The September 2025 Jobs Report & August 2025 JOLTS: The Current U.S. Employment Situation

Because of the government shutdown, the BLS did not release its Employment Situation Summary today as scheduled. For now, we will be summarizing the latest JOLTS report that was released on Tuesday, September 30.

Not much changed compared to July’s U.S. jobs data:

• 7.2 million job openings
• 5.1 million hires
• 5.1 million total separations
• 3.1 million quits
• 1.7 million layoffs and discharges

Chart Source: https://www.bls.gov/jlt/

The hires rate dipped slightly to 3.2%, though this is the lowest we’ve seen since June 2024.

Chart Source: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTS000000000000000HIR

The quits rate also ticked down to 1.9%, suggesting the “job hugging” trend continues.

Chart Source: https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTS000000000000000QUR

Of note in specific industries, job openings decreased by 115,000 in construction and 61,000 in federal government. Job openings increased by 106,000 in accommodation and food services, 97,000 in leisure and hospitality, and 81,000 within health care and social assistance.

“The labor market has almost stagnated amid slowing demand for workers, with economists blaming a lagging drag from uncertainty stemming from tariffs on imports as well as the rise of artificial intelligence,” wrote Lucia Mutikani for Reuters.

In terms of revisions for July, job openings were revised up by 27,000, hires were revised down by 68,000, and total separations were revised down by 68,000.

Stay tuned for updates on the BLS report, should September 2025 U.S. job numbers be released in the future. In the meantime, we’re always here to help you hire or find your next great job.