U.S. Job Openings Rise to 7.5 Million in September, Highest Since May
Key Facts
The number of job openings in the United States rose to 7.5 million in September, from 7.19 million in August after revision, according to the Associated Press. The agency said September’s reading was the highest since May, signaling a widening range of opportunities for job seekers. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover report showed total hiring increased during the month, alongside a decline in layoffs, the agency said. These developments place the increase in openings within a picture that combines improvement in some measures of labor demand with continued slow hiring. The Associated Press said the trend would need to continue for several months to indicate genuine improvement in the labor market.
The job openings rate was 4.5% in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while available jobs in state and local government, excluding education, increased by 104,000. The August reading was revised up by 111,000 openings to 7.2 million after additional reports came in and seasonal factors were recalculated, the bureau said. This means the monthly comparison is based on the revised August figure, not the previous estimate. The Associated Press confirmed that the number of openings in September was 7.5 million, compared with 7.19 million in August after revision. The agency also described September’s level as the highest since May.
On hiring, the total rose in September, according to the Associated Press, while the number of hires was 5.402 million, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The accommodation and food services sector recorded an increase of 158,000 hires during the month, the bureau said. On the other side of worker flows, total separations were 5.319 million in September. The monthly figures show that the rise in total hiring came alongside a decline in layoffs, but hiring data remain part of a broader picture of workers moving into and out of jobs. The Associated Press described hiring as slow for about three years, despite its increase in September.
Layoffs and discharges were broadly steady at 1.6 million in September, with a rate of 1.0%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Associated Press said layoffs in the United States remained historically low, while describing hiring as slow for nearly three years. This contrast places September’s data in the context of a market that is not seeing a hiring surge, but also did not record an increase in layoffs during the month. According to the Associated Press, the pace of hiring was below the average of 166,000 jobs added monthly in 2023 and 2024. It also remained below the average of 491,000 jobs a month during the hiring boom in 2021 and 2022.
Quits moved in different directions across sectors in September: they increased by 197,000 in accommodation and food services, while declining by 19,000 in arts, entertainment and recreation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These moves highlight differing trends in worker turnover between the two sectors during the month. Quits in accommodation and food services also increased alongside a 158,000 rise in hires in the same sector. These sector-level details remain part of a report that showed total hiring rising and layoffs declining, according to the Associated Press. The agency said several months of continued improvement in the indicators could signal genuine improvement in the labor market.
In markets, EL7 data showed gold closing at $3,969.6 on November 2, then at $3,946.7 on November 3, the day the job openings data were released. The two figures show closing-price movements on those days, without by themselves establishing the report’s effect on the metal. The report remains one of the labor-market readings that markets track alongside hiring and layoff data. The October jobs report is scheduled for release on November 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics calendar. The October Job Openings and Labor Turnover report is scheduled for December 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time.