U.S. job openings slipped to 7.1 million in August but labor market remains sturdy

U.S. Job openings slipped to 7.1.

Key points

• FILE – Portraits of Presidents Donald Trump and Theodore Roosevelt hang above the Department of Labor in Washington, July 7, 2026.
• Job openings slid to 7.08 million from a revised 7.34 million in July, the Labor Department documented Tuesday.
• Job market rebounds as employers add 162, 000 jobs; the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%.
• Employers unexpectedly cut 23, 000 jobs against the backdrop of strain from the Iran war, unemployment dips to 4.1%.
• Claims for unemployment benefits drop to 197, 000, the lowest since mid-July as layoffs remain rare.

U.S. Job openings slipped to 7.1 million in August but labor market remains sturdy. By: Paul Wiseman, Associated Press – September 29, 2026.

FILE – Portraits of Presidents Donald Trump and Theodore Roosevelt hang above the Department of Labor in Washington, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File).

In practice, the Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) additionally demonstrated that layoffs fell and the number of individuals quitting their jobs – a sign of confidence in their prospects – was little changed in August.

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Employers posted fewer job openings in August, but the American labor market remains resilient in the face of higher energy costs caused by the fighting with Iran.

U.S. Job openings slid to 7.08 million from a revised 7.34 million in July, the Labor Department documented Tuesday. Openings came in below the 7.2 million that forecasters had projected and were the lowest since they hit 6.9 million in March.

Though unspectacular, despite an energy shock from the Iran war, the U.S. Job market is sturdy. Hiring has rebounded from a miserable 2025. Employers – businesses, nonprofits and administration agencies – have went on an average 80, 000 jobs a month so far this year. That is an improvement on the 9, 700-a-month average last year when high interest rates and uncertainty regarding President Donald Trump's trade policies discouraged businesses from hiring.

Still, Americans' confidence in the economy has sunk to the lowest level in more than a decade, according to the monthly index published Tuesday by the Conference Board.

When the Labor Department releases its next jobs report on Friday, it is projected to show that the United States went on 95, 000 net jobs in September, solid but down from a surprising 162, 000 in August. The unemployment rate probable stayed a low 4.1% as most American workers enjoy an unusual degree of job security, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Employers may not be laying workers off, but they aren't hiring almost as numerous as they did a few years ago. Hiring remains well below the 166, 000 monthly jobs created, on average, in 2023 and 2024, and the 491, 000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.

Cory Stahle, senior economist at the Indeed jobs website, remarked the labor market is "far less dynamic than it was a few years ago. It's a comfortable place to be if you already have a job. It's a frustrating one if you're trying to find one, especially for new graduates and others entering the workforce." Regarding the Author(s). Paul Wiseman, Associated Press. News Paul Wiseman, Associated Press September 24, 2026.

As U.S. Jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security, fewer individuals applied for U.S. Unemployment benefits last week. More From This Author. Economy Paul Wiseman, Associated Press September 4, 2026.

U.S. Job market rebounds as employers add 162, 000 jobs; the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%. News Paul Wiseman, Associated Press August 26, 2026.

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Taken together, the developments around U.S. Job openings slipped to 7.1 million in August but labor market point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.