August Job Openings: 7.1 Million

NATIONWIDE — U.S. employers had 7.1 million job openings on the last business day of August, a little below July, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this morning. Hiring held at 5.2 million for the month and quits did not budge. For job seekers, the August job openings numbers describe a market that is still hiring every week but is not competing hard for workers.

August job openings came in at 7.1 million, hires at 5.2 million and the quits rate at 1.9 percent: a steady, slow-moving market where health care, retail and professional services still hold the most open jobs.

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📊 What the August Job Openings Numbers Say

All of the figures below are seasonally adjusted, and the August figures are preliminary. BLS will revise them next month.

Job openings: 7.1 million, a rate of 4.3 percent. BLS called that little changed from July.
Hires: 5.2 million, a rate of 3.3 percent, little changed over the month and over the year.
Quits: 3.1 million, a rate of 1.9 percent, unchanged.
Layoffs and discharges: 1.6 million, a rate of 1.0 percent, little changed.

July was revised up. BLS now puts July openings at 7.3 million, 64,000 higher than first reported, and July hires rose 92,000 on revision to 5.1 million. A year earlier, in August 2025, openings stood at 6.9 million.

The layoff rate is the reassuring part. At 1.0 percent, roughly one worker in a hundred was laid off or discharged in August, so most people who have a job are keeping it. The quits rate is the sobering part. At 1.9 percent, fewer workers are leaving on their own, and every quit is a vacancy someone else could fill. A low quits rate is one reason a search can feel slow even when millions of jobs are posted.

How Many Openings Per Job Seeker

The Employment Situation report for August counted 7.0 million unemployed people, seasonally adjusted. Set against 7.1 million openings, that works out to roughly one opening per unemployed person. That ratio is our arithmetic, and it combines two different BLS surveys, so treat it as a rough gauge rather than a precise count. It is still a useful one: when the ratio sits near one, employers have fewer reasons to stretch their requirements, and a tailored application matters more than a fast one.

Which Sectors Hold the Openings

BLS said job openings changed little in every industry in August, so none of the monthly moves below are statistically meaningful on their own. The useful part is where the openings sit and how that compares with a year ago. Figures are job openings in thousands, seasonally adjusted.

Industry	Aug 2025	Jul 2026	Aug 2026
Health care and social assistance	1,366	1,474	1,359
Professional and business services	1,095	1,305	1,186
Retail trade	609	707	761
Accommodation and food services	942	653	713
Manufacturing	416	576	522
Financial activities	334	399	403
Transportation, warehousing and utilities	339	314	338
Construction	213	299	251
Government	720	773	731

Health care is still the biggest pool. About 1.36 million openings, and an openings rate of 5.4 percent, the highest of any major industry in the table. For a job seeker, that means nurses, medical assistants, aides and technicians remain the deepest searches on the board.

Retail is where the season shows up. Retail openings reached 761,000 in August, up from 609,000 a year earlier, and the retail openings rate rose to 4.7 percent from 3.8 percent. August is when stores begin posting holiday roles, so this is the part of the table to watch through the fall.

Restaurants and hotels are well below last year. Accommodation and food services had 713,000 openings, down from 942,000 in August 2025. The work is still there, but there is less of it posted than a year ago.

Manufacturing and financial activities are running above last year. Manufacturing openings were 522,000 against 416,000 a year earlier, and financial activities 403,000 against 334,000.

On the hiring side, government hires rose to 346,000 in August from 299,000 in July, and manufacturing hires climbed to 332,000 from 293,000.

Where in the Country the Openings Are

BLS breaks openings out by four Census regions. In August the South had the most, 2.8 million, and the highest openings rate at 4.5 percent. The Midwest followed at 4.4 percent with 1.5 million openings, the West at 4.1 percent with 1.6 million, and the Northeast at 3.9 percent with 1.1 million. A higher rate means more open jobs relative to the size of the workforce there, which is a better signal for a job seeker than the raw count.

🔎 What This Means for Your Search

A market with low quits and low layoffs rewards a steady, targeted search over a scattershot one. Aim at the sectors that are posting: health care, retail for the season, professional and business services, and manufacturing. Apply early to seasonal retail and warehouse roles, since holiday postings fill as the season gets closer. If you are flexible on setting, the South and Midwest carried the highest openings rates in August.

One dated option: Macy's, Inc. says all Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury stores and select supply chain sites will take in-person applications during a nationwide hiring event on Thursday, October 22, and again on Thursday, November 19. Event times vary by location, so check your local store before you go.

Start here:

🗺️ Where to Look in Your City

The South and Midwest posted the highest openings rates in August, so these network cities lean toward those two regions.

Not on the list? Find your city.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many job openings were there in August 2026?

7.1 million on the last business day of August, seasonally adjusted and preliminary, according to the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released September 29, 2026.

Is 7.1 million job openings good or bad for job seekers?

It is steady rather than hot. Openings are slightly above where they were in August 2025, layoffs are low, and hiring is holding at about 5.2 million a month. With roughly one opening per unemployed person, expect competition for each posting.

Which industries have the most job openings?

Health care and social assistance, with about 1.36 million openings in August, followed by professional and business services at about 1.19 million and retail trade at about 761,000.

What does the quits rate tell me?

It shows how willing workers are to leave for something else. At 1.9 percent in August, it is low, which usually means fewer people are job-hopping and fewer jobs are opening up through turnover.

When is the next jobs report?

BLS has scheduled the September 2026 Employment Situation for Friday, October 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Start Your Search This Week

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Employers: with quits this low, the candidates you want are mostly employed and not looking hard. Post your openings on LocalJobPage where local job seekers are searching.

Job Openings at 7.1 Million in August: What It Means for Your Search