US job openings jump to 7.5 million in September as layoffs fall

The AP and CNBC report that hiring and quits also rose, while UPI says hires changed little, ahead of Friday's October jobs report.

7 news outlets reported this

Liberal3 outletsa hopeful labor-market sign, tempered by caution Center2 outletsLittle-changed openings, climbing quits, and a postings jump Conservative2 outletssurging demand for workers and emboldened quitters

Published Nov 3, 20264 min readMoney and daily life

Overview

The Labor Department reported on Tuesday that US employers had 7.5 million job openings in September, up from a revised count for August. The AP says it is the largest number of openings since May. The AP and CNBC report that hiring rose and the number of people quitting climbed, while layoffs fell to 1.64 million, the fewest since March 2025.

UPI describes hires as little changed from August. Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, called the pickup an encouraging sign despite high diesel and gas prices and ongoing . Nicole Bachaud, a labor economist at ZipRecruiter, cautioned that high inflation and higher interest rates may keep companies from hiring much more in coming months.

The AP says openings now outnumber unemployed people, a reversal from a year earlier. It adds that hiring has been sluggish for nearly three years while layoffs have stayed historically low, so job seekers have a harder time than normal finding work. The government will release the October jobs report on Friday.

The AP cites data provider FactSet as forecasting 65,000 added positions. The AP also says the unemployment rate is expected to stay low. Voters go to the polls on Tuesday, and the AP describes them as "largely gloomy" about higher prices.

Key figures

7.5 million US job openings in September, up from a revised 7.19 million in August — The Boston Globe
333,000 rise in openings from August, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics — CNBC
1.64 million layoffs in September, the fewest since March 2025 — The Seattle Times
65,000 jobs forecast for October by FactSet — The Seattle Times
4.2% expected unemployment rate for October — The Seattle Times

Three sides of the story

Liberal3 outlets

a hopeful labor-market sign, tempered by caution

CNBC calls it a "big September gain in positive sign for labor market" and leads with the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures: openings at 7.52 million, up 333,000 and well above the Dow Jones consensus of 7.15 million. It adds sector gains in manufacturing, state and local government and professional and business services, plus quits at 3.36 million and layoffs down to 1.64 million. It notes a consensus of 59,000 for October payrolls.

The Boston Globe runs the AP report, which opens with employers ramping up postings as growth may encourage hiring, while voters are "largely gloomy" over higher prices. It says the trend would need to last several months to show real progress. It quotes Navy Federal's Heather Long calling it "an encouraging sign" and ZipRecruiter's Nicole Bachaud saying hiring will likely face downward pressure until inflation cools.

Center2 outlets

Little-changed openings, climbing quits, and a postings jump

UPI leads with "Job openings changed little, quitting climbed in September," citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics: 7.5 million openings, about 5.4 million hires and 3.4 million quits. It details state and local government openings and accommodation and food service, and notes the 333,000 rise outpaced the Dow Jones consensus. It quotes Heather Long: "There are more job openings than unemployed people in the United States right now."

The Seattle Times runs the AP wire report headlined as a jump in postings and a sign hiring could pick up. It opens with stronger growth possibly encouraging hiring and voters heading to the polls gloomy over prices. It adds the FactSet forecast of 65,000 jobs for October and explains that, with baby boomers retiring and reduced immigration, the economy needs fewer jobs to hold unemployment low.

UPI: Job openings changed little, quitting climbed in September
The Seattle Times: US job postings jumped sharply in September, a sign hiring could pick up

Conservative2 outlets

surging demand for workers and emboldened quitters

Breitbart News leads with "Job Openings Jump Higher and Layoffs Fall." Its report says employers "sharply increased" the positions they sought to fill and cut layoffs to the lowest level since March of 2025. Openings, it says, unexpectedly rose to 7.52 million from a revised 7.19 million, above every estimate in the Econoday survey.

It says workers felt "increasingly emboldened" to quit for better work, with the share voluntarily leaving at 2.1 percent, the highest in over a year. The report takes the rise in openings first, then layoffs, then quits. Taken together, it writes, the figures point to "a surging demand for workers" as the economy entered the fourth quarter.

The data come from the monthly JOLTS survey, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday.

Breitbart News: Job Openings Jump Higher and Layoffs Fall

Where outlets disagree

September quits figure
- The Seattle Times: 3.37 million
- CNBC: 3.36 million

Money and daily life

For job seekers, openings now exceed the number of unemployed, a reversal from a year ago, according to the AP. But it says hiring has been sluggish for nearly three years and finding work is harder than normal. ZipRecruiter's Nicole Bachaud says high inflation and higher interest rates will likely keep pressure on hiring until inflation cools.

All sources: 8 articles from 7 outlets

Liberal (3)

Center (3)

Conservative (2)

Breitbart News: Job Openings Jump Higher and Layoffs Fall
Daily Caller: Job Openings Rise, But Local Government Accounts For Big Share Of Gain