Signing bonuses hold strong in healthcare and retail despite wage slowdown by 2025
The job market has seen a slowdown in wage growth and signing bonuses, yet demand for key workers remains strong in certain sectors. Healthcare roles, in particular, continue to rely on financial incentives to attract staff. New data from Indeed reveals how these trends have shifted by the end of 2025.
By December 2025, only around 3% of US job postings included a signing bonus—a drop from nearly 6% in 2022. Despite this decline, the figure still sits above the 2019 average of 1.8%. While wage growth has fallen sharply, signing bonuses have held up better, remaining 64% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Healthcare occupations lead the way in offering these incentives. About 10.6% of physician and surgeon postings included a signing bonus, along with 8.4% of nursing roles. In total, seven of the top ten occupations using signing bonuses fell under healthcare and social assistance.
Outside healthcare, retail led with 28% of bonus offers, followed by logistics at 22% and hospitality at 18%. Employers in these sectors appear to favor one-off payments over permanent wage increases, using bonuses as a flexible tool to attract workers without long-term cost commitments.
The data shows a clear shift in hiring strategies, with signing bonuses proving more durable than wage growth. Though their use has declined since 2022, they remain a key feature in competitive job markets. Healthcare and retail continue to depend on these incentives, reflecting ongoing labor shortages in critical areas.
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