September 2026 — 2026-11-03

The number of job openings was little changed at 7.5 million in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires and total separations changed little at 5.4 million and 5.3 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.4 million) increased, while layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) were little changed. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, and by establishment size class. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the month. Hires and separations include all changes to the payroll during the entire month. The number and rate of job openings were little changed at 7.5 million and 4.5 percent, respectively, in September. Job openings increased in state and local government, excluding education (+104,000). (See table 1.) The number and rate of hires changed little at 5.4 million and 3.4 percent, respectively, over the month.