Employers had 7.5 million open jobs on the last business day of September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Tuesday. The figure comes from its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS. The agency said openings were little changed, and the openings rate was 4.5%.

News outlets read the gain as a big one. CNBC reports openings rose by 333,000 from August. That was well above the Dow Jones forecast of 7.15 million, the outlet reports. AP reports it was the most openings since May.

Hires were 5.4 million, the agency said. CNBC reports hires rose by 131,000. Quits rose to 3.4 million, the agency said. AP reports that was the most in about 18 months. Layoffs were 1.6 million, which the agency called little changed. AP and CNBC report layoffs were the lowest since March 2025.

There were about 1.05 openings for every unemployed worker, CNBC reports. “There are more job openings than unemployed people in the United States right now. That doesn't solve all problems, but it's a big change from a year ago,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, the outlet reports.

AP reports the gains are a hopeful sign for hiring. But the trend would need to last several months to show real improvement, the news agency reports. Hiring has been slow for nearly three years, AP reports.

The government will release the October jobs report on Friday, AP and CNBC report. The next JOLTS report, for October, is due on December 1, the agency said.

What we know: Job openings were 7.5 million in September, and quits rose, the government report shows.
What we don't: Whether the gain will last, and what Friday's jobs report will show.