U.S. job openings rose to 7.52 million at the end of September, while hiring increased and layoffs declined, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.
The number of vacancies increased by 333,000 from August's upwardly revised 7.19 million. The job-openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3%.
Hiring increased by 131,000 to 5.40 million, lifting the hires rate to 3.4% from 3.3%. Layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to 1.64 million, and their rate declined to 1.0% from 1.1%.
The report also showed 3.4 million workers quit their jobs in September, an increase from the prior month. The quits rate rose to 2.1%, its first reading above 2% since June 2025. Quits can indicate workers' confidence that they can find another job, although one month does not establish a trend.
The September vacancy total was the highest since May and exceeded the 7.1 million median estimate in a survey of economists. The figures suggest labor demand remained firmer than the month's weak payroll growth alone indicated.
The labor market has nevertheless been marked by limited movement. Employers have been slow to add workers, while layoffs have remained near historically low levels. That combination can provide stability for people who already have jobs while making it harder for job seekers to find openings that turn into actual hires.
The JOLTS survey estimates vacancies, hires and separations across the nonfarm economy. The bureau cautions that the survey's response rate is substantially below its pre-pandemic level, so the monthly estimates should be read alongside other labor-market data.
The figures describe conditions in September and were released Nov. 3; they are not a real-time count of current openings.
Sources: - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, Nov. 3, 2026 - Reuters, U.S. job openings report, Nov. 3, 2026