September job openings rose to 7.5 million, BLS says

September job openings 2026 rose to 7.523 million from a revised 7.190 million in August, an increase of 333,000, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The openings rate was 4.5%, while the agency said both the level and rate were little changed over the month.

The figures offer a reading consistent with firmer demand for workers, particularly alongside a rise in voluntary departures. They do not establish a broad acceleration in hiring: the BLS also characterised hiring, layoffs and total separations as little changed. The September payrolls report, released earlier, showed nonfarm employment increased by 29,000 and the unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, according to Yahoo Finance.

Why did September job openings rise by 333,000 but count as little changed?

The difference reflects the distinction between the arithmetic change in the published estimates and the BLS assessment of whether the month-to-month movement was statistically significant. August openings were revised higher by 111,000 to 7.190 million. On that revised base, the September total was 333,000 higher, but the agency’s release still described openings as little changed.

JOLTS measures several distinct parts of the labour market. A job opening is a position open on the last business day of a month. Hires and separations, by contrast, count changes to employers’ payrolls over the whole month. The two releases measure different aspects of the labour market and are not interchangeable.

What did the September JOLTS report show?

• Openings: 7.523 million, with a 4.5% rate. State and local government excluding education recorded a 104,000 increase in openings.

• Hires: 5.402 million, or 3.4% of employment. Accommodation and food services added 158,000 hires.

• Total separations: 5.319 million, with a 3.3% rate. Separations in accommodation and food services rose by 195,000.

• Quits: 3.4 million, while the quits rate held at 2.1%. Quits rose by 197,000 in accommodation and food services and fell by 19,000 in arts, entertainment and recreation.

• Layoffs and discharges: 1.640 million, or 1.0% of employment. They declined by 70,000 in health care and social assistance, though the BLS described the overall measure as little changed.

Quits are generally employee-initiated departures, and the BLS says the quits rate can indicate workers’ willingness or ability to leave a job. Total nonfarm quits were 375,000 higher than a year earlier.

The release also revised August estimates. Hires were revised up by 79,000 to 5.271 million and total separations by 105,000 to 5.175 million. August quits were revised down by 22,000 to 3.0 million, while layoffs and discharges were revised up by 127,000 to 1.8 million.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.