US job openings rise by 333,000 to 7.52 million in September while layoffs fall by 127,000, fresh government data shows, although economists caution that the labor market remains slow to hire

The number of unfilled jobs across the United States rose unexpectedly at the end of the third quarter. This happened even as overall hiring remained fairly steady and employers continued to avoid major staff cuts. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey on 3 November 2026 showed that job vacancies increased by 333,000 to reach a seasonally adjusted 7.52 million on the last business day of September. The increase followed a revised total of 7.19 million job openings in August. Despite the rise in available jobs, hiring across private businesses and government employers outside the farm sector increased only slightly. Total hires went from 5.27 million in August to 5.40 million in September. This gap shows that many companies are continuing to advertise open positions while remaining careful about bringing in new employees.

Public sector drives surge in vacant roles

The increase in job openings was mainly driven by state and local government agencies. Vacancies in the public sector, excluding education, increased by 104,000 during the month, bringing the total to 519,000 open positions. Professional and business services also saw a major increase, adding more than 100,000 vacancies to reach 1.31 million. Manufacturing job openings increased to 584,000, compared with 530,000 in August. In contrast, vacancies in healthcare and social assistance fell slightly to 1.48 million from 1.51 million in August. However, the sector still had one of the largest numbers of unfilled jobs in the American economy. The overall job openings rate, which measures available jobs against the total number of employed people and open positions, increased from 4.3 per cent in August to 4.5 per cent in September.

Layoffs decline while voluntary quits pick up

Employers also reduced the number of workers they let go during the same period. Total separations across non-farm businesses reached 5.32 million, compared with 5.18 million in August. Within this figure, layoffs and dismissals initiated by employers fell by 127,000 from the revised August total of 1.76 million. The number reached 1.63 million in September. The largest decline occurred in healthcare and social assistance, where involuntary job losses dropped by 70,000. At the same time, more workers chose to leave their jobs voluntarily. The number of people who quit increased to 3.40 million, up from a revised 3.02 million in August. The quits rate, which measures the share of workers who leave their jobs voluntarily, increased from 2.0 per cent to 2.1 per cent. Much of this increase came from the accommodation and food services industry. Voluntary departures in the sector rose by 197,000 to reach 883,000. Meanwhile, arts, entertainment and recreation saw a small decline, with voluntary resignations falling by 19,000 during the month.

Industry turnover shows mixed recruitment patterns

Hiring activity varied across major industries throughout September. Accommodation and food services recorded the biggest monthly increase, with hiring rising by 158,000 to reach 879,000. Construction companies hired 356,000 new workers, up from 307,000 in August. Retail businesses also increased hiring, reaching 704,000 compared with 664,000 in the previous month. However, professional and business services experienced a slowdown. Hiring in the sector fell from 957,000 in August to 927,000 in September. Financial activities also recorded fewer new hires, with 156,000 workers hired compared with 168,000 in August. The overall ratio of job openings to unemployed people rose to around 1.1 available positions for every unemployed jobseeker. This means that the number of advertised jobs remained higher than the number of people actively looking for work. However, the gap was still smaller than it was during the hiring boom that followed the pandemic.

Federal data revisions reflect updated reporting

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics also updated its earlier estimates for August 2026 after receiving additional reports from state agencies and private businesses. The number of job openings in August was revised upward by 111,000, increasing the original estimate of 7.08 million to 7.19 million. Total hiring was also revised upward by 79,000 to 5.27 million. Total separations increased by 105,000 to reach 5.18 million. These monthly changes are part of the normal process of updating government employment figures. The revisions happen when the Bureau receives more reports from businesses and government agencies and updates its calculations. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to publish its October 2026 Job Openings and Labor Turnover figures on 1 December 2026.