U.S. Job Openings Hold at 7.5 Million in September as Worker Quits Rise

U.S. job openings held broadly steady at 7.5 million in September, while more Americans voluntarily left their jobs, according to figures released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rise in quits offered a sign of increased worker movement, but hiring and layoffs showed little overall change.

Employers reported 7.523 million vacancies on the final business day of September, up from a revised 7.190 million in August. The increase of 333,000 was not statistically substantial enough for the agency to characterize the change as more than “little changed.” The job openings rate was 4.5%, compared with 4.3% the previous month.

Hires totaled 5.402 million and total separations reached 5.319 million, both little changed from August. Within those departures, quits rose to 3.365 million, while layoffs and discharges were broadly steady at 1.641 million. Together, the figures depict a job market where advertised positions remain available but employers are not dramatically accelerating hiring.

Vacancies increase in the count, but the broader pace is stable

The September Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS, showed a rise from August’s revised estimate, although the BLS described the September level and rate of openings as little changed. A difference between two monthly estimates does not necessarily establish a meaningful shift in the labor market, particularly for a survey subject to sampling variability and later revisions.

August’s openings figure was raised by 111,000 to 7.190 million as new responses and updated seasonal adjustments became available. That revision matters when comparing months: using the earlier August estimate would exaggerate the change into September. The preliminary September figure was also above the 7.169 million openings recorded a year earlier, but that comparison alone does not say whether businesses have become more willing to complete new hires.

The openings measure counts available jobs for which an employer is actively recruiting and that could begin within 30 days. It is a snapshot taken at month-end, not a tally of everyone who started a job during September. A vacancy can remain unfilled across more than one survey month, which is one reason an elevated openings count can coexist with modest hiring activity.

Demand was not distributed evenly across industries. BLS identified a 104,000 increase in openings in state and local government outside education. Professional and business services reported 1.310 million openings, compared with 1.204 million in August, while manufacturing vacancies were 584,000, versus 530,000. These are reported industry counts; the agency did not characterize every one of those month-to-month differences as a statistically significant change.

Worker quits climb while hiring and layoffs remain subdued

Voluntary quits rose by 321,000 from the revised August level of 3.044 million to 3.365 million in September. The quits rate was 2.1%, up from 1.9% a month earlier, although the BLS said the rate itself was little changed. Compared with September 2025, the number of workers quitting was higher by 375,000.

Quits attract attention because they often reflect whether workers feel able or willing to leave a position. The BLS defines them as separations generally initiated by employees and describes the quits rate as one gauge of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. The increase is consistent with somewhat more turnover, but it does not establish why each employee left or whether all departing workers found another job.

Much of the identifiable industry-level pickup occurred in accommodation and food services. That sector recorded 197,000 more quits and 158,000 more hires than in August, alongside an increase of 195,000 in total separations. By contrast, quits fell by 19,000 in arts, entertainment and recreation. The mixed industry picture makes it difficult to treat the national quits increase as a uniform change across employers.

Hiring was comparatively steady. The number of hires edged up from a revised 5.271 million in August to 5.402 million in September, and the hiring rate moved from 3.3% to 3.4%. The BLS described both as little changed. Hiring is a monthly flow that includes people entering jobs, whereas openings measure positions still available at the end of the month. The two series therefore answer different questions about employer demand.

Layoffs and discharges totaled 1.641 million, down from a revised 1.768 million, with the rate at 1.0%. The agency again classified the overall movement as little changed, although health care and social assistance registered a decrease of 70,000. Stable involuntary departures suggest employers were not broadly stepping up dismissals, but that alone does not imply a rapid expansion in payrolls.

September payroll data underline the gap between openings and job growth

The JOLTS report arrived against a softer employment backdrop. In its separate September jobs release, the BLS reported that nonfarm payrolls rose by just 29,000 and the unemployment rate stood at 4.2%, with both readings little changed. Those figures measure different aspects of employment from JOLTS, yet they help explain why a stable stock of job vacancies should not automatically be read as a hiring boom.

Payroll employment measures the net change in jobs on employers’ books. JOLTS counts gross hires and all kinds of separations, including quits, layoffs and other exits. A company can hire one person to replace someone who left without increasing its payroll. Similarly, a higher quits total can create additional recruiting activity without producing an equal increase in overall employment.

September’s higher number of voluntary departures is therefore best viewed alongside the largely unchanged hiring and layoff readings. It points to more employees leaving jobs, especially in hospitality, without showing a comparable economy-wide jump in new hiring. For people seeking work, the existence of an advertised opening is useful, but the pace at which businesses actually fill positions remains a separate indicator.

The figures are preliminary and subject to revision as more employer survey responses arrive. The next JOLTS release, covering October, is scheduled by the BLS for December 1 at 10 a.m. Eastern time. It will provide another comparison for judging whether September’s increase in quits marks a sustained shift in worker movement or a temporary monthly change.