Job openings across the U.S. held steady at 7.2 million in August, according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report. The JOLTS report provides insights into the number of job openings, hires, quits, and layoffs, offering a detailed snapshot of labor demand in the U.S.

U.S. Employers Report 7.2 Million Job Openings in August

While the overall number of job openings stayed the same in August, notable growth was reported in key industries including:

• Accommodation and food services (+106,000)
• Health care and social assistance (+81,000)
• Retail trade (+55,000)
• State and local government (+25,000)

Industries that reported a decline in job openings, including:

• Manufacturing (-29,000)
• Construction (-115,000)
• Professional and business services (-39,000)

Hiring and Separations Stay Flat

The number of hires fell slightly from 5.24 million in July to 5.13 million in August, according to the latest JOLTS report. Hiring activity is down by just over 100,000 jobs over the same time last year.

The industries that experienced the most notable changes in hiring were:

• Construction (+22,000)
• Arts, entertainment and recreation (+19,000)
• Transportation, warehousing and utilities (-37,000)
• Accommodation and food services (-50,000)

Several industries held the line, holding steady in August with their hiring pace—including finance and insurance (+1,000), real estate and rental and leasing (+2,000), and manufacturing (+4,000).

Total separations, which include quits, layoffs, discharges, and other separations, decreased by 110,000 in August. Compared to July, total separations fell in accommodation and food services (-113,000) and in wholesale trade (-49,000). Total separations spiked, however, in health care and social assistance (+58,000).

Quits, often regarded as a measure to watch in order to better understand employee confidence, stayed flat in August—fell by a marginal 75,000 across the U.S. economy. The number of quits decreased in accommodation and food services (-140,000) and in finance and insurance (-14,000). Quits increased in construction (+56,000)

Meanwhile, layoffs stayed relatively flat as well—decreasing by 62,000 across the economy.e, fell by just 7,000—remaining at 1.6 million.

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Sources: BLS