Employers posted far more open jobs in September than Wall Street expected, according to new Labor Department data released Tuesday morning as Americans headed to the polls for the midterm elections.
Job openings rose by 333,000 to 7.52 million on the last business day of September, according to ForexLive’s breakdown of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS. ForexLive reported that economists had expected about 7.1 million openings. The job openings rate rose to 4.5%, the bureau said.
September job openings, hires, and total separations change little; quits increase https://t.co/1SRAm0tMNM #JOLTS #BLSdata
— BLS-Labor Statistics (@BLS_gov) November 3, 2026
The August number was also revised higher. The bureau said August openings were revised up by 111,000 to 7.2 million.
Hiring up, quits up
The report showed more than just postings. Hires rose by 131,000 to 5.40 million in September, according to ForexLive, while layoffs and discharges came in at 1.6 million, which the bureau described as little changed.
Workers also appeared more willing to leave their jobs. Quits increased to 3.4 million in September, the bureau said, up from 3.0 million in August, according to ForexLive. Economists generally treat quits as a sign of how confident workers feel about landing a new position. The quits rate was 2.1% and the layoffs and discharges rate was 1.0%, according to ForexLive.
Private-sector openings rose to 6.644 million from 6.408 million, while government openings rose to 880,000 from 782,000, according to ForexLive. The bureau said openings increased in state and local government, excluding education, by 104,000, and that hires increased in accommodation and food services by 158,000.
What it means
Taken together, more openings, more hiring and more workers quitting by choice point to employers that are still looking to add people rather than cut them. CNBC, Reuters and the Associated Press all reported the September jump in openings Tuesday morning.
That is a welcome data point for a White House that has made the economy its closing argument in the final days of the midterm campaign. It also cuts against the steady drumbeat of predictions that the job market was rolling over heading into the fall.
There are caveats. The bureau’s own summary said September openings, hires and total separations were little changed, meaning the month-to-month moves are not statistically significant on their own. JOLTS figures are also routinely revised as more employer reports come in, as August’s upward revision showed.
The October JOLTS report is scheduled for release on Dec. 1, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before then, the October jobs report due Friday will give voters and markets a fresh read on whether the September strength carried into the fall.
The bureau announced Tuesday’s numbers in a post on X, saying September job openings, hires and total separations changed little while quits increased.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics on X
- BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, September 2026
- ForexLive / InvestingLive
- CNBC
- Associated Press
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: BLS-Labor Statistics (@BLS_gov) on X, Nov 3, 2026
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