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1h ago

Job Openings Edge Up to 7.67 Million as Hiring Slows and Layoffs Rise

The shutdown-skewed release arrives on the eve of a Fed meeting that investors expect to result in a small rate cut.

FILE - Applicants line up at a job fair at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City N.J., on April 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry, File)
Image
A "we're hiring" sign is displayed outside a Target store, after U.S. employment growth slowed more than expected in July, in Encinitas, California, U.S. August 1, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake
A "Now Hiring" sign outside a GNC nutritional supplements store on November 23 in Orlando.

Overview

  • Vacancies ticked up to roughly 7.67 million in October, a five‑month high, with gains concentrated in sectors such as health care and retail.
  • Hiring fell by about 218,000 to 5.15 million, leaving the hire rate near 3.2%, a level rarely seen outside downturns.
  • The quits rate slipped to 1.8% with about 2.9 million people leaving jobs voluntarily, the lowest since 2020 and a sign of weaker worker confidence.
  • Layoffs rose to roughly 1.9 million, the highest since early 2023, even as overall separations were little changed around 5.1 million.
  • The JOLTS release folded in September’s data and came with a temporary methodology suspension due to the 43‑day shutdown, and markets see the mixed signals as supportive of a potential 25‑basis‑point Fed cut on Wednesday.