JOLTS report: what the latest job openings numbers mean for your job search

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is published every month by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It counts the jobs employers are trying to fill, the people they hire, and the people who leave. The JOLTS report published on November 3, 2026 covers September:

The BLS describes job openings, hires and total separations as little changed over the month. The clearest move is in quits: 3.4 million people left their job voluntarily in September, up 375,000 over the year. The BLS reads the quits rate as a measure of workers' willingness or ability to leave their jobs.

• Accommodation and food services: the biggest increase in hires (+158,000), but also in quits (+197,000) and total separations (+195,000). High turnover means a steady stream of openings, especially ahead of the holidays. Our guide to seasonal jobs covers who is hiring now.
• State and local government, outside education: job openings rose by 104,000, the largest increase of any industry.
• Health care and social assistance: layoffs and discharges fell by 70,000.
• Arts, entertainment and recreation: quits fell by 19,000.

Revisions matter too: the BLS raised its August estimate of job openings by 111,000 and of layoffs by 127,000. A single month's number is a first estimate, not a final one.

The September jobs report, published by the BLS on October 2, counted 7.1 million unemployed people and an unemployment rate of 4.2%. Set against 7.5 million job openings, that is roughly one opening for each unemployed person (our own calculation). Employers are hiring, but each posting draws many applications, and people who already have a job are moving more often, as the rise in quits shows.

In that market, what makes the difference is rarely the number of applications you send:

1. One resume per job posting: reuse the words of the posting in your summary and experience, without inventing anything. Our guide to resume skills shows how to pick the right ones.
2. A file the applicant tracking system (ATS) can read: selectable text, standard section titles, nothing important inside an image or a table.
3. Results, not tasks: one number per job when you have it (customers served, deadlines met, sales).
4. A ready answer to the first question: most interviews open with "tell me about yourself". Here is how to answer it.

• Job openings are the positions open on the last business day of the month. A high number means employers are looking; it does not say how many people apply to each job.
• Hires and separations count every change to payrolls during the whole month. Separations include quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations such as retirements.
• Quits are voluntary departures. When they rise, workers feel confident enough to change jobs, which also opens positions behind them.
• Rates compare each number to total employment, which makes months and industries easier to compare.

• Jobs report (Employment Situation) for October 2026: published Friday, November 6, 2026: 165,000 jobs added, unemployment at 4.1%.
• JOLTS report for October 2026: Tuesday, December 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

We update this page with each new JOLTS report. For private payroll data released two days before the jobs report, see our ADP jobs report page.