Job openings (JOLTS)Seasonally adjustedRevised
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · monthly · 309 observations
77th highest of 309 months since Dec 2000 (BLS JOLTS history begins Dec 2000)
−3.5% vs prior month+2.3% vs a year earlier
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
About this series
What it measures
The number of job openings across all nonfarm employers on the last business day of the month, seasonally adjusted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes it monthly in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, from a sample of establishments, roughly five weeks after the reference month. The headline is total nonfarm openings; the latest month is preliminary.
Why it matters
BLS describes it as a demand-side indicator of labor shortages, showing unmet demand for workers rather than people already hired.
Common misreads
An opening is not a hire. The data are a month behind the jobs report they are often compared with, and the latest month is revised. It comes from a sample survey, and BLS publishes tables showing which changes are statistically significant.