Updated
Updated · dew.sc.gov · Aug 19
Retail Supervisors Lead 2026 Job Gaps at 4,640 as Registered Nurses Face 3,160 Shortfall
Updated
Updated · dew.sc.gov · Aug 19

Retail Supervisors Lead 2026 Job Gaps at 4,640 as Registered Nurses Face 3,160 Shortfall

1 articles · Updated · dew.sc.gov · Aug 19

Summary

  • First-line supervisors of retail sales workers posted the largest 2026 supply gap at 4,640, with 4,960 new jobs but only 320 newly qualified workers.
  • That left retail supervisors with a 15.5 demand-supply ratio, while registered nurses led postsecondary jobs with a 3,160 gap from 5,800 openings versus 2,640 new workers.
  • Other large high-school-level shortages included maintenance and repair workers at 2,740 and food-service supervisors at 2,560, showing demand concentrated in frontline service and operations roles.
  • Postsecondary shortages also spread beyond healthcare to truck drivers, medical and health services managers, software developers and financial sales agents, pointing to broad hiring pressure across logistics, tech and business fields.

Insights

If AI is rapidly advancing in 2026, why are the biggest job gaps still in frontline retail and heavy trucking?
With millions of licensed nurses refusing to work in 2026, is the labor shortage actually just a massive retention crisis?
Could the secret to surviving the 2026 labor crisis lie in fixing toxic workplaces rather than just training more workers?