| Consensus | Consensus Range | Actual | Previous | Revised | |
| Job Openings | 6.656M | 6.625M to 6.830M | 6.866M | 6.882M | 6.922M |
Highlights
The March JOLTS data came in stronger than expected, providing some reassurance about the state of employment and confirming stable labor market conditions at modest levels. This provides more reason for the Federal Reserve to maintain its holding pattern on interest rates for the near future.
The number of job openings dipped to 6.866 million (4.1 percent) in March, from 6.922 million (4.2 percent) in February but compared to the expectation of 6.656 million in the Econoday survey of forecasters. Job openings are down by 86,000 compared to a year ago.
March hires were 5.554 million (3.5 percent), after 4.899 million (3.1 percent) in February, and were higher by 221,000 compared to March 2025.
The number of total separations was 5.378 million (3.4 percent) in March, vs 5.022 million (3.2 percent) in February. Within separations, March quits were at 3.171 million (2.0 percent) after 3.046 million (1.9 percent) in February, while layoffs and discharges came in at 1.867 million (1.2 percent) following 1.714 million (1.1 percent) in February.
Definition
The Labor Department's JOLTS report tracks monthly change in job openings and offers rates on hiring and quits. The reporting period lags other employment data including the employment situation report. The word JOLTS stands for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
Description
Although lagging the release timing of the employment situation report by a month, JOLTS provides additional information on the labor market. The payroll survey in the employment situation report provides numbers on net job changes. JOLTS breaks down labor market data into pre-net changes such as job openings, hires, and separations.
