Employers reported about 7.1 million job openings in August 2026. This is a rounded, Seasonal adjustment Seasonal adjustment estimates and removes recurring calendar patterns to make changes over time easier to interpret. Read the full explanation → estimate of vacancies, not people hired.
Why it matters
Vacancies give one view of demand for workers. Hiring and separations are also needed to understand movement through the labor market.
In everyday life
Job seekers can face a mismatch between openings and their skills, location, or schedule. A high vacancy count does not guarantee a quick offer.
What remains uncertain
The headline is rounded and preliminary. Vacancies and actual hires measure different things.
Choose “Go deeper” for the full explanation, definitions, and differences across households.
Sources & dates
JOLTS official release
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Event
- Official release on Sep 29, 2026. A statistical release describing an earlier observation period.
- Observation period
- August 2026
- Geography
- United States
- Methodology
- Job openings: million, seasonally adjusted; rounded headline estimate.
- Publication
- Meaningful update
Figures were extracted and checked against named BLS public-data series; the source link opens the matching dated release. Monthly payroll change uses consecutive seasonally adjusted levels, and annual CPI change uses the unadjusted index one year apart. Official estimates may be revised.
A source check is not a new economic release. These are the figures available in the linked release vintage. Later releases may revise them.
Revision history (1)
Oct 9, 2026 — Initial publication.