Welcome to Payday HCM’s first annual Albuquerque Jobs Report. We’ve compiled data from 560 businesses with five employees or more in the greater Albuquerque area to track job growth throughout 2025.
- Payday HCM 2025 Albuquerque Jobs Report: 3,100 Jobs Gained, Steady Growth Through 2025
- Payday HCM 2025 Albuquerque Jobs Report: Key Takeaways
- Payday HCM 2025 Albuquerque Jobs Report: Full Methodology Breakdown
Payday HCM Albuquerque Jobs Report: 3,100 Jobs Gained, Steady Growth Through 2025
Overall Job Change in Albuquerque Through 2025
For this report, we narrowed our national client base to a sample of around 560 businesses with five or more employees in the Albuquerque area. Concentrating our focus on businesses with five or more employees ensures our data sample accurately reflects the majority of employers within the region and acts as a more stable indicator of job conditions in the market.
In our sample, we found that the number of employees per business within our panel grew from 41.83 employees per business in Q1 to 42.43 employees per business in Q4 in 2025, or about a 1.4 percent increase. This comes out to a gain of around 0.6 employees per business from Q1 to Q4.
Utilizing this percentage of job change within our panel from Q1 to Q4, we can then apply that to the estimated 5,200 businesses with five or more employees in the greater Albuquerque area. This comes out to an average gain of 3,100 jobs in the Albuquerque area, starting from Q1 of 2025 to Q4.
National vs. Local Job Market
Looking nationally, ADP’s national jobs report allows us to compare our local averages to numbers reflective of the job market across the country. ADP’s report shows private employment in the US increased by 428,000 jobs in 2025, starting at 134,160,000 in January of 2025 and grew to 134,588,000 in December of 2025.
“Generally, Albuquerque is doing better than the national average,” Siegel said. “New Mexico moves at a steadier pace: When the national economy slows, we stay a little more steady and resilient, and when it starts to heat up, we’ll see a similar spike in New Mexico after a little more time.”
Payday HCM Albuquerque Jobs Report: Key Takeaways
Taking our job trend numbers from 2025 into account, we can take a look at some key takeaways for employers heading into 2026.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Taking our local job market data from 2025 into account, as well as our comparisons to the national average, business owners should remain optimistic about the job market heading into the new year. Of course, there are still a variety of factors that may influence how the job market performs in 2026, including things like the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
“I still see 2026 as a strong year, but I would encourage businesses to consider holding on to potential savings in the next year, as things may tighten over the next few years. The effects of the OBBBA are also yet to be seen, so business owners should wait to see what effects this might have on the job market and the economy as a whole,” Siegel said.
Payday HCM Albuquerque Jobs Report: Full Methodology Breakdown
As a payroll service provider, we at Payday HCM have access to numerical data regarding the number of people employed at our clients’ businesses. For this report, we’ve narrowed our overall national client base to a smaller survey of 560 businesses located within the Albuquerque area.
Focusing our report on Albuquerque serves two purposes: it not only allows us to provide vital data to our local community, but also helps to narrow our sample size to around 560 businesses in the Albuquerque area (around ten percent of total businesses in Albuquerque), which provides a more statistically sound estimate of the job market locally as opposed to what would be too small of a sample size for a national jobs report.
Our numerical data is based on data from our clients’ payroll data as they either increase or decrease the number of employees on their payroll. While this data does not include any sensitive information regarding our clients or our clients’ employees, it does allow us to sort the data by ZIP code and industry, providing us with location and industry-specific information.
The report also includes data on the change in the number of businesses over the course of the year. The data used to present these findings comes from a period that stretches from January 2025 to December 2025.
1. Data Source
Payday processes payroll for more than 500 businesses located in the greater Albuquerque area. For this report, we track the same panel of 560 employers each month, all of whom have five or more employees.
2. Panel Structure
Each business remains in the panel month-to-month. If a business closes, leaves the region, or discontinues payroll service, it may be replaced with a similar-sized business; such change is noted. Tracking the same group eliminates distortions caused by business migration.
3. Why 5 or More Employees?
Microbusinesses (1–4 employees) make up the majority of all business establishments and can distort trends due to volatility. The employers with 5+ employees account for the majority of payroll jobs in the region and provide a stable indicator of employment conditions.
4. Core Metric Used
For each business each month, we count the number of employees on payroll. We then compute the average number of employees per business for the 500-business panel. This average tells us whether staffing levels are increasing, decreasing, or staying stable.
5. Estimating Regional Job Change
Based on Census and regional economic development data, we estimate that approximately 5,200 Albuquerque-area businesses have five or more employees. When our panel average changes by Δ employees per business, we estimate total job change by:
- Estimated Jobs Added or Lost = Δ ×5,200
Plan for 2026 With Confidence With Payday’s Albuquerque Jobs Report
The end of the year means it’s time to start planning for the new year ahead. For business owners, having access to information on things like hiring trends, both nationally and locally, can be crucial to ensuring success throughout the year. While this 2025 Albuquerque Jobs Report can help to provide your business with an overall forecast of 2026, businesses should keep an eye out for monthly reports from Payday for fresh data and continual insight into the performance of the Albuquerque jobs market.
“Moving forward, we want to release a monthly report outlining how the job market is fluctuating throughout the year within the greater Albuquerque area,” Siegel said.
Payday HCM is committed to providing top-tier service to each and every one of our clients while simultaneously continually reaffirming our position as a trusted source of information when it comes to HR, payroll, and benefits. Regardless of whether you’re a client or not, we want your business to have access to the information you need to make informed decisions that will help grow your business—regardless of what state you’re in. Check out our payroll, HR, and benefits services to find out how Payday HCM can help take your business to the next level.
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