US employers reported about 7.1 million job openings in August, down from July’s upwardly revised level of about 7.3 million. Hires stood at 5.2 million and voluntary quits at 3.1 million. Openings count unfilled positions on the last business day, while hiring and departures cover the full month. Openings declined while the number of hires changed little.
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Open positions ease to about 7.1 million
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 7.1 million unfilled jobs on the last business day of August. July’s estimate was revised upward by 64,000 to about 7.3 million, leaving a smaller month-to-month decline than an unrevised comparison would show. AP independently reported August openings at 7.08 million against a revised 7.34 million in July. The statistics bureau placed the openings rate at 4.3%. These are surveyed unfilled positions across the nonfarm economy, and the estimates can later be revised.[1], [2]
Hiring changes little
Employers made 5.2 million hires during August and the hiring rate stood at 3.3%; the bureau described both as little changed. Unlike the openings count taken at month-end, hiring covers the entire month. That timing difference matters because a vacancy can be filled or removed before the survey’s final business day. The release also recorded 5.1 million total separations, or a 3.2% rate. Hires and separations therefore describe flows of people into and out of jobs, whereas openings describe the remaining stock of positions.[1]
Quits and employer-led departures diverge
Voluntary quits numbered 3.1 million in August, a rate of 1.9%. Layoffs and discharges initiated by employers were 1.6 million, with a 1.0% rate. A quit can indicate that a worker is willing or able to leave; it is not the same event as an employer ending a job. Other separations, including retirement and transfers within a company, totalled 363,000. Wholesale trade recorded 34,000 fewer quits, while nondurable-goods manufacturing recorded 28,000 more. Those industry changes sit inside the national totals rather than replacing them.[1]
