Two numbers from the same report explain the whole situation. New grad hiring is down about 65%. Engineering hiring overall is down 11%.
Key takeaways
- SignalFire's 2026 State of Talent Report found new grad and entry-level hiring down roughly 65% at the Tech Majors and around 76% at early stage startups compared with 2019. Over the same.
- 121 live listings in this category publish a rate, at a median top-of-range of $100 an hour and a ceiling of $300.
- The work is remote contract work, asynchronous, with no set hours and no guaranteed volume.
- Applications screen on a short skills assessment rather than a resume or interview.
What was reported
The finding
SignalFire's 2026 State of Talent Report found new grad and entry-level hiring down roughly 65% at the Tech Majors and around 76% at early stage startups compared with 2019. Over the same period total tech hiring at those companies fell 25% while engineering roles specifically fell only 11%, and software engineers rose to 55% of all hiring from 46% in 2019. SignalFire attributes the entry-level squeeze to AI absorbing boilerplate code, unit tests and routine debugging, with junior-labelled seats increasingly filled by laid-off senior engineers with ten or more years of experience.
Engineering did not collapse. The entry level did. SignalFire attributes it directly to AI absorbing the boilerplate code, unit tests and routine debugging that juniors used to own, and notes that seats labelled junior are increasingly being filled by laid-off senior engineers with ten or more years of experience. Software engineers actually rose to 55% of all hiring, up from 46% in 2019.
What the listings pay
If you are a new graduate, that is a market where the ladder has lost its bottom rung rather than one where nobody is hiring. What is left to compete on is demonstrated ability, assessed directly.
| # | Role | Advertised rate | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUDA Engineering Expert | $300 to $300 an hour | Mercor |
| 2 | Machine Learning Engineer Talent Network | $70 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 3 | Legacy Codebase Migration Expert | $200 to $200 an hour | Mercor |
| 4 | UK-Based Data Engineering Experts | $140 to $200 an hour | Mercor |
| 5 | AI Software Engineering Domain Expert | $100 to $200 an hour | micro1 |
| 6 | AI/ML Engineer | $70 to $200 an hour | micro1 |
| 7 | Engineering / Platform Professionals | $80 to $160 an hour | Mercor |
| 8 | Open Source Applied Engineer Talent Network | $100 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
| 9 | Backend Engineer Talent Network | $70 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
| 10 | Software Engineering Expert | $50 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
Source: 121 live listings on this board that publish a rate, read directly from each posting on 2026-09-06. Listings without a published rate are excluded rather than estimated.
How this compares across the board
A rate only means something next to the alternatives. This is every category we track with at least five listings publishing a rate, ranked by median top-of-range, so you can see where this work sits rather than taking a single number on trust.
| Category | Listings | Median low | Median top | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | 95 | $100 | $140 | $400 |
| Medical | 68 | $77 | $120 | $400 |
| Consulting | 45 | $80 | $120 | $280 |
| Finance | 94 | $80 | $110 | $280 |
| Engineering | 114 | $70 | $100 | $300 |
| Research/PhD | 132 | $70 | $90 | $280 |
| Writing | 36 | $40 | $80 | $280 |
| Bilingual | 78 | $44 | $52 | $120 |
| Annotation | 25 | $12 | $24 | $120 |
Same source and date as above. Categories are matched on listing title, so a role can appear in more than one.
What it means for you
That is exactly how contract evaluation work screens. Across 121 live engineering and code listings on our board that publish a rate, the median top-of-range is $100 an hour, reaching $300, and most use a sample task rather than a resume screen. See developer roles.
Who should apply
Two checks before you spend time on an application. Confirm the role accepts applicants from your country with the eligibility checker, since a meaningful share of listings carry location requirements. Then run the advertised rate through the take-home calculator, because this is contract work and the headline figure is before self-employment tax.
Applications complete on the hiring platform and usually take a few minutes, with a short skills assessment in place of an interview. Fill in every credential, language and professional background field on your profile. Those are what route you to the better paid listings, and most applicants leave them blank.
Frequently asked questions
How bad is new grad engineering hiring?
SignalFire's 2026 report puts it down roughly 65% at the Tech Majors and around 76% at early stage startups versus 2019.
Is engineering hiring collapsing overall?
No. Total tech hiring at those companies fell 25% while engineering roles fell only 11%, and software engineers rose to 55% of all hiring from 46%.
Why is the entry level hit hardest?
SignalFire attributes it to AI absorbing boilerplate code, unit tests and routine debugging, with junior seats increasingly filled by experienced engineers who were laid off.
What can a new grad do instead?
Contract evaluation work screens on a sample task rather than a resume. Across 121 live listings publishing a rate, the median top-of-range is $100 an hour.
Does this work count as experience?
It is real paid engineering judgment you can describe concretely, which is more than most new graduates can point to right now.
Sources
See every live role
The full board updates several times a week, with the advertised rate on each listing and closed roles removed.