salaries, their specialised skills now offer fewer opportunities to switch into different industries.

“Grads who majored in the social sciences and humanities are proving to be resilient in today’s job market because they gained skills that can be used across multiple industries,” the report stated.

It added that “engineering graduates, who likely thought they’d picked a safe and lucrative major, not only face a weak hiring market, but also have more specialised skills that aren’t as versatile or as useful in as many industries.”

The report also found that entry-level hiring linked to graduates’ fields of study declined across all of the 15 most common university majors between December 2019 and April 2026.

Most versatile university majors in 2026

According to LinkedIn’s analysis, these are the majors whose graduates were most likely to secure jobs outside their traditional career paths:

Rank

Major

Versatility

1

English

69%

2

Visual & Performing Arts

68%

3

Communication & Journalism

67%

4

Business & Marketing

64%

5

Computer & Information Sciences

63%

6

Social Sciences

62%

7

Interdisciplinary Studies

60%

8

Homeland Security & Law Enforcement

58%

9

Parks, Recreation & Fitness

56%

10

Psychology

55%

11

Physical Sciences

55%

12

Biological Sciences

43%

13

Engineering

41%

14

Education

34%

15

Health Professions

21%

Majors with the sharpest hiring declines

The report also highlighted the fields that have experienced the biggest drop in entry-level hiring between December 2019 and April 2026:

Major

Hiring decline

Engineering

-25%

Computer & Information Sciences

-24%

Interdisciplinary Studies

-24%

Business & Marketing

-23%

Communication & Journalism

-23%

Physical Sciences

-23%

Visual & Performing Arts

-23%

Social Sciences

-22%

Homeland Security & Law Enforcement

-22%

English

-21%

Biological Sciences

-19%

Parks, Recreation & Fitness

-19%

Psychology

-18%

Health Professions

-16%

Education

-16%

Forbes said the findings suggest that students choosing a university major should consider not only earning potential but also how easily the skills acquired can be applied across different industries.