United States Job Offers

Last Release

May 31, 2024

Actual

8,140

Units In

Thousand

8,059

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Jul 30, 2024

Time to Release

27 Days 3 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
11,549 Mar 2022	2,232 Jul 2009	5,352.25 Thousand	2000-2024	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

In the United States, job openings refer to all positions that are open (not filled) on the last business day of the month. Job openings are part of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The survey collects data from around 16400 nonfarm establishments including retailers and manufacturers, as well as federal, state, and local government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The JOLTS assesses the unmet demand for labor in the U.S. labor market and gained attention in 2014 as favorite labor market indicator of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

Latest Updates

The number of job openings rose by 221,000 from the previous month to 8.140 million in May 2024, beating the market consensus of 7.91 million. It follows a downwardly revised 7.919 million in April which was the lowest in three years. In May, job openings increased in state and local government, excluding education (+117,000), durable goods manufacturing (+97,000), and federal government (+37,000). On the other hand, job openings decreased in accommodation and food services (-147,000) and in private educational services (-34,000). Regarding regional distribution, job openings went up in the Midwest (+116,000), West (+85,000) and Northeast (+78,000), but fell in the South (-58,000).