September 2026 Job Openings Rise Sharply
September 2026 job openings rose 333,000 to 7.523 million, with hires steady and layoffs down; traders may reprice payroll odds and Fed bets.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Openings rose 333,000 to 7.523 million while BLS described levels as 'little changed' in rounded terms.
- Hires rose 131,000 to 5.402 million and layoffs fell 127,000, signaling modest firming.
- Openings exceeded unemployed by about 414,000, or roughly 1.05 openings per unemployed worker.
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September 2026 job openings report, issued Nov. 3, showed openings reached a four-month high while hiring held steady and layoffs declined, indicating a modestly firmer labor market ahead of the payrolls report.
Openings, Hires, and Separations
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reported 7.523 million job openings on the last business day of September, up 333,000 from August’s revised 7.190 million. The openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3%. Hires increased by 131,000 to 5.402 million, pushing the hires rate to 3.4% from 3.3%.
Quits rose by 321,000 to 3.365 million, marking the largest monthly increase since May 2023, with a quits rate of 2.1%. Layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to 1.641 million, lowering the rate to 1.0% from 1.1%, the lowest since March 2025. Total separations remained near 5.3 million, with a separation rate of 3.3%.
Despite these changes, the Bureau of Labor Statistics described openings and hires as “little changed” in rounded terms.
Sector Trends and Labor Market Balance
The accommodation and food services sector accounted for much of the hiring gain, adding 158,000 hires, while quits in that sector rose by 197,000. Layoffs and discharges in health care and social assistance declined by 70,000.
Job openings exceeded the number of unemployed workers by about 414,000, or roughly 1.05 openings per unemployed worker.
Secondary analysis characterized the data as supporting a labor market on firmer footing despite modest employment gains in September, reflecting a modest, qualified improvement rather than broad acceleration.
