Job Openings Jump to 7.5 Million in September as Layoffs Ease

U.S. employers posted about 7.5 million job openings at the end of September, a sizable increase from August and a firmer reading than economists had expected, according to the Labor Department’s monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, released Tuesday.

CNBC reported that openings rose by 333,000 to 7.52 million, above the 7.15 million forecast in a Dow Jones survey of economists. The Associated Press, in a report carried by ABC News, put the total at 7.5 million, compared with a revised 7.19 million for August, and called the increase about 310,000 and the most openings since May. The two outlets’ monthly changes differ (333,000 versus about 310,000), and the gap may reflect the AP’s use of rounded numbers, and the Labor Department’s own tables would settle the exact change. The AP noted that openings had fallen to 6.9 million in March.

According to CNBC, the openings rate rose to 4.5 percent of the workforce, and there were roughly 1.05 openings for every unemployed worker, about 414,000 more openings than jobless people. The gains came mainly in state and local government, professional and business services, and manufacturing, CNBC reported.

Both outlets reported that layoffs and discharges fell to 1.64 million, the lowest level since March 2025. Quits, which are often read as a sign that workers are confident they can find another job, climbed to 3.36 million, according to CNBC, or 3.37 million, according to the AP, which called it the highest in about 18 months and said it was up from 3.04 million in August. CNBC also reported that hires rose by 131,000 to 5.4 million.

Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long told CNBC the labor market now has more openings than jobless workers. The AP cautioned that hiring has dragged for almost three years even as layoffs stayed historically low, and that the trend would need to last several more months before it signals a genuine pickup.

The report arrives ahead of the government’s October employment report, due Friday. CNBC said economists expect payrolls to rise by 59,000, while the AP cited a FactSet forecast of 65,000, compared with a gain of 29,000 in September. Both expect the unemployment rate to hold at 4.2 percent.

The AP linked the muted pace of hiring needed to keep unemployment low to the retirement of baby boomers and sharply reduced immigration. One month of survey data does not settle whether more openings will turn into more hiring, and the figures are estimates that are often revised.