U.S. employers reported 7.5 million job openings on the last business day of September 2026, little changed from the month before, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The report, known as JOLTS, also showed 5.4 million hires, 5.3 million separations and 3.4 million workers who quit, a mix that points to a labor market that is steady rather than surging or sliding.
What did the September JOLTS report show?
The BLS released the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for September on November 3, 2026. Its headline numbers, all described by the Bureau as little changed unless noted, are below.
| Measure (September 2026) | Level | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Job openings | 7.5 million | 4.5% |
| Hires | 5.4 million | 3.4% |
| Total separations | 5.3 million | 3.3% |
| Quits | 3.4 million (up) | 2.1% |
| Layoffs and discharges | 1.6 million | 1.0% |
The BLS labels the rates preliminary. Source for all figures: BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey news release, November 3, 2026.
What do openings, hires, quits and layoffs actually mean?
JOLTS uses specific definitions, and they differ from everyday usage.
- Job openings are positions that are open on the last business day of the month. They are a snapshot, not a count over the whole month.
- Hires are additions to a payroll during the entire month.
- Quits are separations generally initiated by the employee. The BLS says the quits rate indicates how willing or able workers are to leave their jobs.
- Layoffs and discharges are separations initiated by the employer.
- Other separations include retirements, deaths, disabilities and transfers to other locations of the same firm. The BLS put them at 313,000 in September.
Total separations are the sum of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Illustrative arithmetic with the rounded figures shows the pieces fit: 3.4 million plus 1.6 million plus 0.3 million comes to about 5.3 million.
How does the survey work?
According to the BLS, JOLTS is a survey of about 21,000 establishments that produces monthly estimates of job openings, hires and separations for the nation. Its scope covers the government and nonfarm private sectors, and the Bureau publishes estimates by industry, region and ownership, and for the total private sector by establishment size. State estimates cover all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Because it is a sample, the figures are estimates, and the Bureau revises them. That matters for how the latest month is read, as the next section shows.
How were August’s numbers revised?
The BLS revised August upward across most categories. Compared with the first estimate, the Bureau reported these changes:
| August 2026 measure | Revision | Revised level |
|---|---|---|
| Job openings | Up 111,000 | 7.2 million |
| Hires | Up 79,000 | 5.3 million |
| Total separations | Up 105,000 | 5.2 million |
| Quits | Down 22,000 | 3.0 million |
| Layoffs and discharges | Up 127,000 | 1.8 million |
The revisions change the comparison. Against the revised August figure of 7.2 million, September’s 7.5 million is about 300,000 higher (7.5 million minus 7.2 million), though the BLS still described the September change in openings as little changed. Quits are the exception worth noting: with August revised down to 3.0 million, the September level of 3.4 million is the one headline measure the BLS labeled an increase, a rise of about 400,000 on the revised figures.
Revisions of this size are routine for a monthly sample survey, but they show why a single month’s JOLTS number should be treated as a first draft. A reader who saw only the original August estimate and compared it with September would have drawn a different conclusion about openings than a reader using the revised figure. The same caution applies to the September numbers, which the Bureau also labels preliminary and which will likely be updated when the October data are published.
What would a larger move look like?
A genuine shift in the labor market typically shows up across several measures at once. Rising openings together with rising hires and quits would suggest employers are competing for workers. Falling openings alongside rising layoffs and discharges would suggest the opposite. September showed neither pattern in the BLS summary: openings, hires, separations and layoffs were all little changed, and only the level of quits stood out.
Where did the movement come from?
Most of the month’s changes were concentrated in a few industries, according to the BLS release:
- State and local government, excluding education, posted a 104,000 increase in job openings.
- Accommodation and food services had 158,000 more hires, 195,000 more total separations and 197,000 more quits.
- Arts, entertainment and recreation had 19,000 fewer quits.
- Health care and social assistance had 70,000 fewer layoffs and discharges.
Over the past year, the BLS said total nonfarm quits rose by 375,000. The layoffs and discharges rate fell for establishments with 1 to 9 employees, while rates for other establishment sizes showed little or no change.
Restaurants and hotels churn through workers more than most industries, so a large swing in accommodation and food services can move the national totals without signaling a broad shift.
Why does the quits rate get so much attention?
Economists watch quits because they reflect worker confidence. People tend to leave jobs voluntarily when they believe they can find another, and often a better-paying one. A falling quits rate can suggest workers are staying put because alternatives are scarce, while a rising rate can suggest the opposite.
At 2.1 percent, September’s quits rate was little changed, according to the BLS, even though the level rose to 3.4 million. The layoffs and discharges rate of 1.0 percent was also little changed, which means the report does not show a wave of employer-initiated job losses.
How do openings compare with the number of people looking for work?
JOLTS counts openings, not applicants, so it is often paired with the unemployment data from the household survey. The BLS reported in its October 2026 Employment Situation, released November 6, that 7.1 million people were unemployed and that the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent.
A worked example gives a rough sense of scale. Dividing 7.5 million openings by 7.1 million unemployed people gives about 1.06 openings per unemployed person. This is illustrative arithmetic only: it pairs September openings with October unemployment, and many openings are filled by people who already have jobs, so it cannot show how easy it is for any individual to find work. Skills, location and pay can differ sharply between the people looking and the positions listed.
The October jobs report itself showed payrolls up 165,000, with the BLS noting a prior 12-month average of 48,000 a month. Readers can compare that with our earlier coverage of the September jobs report, which carried a much weaker first estimate for that month.
What does this mean for Maryland?
The JOLTS figures above are national. The BLS also publishes state estimates, and Maryland’s numbers can differ from the country’s because of its federal workforce, health care sector and port-related employment. This article does not report Maryland JOLTS figures.
For context, readers can see how the broader economy looked in the third quarter in our explainer on the first GDP estimate, and how the wage floor works in Maryland’s minimum wage guide. Those pieces cover the demand side and the pay side of the same labor market.
How should readers use the next JOLTS release?
Three habits help when the next report arrives. First, look at the revisions as well as the headline, since August’s openings figure moved by 111,000 after the first estimate. Second, treat “little changed” literally: the BLS uses that phrase when a move is within normal statistical noise. Third, read openings, hires, quits and layoffs together rather than any one in isolation.
The BLS has scheduled the next release, covering October 2026, for Tuesday, December 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The November Employment Situation report is scheduled for December 4, 2026.
A steady market with a few moving parts
September’s JOLTS data describe a labor market in which openings sit near 7.5 million, hiring and firing are both subdued, and workers are leaving jobs at a steady 2.1 percent rate. The upward revisions to August are a reminder that early estimates move, and that one month rarely settles the picture. The next release will show whether openings hold above 7 million.
This article is general information about economic data, not financial advice.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
