September JOLTS: Job Openings 7.5 Million, Quits Rise to 3.4 Million
Job openings were little changed at 7.5 million in September and quits rose to 3.4 million, BLS said Nov. 3. Layoffs held near 1.6 million.
Why it matters
- U.S. job openings were 7.523 million on the last business day of September, up from a revised 7.190 million in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday, Nov. 3. The openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3%. BLS described openings as little changed.
- Quits rose by 321,000 to 3.365 million, lifting the quits rate to 2.1% from 1.9%. Hires rose to 5.402 million, while layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to 1.641 million.
- BLS revised August openings up by 111,000 and August layoffs up by 127,000. The October jobs report is due Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Data Brief: a summary of published data, with our notes on what it shows.
U.S. job openings were little changed at 7.5 million in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday, Nov. 3, in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Quits rose to 3.4 million, while hires (5.4 million) and layoffs (1.6 million) changed little.
In BLS's detailed tables, openings were 7.523 million, up 333,000 from a revised 7.190 million in August. The openings rate, openings as a share of total jobs plus openings, rose to 4.5% from 4.3%. All figures are seasonally adjusted, and September's are preliminary.
What did the September JOLTS report show?
| JOLTS, total nonfarm | Sept. 2026 (p) | Aug. 2026 (revised) | Sept. 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job openings | 7.523 million (4.5%) | 7.190 million (4.3%) | 7.169 million (4.3%) |
| Hires | 5.402 million (3.4%) | 5.271 million (3.3%) | 5.244 million (3.3%) |
| Total separations | 5.319 million (3.3%) | 5.175 million (3.3%) | 5.161 million (3.3%) |
| Quits | 3.365 million (2.1%) | 3.044 million (1.9%) | 2.990 million (1.9%) |
| Layoffs and discharges | 1.641 million (1.0%) | 1.768 million (1.1%) | 1.816 million (1.1%) |
Source: BLS JOLTS release, Tables 1–5, Nov. 3. Rates in parentheses. (p) = preliminary.
Openings rose in state and local government, excluding education, by 104,000, BLS said. Government openings totaled 880,000, up from 782,000 in August, and private-sector openings rose to 6.644 million from 6.408 million.
Why did quits rise?
Quits are workers leaving jobs by choice, so economists read them as a gauge of confidence in finding new work. They rose in accommodation and food services by 197,000 and fell in arts, entertainment and recreation by 19,000, BLS said. Over the year, total quits rose by 375,000. The 2.1% quits rate was the highest of the five months shown in BLS's tables, which go back to September 2025.
Hires also rose most in accommodation and food services, up 158,000. Layoffs and discharges fell by 70,000 in health care and social assistance.
How was August revised?
BLS revised August job openings up by 111,000 to 7.2 million and hires up by 79,000 to 5.3 million. Total separations were revised up by 105,000 to 5.2 million. Within that, quits were revised down by 22,000 to 3.0 million, and layoffs and discharges were revised up by 127,000 to 1.8 million.
What does the JOLTS report mean for the Fed?
It shows more openings and more quits, with fewer layoffs, in September. The Fed held its target range at 3.75% to 4% on Oct. 28 in a 10–2 vote, with Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack preferring a quarter-point hike, the FOMC statement said; see our October 2026 Fed decision story and the FOMC meeting schedule for 2026 and 2027 for the next meeting. Our employment cost index brief covers third-quarter wage growth.
The October jobs report, The Employment Situation, is due Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 a.m. ET, according to the BLS release schedule. BLS said JOLTS data for October will be published Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m. ET.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary – September 2026 (Nov. 3, 2026), and Tables 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Schedule of releases for The Employment Situation (accessed Nov. 3, 2026)
- Federal Reserve, FOMC statement, Oct. 28, 2026
