US Job Openings Jump 731,000 to 7.6 Million as Hiring Falls to 5.12 Million

3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 2

7.6 million job openings in April topped unemployed workers and marked the highest level since May 2024, far above the 6.8 million economists expected.
Hiring fell by 419,000 to 5.12 million even as openings rose, reinforcing the low-hire, low-fire pattern that has defined the labor market since early 2025.
Professional and business services drove nearly all of the increase with 668,000 added openings, while health care gained 89,000 and financial activities lost 134,000.
Quits dropped 183,000 to just under 3 million—the lowest since August 2020—while layoffs and discharges slipped to 1.7 million, signaling workers and employers remain reluctant to move.
The April JOLTS report keeps the labor market broadly stable ahead of the Fed's meeting later this month, though officials are now weighing tariff- and energy-driven inflation risks more than labor slack.

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