US Job Openings at 2-Year High

2026-06-30 14:04 By Agna Gabriel 1 min. read

Job openings in the US increased by 9,000 to 7.594 million in May 2026, the highest since May 2024 and well above market expectations of 7.30 million, highlighting labor market resilience despite rising energy costs from the Iran conflict.

The number of job openings increased in wholesale trade (+71,000), accommodation and food services (+62,000), real estate and rental and leasing (+40,000), but fell in health care and social assistance (-115,000) and finance and insurance (-69,000).

Regionally, openings rose in the South (+88,000), and the Midwest (+115,000), but fell in the Northeast (-88,000) and the West (-105,000).

Over the month, hires were unchanged at 5.2 million, while total separations changed little at 5.1 million.

Within separations, quits (3.1 million) changed little, while layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) were unchanged.



News Stream
US Job Openings at 2-Year High
Job openings in the US increased by 9,000 to 7.594 million in May 2026, the highest since May 2024 and well above market expectations of 7.30 million, highlighting labor market resilience despite rising energy costs from the Iran conflict. The number of job openings increased in wholesale trade (+71,000), accommodation and food services (+62,000), real estate and rental and leasing (+40,000), but fell in health care and social assistance (-115,000) and finance and insurance (-69,000). Regionally, openings rose in the South (+88,000), and the Midwest (+115,000), but fell in the Northeast (-88,000) and the West (-105,000). Over the month, hires were unchanged at 5.2 million, while total separations changed little at 5.1 million. Within separations, quits (3.1 million) changed little, while layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) were unchanged.
2026-06-30
US Job Openings Highest since Nov 2024
Job openings in the US increased by 731,000 to 7.618 million in April 2026, the highest since November 2024 and well above market expectations of 6.88 million, highlighting labor market resilience despite rising energy costs from the Iran conflict. The number of job openings increased in professional and business services (+668,000), but decreased in finance and insurance (-135,000). Regionally, openings rose in the Northeast (+133,000), the South (+171,000), and the West (+439,000), but fell in the Midwest (-11,000). Over the month, hires and total separations decreased to 5.1 million and 5.0 million, respectively. Within separations, both quits (3.0 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) were little changed.
2026-06-02
US Job Openings Fall Less than Expected
Job openings in the US fell by 56,000 to 6.866 million in March 2026, above market expectations of 6.84 million. The number of job openings decreased in professional and business services (-318,000) but increased in finance and insurance (+98,000). Regionally, openings fell in the South (-88,000), the Midwest (-11,000), and the West (-18,000), but rose in the Northeast (61,000). Meanwhile, hires increased to 5.6 million while total separations changed little at 5.4 million. Within separations, both quits (3.2 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.9 million) were little changed.
2026-05-05