US job openings barely budged in August at 7.2 million
[October 01, 2025] By
PAUL WISEMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. jobs openings were essentially unchanged million
last month amid economic uncertainty arising from President Donald
Trump’s trade policies and an impending government shutdown.
The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings blipped up to
7.23 million from 7.21 million in July. Economists had forecast a drop
to 7.1 million.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that layoffs
fell month. But so did the number of people quitting their jobs — which
is a sign of confidence in their prospects of finding a better job. The
report's measure of hiring last month was the weakest since June 2024.
Job openings remain at healthy levels but have fallen steadily since
peaking at a record 12.1 million in March 2022 as the U.S. economy
roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns.
The U.S. job market has lost momentum this year, partly because of the
lingering effects of 11 interest rate hikes by the inflation fighters at
the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023 and partly because Trump’s trade
wars have created uncertainty that is paralyzing managers trying to make
hiring decisions.
Altogether, Tuesday's JOLTS numbers suggest that the job market remains
in an awkward place: Americans who have jobs are mostly safe from
layoffs. Unemployment remains low at 4.3%. But jobseekers are struggling
to find work.
“Companies are clearly hoarding workers with the economy still at full
employment,” Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics,
wrote in a commentary. "It will take a bigger blow than what we have
seen so far to convince companies that it is safe and prudent — and
necessary — to lay off workers.''
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A hiring sign is displayed at a post office in Schaumburg, Ill.,
Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
 Labor Department revisions earlier
this month showed that the economy created 911,000 fewer jobs than
originally reported in the year that ended in March. That meant that
employers added an average of fewer than 71,000 new jobs a month
over that period, not the 147,000 first reported. Since March, job
creation has slowed even more — to an average 53,000 a month.
On Friday, the Labor Department is expected release numbers on
September hiring and unemployment — though the report could be
postponed if a budget impasse in Congress leads to a government
shutdown Wednesday.
If the report comes out, it is expected to show that employers added
50,000 jobs in September, unimpressive but up from a meager 22,000
in August, according to a survey of economists by the data firm
FactSet.
At their last meeting two weeks ago, Fed policymakers cut their
benchmark interest rates for the first time this year to support the
sputtering job market. They also signaled that expect two more rate
cuts this year.
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