August JOLTS: Results, market reaction, and key takeaway
Job openings were little changed at 7.079 million in August (rate 4.3%), down from an upwardly revised 7.335 million in July. Hires held near 5.2 million, quits were unchanged at 3.1 million, and layoffs stayed around 1.6 million.
📊 Results
Actual Reading
💡 Key Takeaway
A low-churn labor market: openings eased but remain above a year ago (6.919 million in August 2025), while layoffs stayed contained. Nothing here signals a crack in labor demand.
📖 Why This Matters
August job openings: is labor demand cooling in place or starting to crack?
August JOLTS actual vs expected
| Release date | Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 10:00 ET |
|---|---|
| Event type | JOLTS |
| Actual | 7.08M openings |
| Prior | 7.33M openings |
📚 Related calendar tools and guides
🔗 Related Events
January JOLTS
Job openings rose to 6.946 million in January, a modest rebound from December's depressed level. Hiring stayed soft, signaling labor demand was stabilizing but not re-accelerating.
February JOLTS
Job openings fell to 6.882 million in February, below the 6.918 million consensus. Hiring dropped to the weakest pace since the pandemic, reinforcing a cooling labor-market backdrop.
June JOLTS
Job openings were little changed at 7.4M in June versus 7.5M prior. Hires held at 5.3M, total separations were 5.4M, quits stayed at 3.2M, and layoffs/discharges held at 1.8M.