US job openings climbed to 7.52 million in September, up 333,000 from the previous month and above the Dow Jones consensus forecast of 7.15 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The figures come ahead of the agency’s October employment report, due Friday.
The job openings rate rose to 4.5%, an increase of 0.2 percentage point from August. There were about 414,000 more openings than unemployed workers, equivalent to roughly 1.05 openings for each available worker.
Openings increased in manufacturing, state and local government, and professional and business services. The largest of those gains were in state and local government, up 108,000, followed by professional and business services, up 106,000, and manufacturing, up 54,000.
The number of workers who quit their jobs rose by 321,000 to 3.36 million, its highest level since March 2025. Quits are often viewed as an indicator of workers’ confidence in finding another job.
Hiring also increased, with hires rising by 131,000 to 5.4 million. Layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to 1.64 million, the lowest level since March 2025.
The consensus forecast for Friday’s October payrolls report is a gain of 59,000 jobs, following an increase of 29,000 in September. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at 4.2%.
Separately, factory orders for manufactured goods rose 1.8% in September, exceeding the 1.3% estimate after increasing 0.3% in August.
Sources: CNBC Markets.