What the JOLTS job openings figure measures
The number of unfilled positions on the last business day of the month that employers are actively recruiting for and could start within 30 days, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) of about 21,000 businesses and government offices. It is published roughly five weeks after the month ends, together with hires, quits and layoffs.
How to read this chart
Openings rise in expansions and fall sharply in recessions; the 2001 and 2008–2009 downturns and the 2020 shutdown all show up clearly. The record surge of 2021–2022 reflects how fast demand for workers returned after the pandemic, far outpacing the number of people looking for work. Since then openings have cooled steadily, mostly without a jump in layoffs.
The latest reading in context
- At 7.52M, the latest reading is below its 5-year average of 8.70M and below its 10-year average of 7.88M.
- Of all 310 monthly readings since December 2000, 85% were lower than today’s and 15% were higher.
- Direction: up 4.6% over the past month; up 9.2% over the past six months; up 4.9% over the past year.
- The highest value on record is 12.30M (March 2022, 4 years ago); the lowest is 2.23M (July 2009, 17 years ago).
- The full history spans 3 US recessions, shaded grey on the chart.
Why it matters
Job openings measure the demand side of the labor market. Comparing them with the number of unemployed people shows how tight the market is: when there are more openings than job seekers, employers compete for workers and wages rise faster. The Federal Reserve watched the openings-to-unemployed ratio closely as a gauge of wage pressure after 2021.
What moves the JOLTS job openings figure
- Consumer demand and business expansion plans
- How quickly employers can fill positions, which depends on the supply of workers
- Quits: when workers change jobs, the positions they leave become openings
- Recruiting practices, including postings that stay open while employers wait for the right candidate
Key moments in its history
- Jul 2009Fell to about 2.2 million, the low of the series.
- 2018Openings exceeded the number of unemployed people for the first time on record.
- Mar 2022Peaked above 12 million, about two openings for every unemployed person.
- 2023–2024Fell back to roughly 7 to 8 million as hiring cooled.
Job Openings (JOLTS) data tables
Average by decade
| Decade | Average | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s (so far) | 8.44M | 12.30M | 4.61M |
| 2010s | 5.09M | 7.59M | 2.67M |
| 2000s | 3.83M | 5.23M | 2.23M |
Last 12 months
| Period | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 7.52M | +4.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 7.19M | −2.0% |
| Jul 2026 | 7.33M | +2.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 7.18M | −4.7% |
| May 2026 | 7.54M | −0.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 7.58M | +10.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 6.89M | −0.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 6.92M | −4.4% |
| Jan 2026 | 7.24M | +10.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 6.55M | −4.3% |
| Nov 2025 | 6.85M | −4.5% |
| Oct 2025 | 7.17M | +0.0% |
Monthly values. Decade figures are averages of the monthly values in each decade. The complete history is available as a CSV file.
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Job Openings (JOLTS): questions and answers
What does JOLTS stand for?
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a monthly survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that also reports hires, quits, layoffs and other separations.
Why is JOLTS data a month behind the jobs report?
JOLTS is published about five weeks after the reference month, while the jobs report comes out a week after. So the August openings figure is released in early October, just after the September jobs report.
How many job openings are there per unemployed person?
Divide the openings figure by the number of unemployed people. The ratio was about 0.2 in 2009, rose above 1 in 2018 and reached about 2 in 2022 before falling back.
Where does the data on this chart come from?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ChartWidgets downloads the series (JTSJOL) from FRED, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis database, and checks for new releases every day. The last update was on November 4, 2026.