# US job openings rise 333,000 to 7.52 million in September, JOLTS shows Openings beat the 7.10 million forecast and layoffs fell to 1.64 million, though hiring stayed near its slowest pace since 2013. By The Signal Edition Newsroom | Markets and economy / Jobs Published: 2026-11-03T17:20:00Z Updated: 2026-11-03T17:20:00Z Canonical: https://thesignaledition.com/article/jolts-september-2026-job-openings-7-5-million-jlt3q7 Image: https://thesignaledition.com/media/7c0bb15695ae9c8988079e5c5da94084.jpg (Exterior of the Frances Perkins Building, headquarters of the US Department of Labor in Washington; credit: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)) ## Key points - US job openings rose by 333,000 to 7.523 million on the last day of September 2026, above the 7.100 million economists polled by Reuters expected. - August openings were revised up to 7.190 million from 7.079 million, and the openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3%. - Layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to 1.641 million, a rate of 1.0%, while hires rose by 131,000 to 5.402 million. - The October jobs report is due Nov. 6, 2026; Reuters said economists polled expect 65,000 new jobs and a 4.2% unemployment rate. ## What the September JOLTS report showed US employers had 7.523 million job openings on the last day of September 2026, up 333,000 from August, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 7.100 million. The result was 423,000, or about 6%, above that forecast, a figure calculated from the two numbers reported by Reuters. [1](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) [2](https://investinglive.com/news/jolts-job-openings-7-523m-vs-7-100m-estimate) The August figure was revised up to 7.190 million from 7.079 million. The 333,000 increase therefore equals about 4.6% of the revised August level, based on the reported figures. The job openings rate rose to 4.5% from 4.3% in August, Reuters reported. [1](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) [2](https://investinglive.com/news/jolts-job-openings-7-523m-vs-7-100m-estimate) Investinglive reported that the Bureau of Labor Statistics characterized the monthly change in openings as little changed, which means the increase was within the survey's margin of error. Indeed Hiring Lab, which also rounded openings to 7.5 million, titled its analysis "Eerily Quiet" and described the labor market as still rather than strong. [2](https://investinglive.com/news/jolts-job-openings-7-523m-vs-7-100m-estimate) [3](https://hiringlab.indeed.com/2026/11/03/september-2026-jolts-report-eerily-quiet) ## Hiring, quits and layoffs in September Hiring increased by 131,000 to 5.402 million, and the hires rate rose to 3.4% from 3.3% in August, Reuters reported. Layoffs and discharges decreased by 127,000 to 1.641 million, and the layoffs rate fell to 1.0% from 1.1%. [1](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) Investinglive reported 3.4 million quits in September and a quits rate of 2.1%. Indeed Hiring Lab said that rate was above 2% for the first time since June 2025, and called the signal of a turnaround "faint." Indeed also said employers are hiring at the slowest pace since 2013 and workers are quitting at the slowest pace since 2015. [2](https://investinglive.com/news/jolts-job-openings-7-523m-vs-7-100m-estimate) [3](https://hiringlab.indeed.com/2026/11/03/september-2026-jolts-report-eerily-quiet) Reuters described the market as "low-hire, low-fire," with strong corporate profits keeping layoffs near historic lows, and noted that the JOLTS survey has been affected by a low response rate. That caveat matters for how much weight one month of data can carry. [1](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) ## What happens next for the labor market Reuters said nonfarm payrolls increased by 29,000 in September. Economists polled by Reuters expect 65,000 jobs in October and an unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to publish the October Employment Situation report on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by the October Consumer Price Index on Nov. 10. [1](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) [4](https://www.bls.gov/schedule/2026/11_sched_list.htm) Indeed Hiring Lab noted that the Federal Reserve raised rates in September, which makes hiring costlier, while Indeed's own job postings recorded a year-over-year gain for the first time in more than four years. The Nov. 6 payrolls figure will show whether the September openings increase is turning into actual hiring. [3](https://hiringlab.indeed.com/2026/11/03/september-2026-jolts-report-eerily-quiet) [4](https://www.bls.gov/schedule/2026/11_sched_list.htm) ## Sources 1. [Reuters (via GV Wire): US Job Openings Increase Sharply in September](https://gvwire.com/2026/11/03/us-job-openings-increase-sharply-in-september/) (2026-11-03) 2. [investingLive: JOLTs Job openings 7.523M vs 7.100M estimate](https://investinglive.com/news/jolts-job-openings-7-523m-vs-7-100m-estimate) (2026-11-03) 3. [Indeed Hiring Lab: September 2026 JOLTS Report: Eerily Quiet](https://hiringlab.indeed.com/2026/11/03/september-2026-jolts-report-eerily-quiet) (2026-11-03) 4. [Bureau of Labor Statistics: BLS release schedule, November 2026](https://www.bls.gov/schedule/2026/11_sched_list.htm) (2026-11-03)