Bureau of Labor Statistics · · Revised 690 series
US September job openings rise to 7.52 million as the quits rate climbs to 2.1%
US job openings rose to 7.523 million in September, up from 7.190 million in August. The quits rate climbed to 2.1%, hiring rose and layoffs fell. Together they point to a firmer labour market.
A data update from FactIQ, written from Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. What is FactIQ?
Key figures
- US total job openings, September
- 7.523mup from a revised 7.190m in August2022-10-012026-09-01Total number of job openings for all nonfarm industries across the United States
- US quits rate, September
- 2.1%up from 1.9%, highest in more than a year2022-10-012026-09-01The monthly rate of employee quits for total nonfarm industries across the United States
- US hires, September
- 5.402mup from 5.271m in August2022-10-012026-09-01Total nonfarm hires in thousands for all size classes across the United States
- US layoffs and discharges, September
- 1.641mdown from 1.768m in August2022-10-012026-09-01Total number of layoffs and discharges for all nonfarm industries across the United States
More workers quit their jobs than at any time in more than a year
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) tracks job vacancies and how many workers are hired, quit or are laid off. Quits jumped by 321k (thousand) to 3.365 million in September. That is the most since March 2025. The quits rate is the share of workers who left their jobs voluntarily. It rose to 2.1% from 1.9%, its highest reading in more than a year. More quitting usually means workers feel confident, and it often comes with pressure for higher wages.
Hiring rose and layoffs fell
- Hires rose to 5.402 million from 5.271 million. The hires rate was 3.4%.
- Layoffs and discharges fell to 1.641 million from 1.768 million. The layoff rate was 1.0%.
- By region, layoffs were 625k in the South, 373k in the Northeast, 345k in the West and 299k in the Midwest. The Midwest had the biggest drop.
Job openings are close to the year's high
Total openings rose by 333k to 7.523 million. April's 7.585 million is still the high for the year. The openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3%. Private-sector openings rose to 6.644 million from 6.408 million. Manufacturing openings rose to 584k from 530k, the most in six months. The number of unemployed people per job opening fell to 0.9 from 1.0.
August was revised up, and the data matter for interest rates
August openings were revised to 7.190 million, from a first estimate of 7.079 million. August layoffs were revised to 1.768 million from 1.641 million. August hires were revised to 5.271 million from 5.192 million. Openings at firms with 1–9 employees were revised to 1.233 million from 1.050 million. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates in September and held them in October. More quits, more hires and fewer layoffs support the officials who want further rate rises.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. See all BLS data in FactIQ.