The number of unfilled jobs across the United States rose unexpectedly at the end of the third quarter.
asserted
number → rise → quarter
This happened even as overall hiring remained fairly steady and employers continued to avoid major staff cuts.
asserted
employers → happen → cuts
Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey on 3 November 2026 showed that job vacancies increased by 333,000 to reach a seasonally adjusted 7.52 million on the last business day of September.
asserted
vacancies → release → September
The increase followed a revised total of 7.19 million job openings in August.
asserted
increase → follow → August
Despite the rise in available jobs, hiring across private businesses and government employers outside the farm sector increased only slightly.
asserted
hiring → increase → sector
Total hires went from 5.27 million in August to 5.40 million in September.
asserted
hires → go → September
This gap shows that many companies are continuing to advertise open positions while remaining careful about bringing in new employees.
asserted
companies → show → employees
Public sector drives surge in vacant roles
The increase in job openings was mainly driven by state and local government agencies.
asserted
increase → drive → agencies
Vacancies in the public sector, excluding education, increased by 104,000 during the month, bringing the total to 519,000 open positions.
asserted
Vacancies → exclude → positions
Professional and business services also saw a major increase, adding more than 100,000 vacancies to reach 1.31 million.
asserted
services → see → million
Manufacturing job openings increased to 584,000, compared with 530,000 in August.
asserted
openings → increase → August
In contrast, vacancies in healthcare and social assistance fell slightly to 1.48 million from 1.51 million in August.
asserted
vacancies → fall → August
However, the sector still had one of the largest numbers of unfilled jobs in the American economy.
asserted
sector → have → economy
The overall job openings rate, which measures available jobs against the total number of employed people and open positions, increased from 4.3 per cent in August to 4.5 per cent in September.
asserted
which → measure → September
Layoffs decline while voluntary quits pick up
Employers also reduced the number of workers they let go during the same period.
asserted
they → decline → period
Total separations across non-farm businesses reached 5.32 million, compared with 5.18 million in August.
asserted
separations → reach → August
Within this figure, layoffs and dismissals initiated by employers fell by 127,000 from the revised August total of 1.76 million.
asserted
layoffs → initiate → million
The number reached 1.63 million in September.
asserted
number → reach → September
The largest decline occurred in healthcare and social assistance, where involuntary job losses dropped by 70,000.
asserted
losses → occur → 70,000
At the same time, more workers chose to leave their jobs voluntarily.
asserted
workers → choose → jobs
The number of people who quit increased to 3.40 million, up from a revised 3.02 million in August.
asserted
who → quit → August
The quits rate, which measures the share of workers who leave their jobs voluntarily, increased from 2.0 per cent to 2.1 per cent.
asserted
who → measure → cent
Much of this increase came from the accommodation and food services industry.
asserted
Much → come → industry
Voluntary departures in the sector rose by 197,000 to reach 883,000.
asserted
departures → rise → 883,000
Meanwhile, arts, entertainment and recreation saw a small decline, with voluntary resignations falling by 19,000 during the month.
asserted
resignations → see → month
Industry turnover shows mixed recruitment patterns
Hiring activity varied across major industries throughout September.
asserted
activity → show → September
Accommodation and food services recorded the biggest monthly increase, with hiring rising by 158,000 to reach 879,000.
asserted
hiring → record → 879,000
Construction companies hired 356,000 new workers, up from 307,000 in August.
asserted
companies → hire → August
Retail businesses also increased hiring, reaching 704,000 compared with 664,000 in the previous month.
asserted
businesses → increase → month
However, professional and business services experienced a slowdown.
asserted
services → experience → slowdown
Hiring in the sector fell from 957,000 in August to 927,000 in September.
asserted
Hiring → fall → September
Financial activities also recorded fewer new hires, with 156,000 workers hired compared with 168,000 in August.
asserted
workers → record → August
The overall ratio of job openings to unemployed people rose to around 1.1 available positions for every unemployed jobseeker.
asserted
ratio → rise → jobseeker
This means that the number of advertised jobs remained higher than the number of people actively looking for work.
asserted
number → mean → work
However, the gap was still smaller than it was during the hiring boom that followed the pandemic.
asserted
that → follow → pandemic
Federal data revisions reflect updated reporting
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics also updated its earlier estimates for August 2026 after receiving additional reports from state agencies and private businesses.
asserted
Bureau → reflect → agencies
The number of job openings in August was revised upward by 111,000, increasing the original estimate of 7.08 million to 7.19 million.
asserted
number → revise → million
Total hiring was also revised upward by 79,000 to 5.27 million.
asserted
hiring → revise → million
Total separations increased by 105,000 to reach 5.18 million.
asserted
separations → increase → million
These monthly changes are part of the normal process of updating government employment figures.
asserted
changes → update → figures
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
