Job openings across the U.S. rose to 7.7 million in October, 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.

The BLS reported numbers for October and September on December 9, following a pause in reporting since August’s report due to the U.S. government shutdown.

U.S. Employers Report 7.7 Million Job Openings in October

The overall number of job openings rose from 7.2 million in August to 7.66 million in September, and 7.67 million in October.

From August to October, notable growth in key industries included:

• Health care and social assistance (+46,000)
• Retail trade (+159,000)
• Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+41,000)
• Professional and business services (+153,000)

Few industries reported a decline in job openings. Those that dipped include:

• State and local government (-7,000)
• Finance and insurance (-58,000)
• Private educational services (-11,000)
• Nondurable goods manufacturing (-20,000)

Hiring Remains Flat from August to October

The number of hires held at 4.8 million in October, despite a brief uptick to 5 million in September, according to the latest JOLTS report. Hiring activity is down by just 200,000 jobs over the same time last year.

The industries that experienced the most notable changes in hiring from August to October were:

• Transportation, warehousing and utilities (+42,000)
• Health care and social assistance (+42,000)
• Construction (-40,000)
• Professional and business services (-64,000)

Total separations, which include quits, layoffs, discharges, and other separations, decreased by 61,000 from August to October.

Quits, often regarded as a measure to watch in order to better understand employee confidence, fell from 3.09 million in August to 2.94 million in October. The quits rate was at 1.8% in October, which is the lowest since May 2020.

Meanwhile, layoffs ticked up slightly from 1.73 million in August to 1.85 million in October.while, fell by just 7,000—remaining at 1.6 million.

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Sources: BLS