Employment Situation

September 2025

The lapse in appropriations has impacted the availability of data featured in this section.

Joint Economic Committee will update this section after the Bureau of Labor Statistics resumes necessary operations.

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

August 2025 | Released September 30, 2025

+19K
Change in nonfarm job openings
Jul 2025 to Aug 2025

-114K
Change in nonfarm hires
Jul 2025 to Aug 2025

-110K
Change in nonfarm separations
Jul 2025 to Aug 2025

Job Openings: The total number of nonfarm job openings increased by 19K to 7.23 million, and the rate remained unchanged at 4.3 percent.

• The best performing sectors were leisure and hospitality (+97K) and private education and health services (+94K).
• The worst performing sectors were construction (-115K) and federal government (-61K).

Hires: The total number of nonfarm hires decreased by 114K to 5.13 million, and the rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.2 percent.

• The best performing sectors were construction (+22K) and other services (+6K).
• The worst performing sectors were trade, transportation, and utilities (-91K) and leisure and hospitality (-31K).

Separations: The total number of nonfarm separations decreased by 110K to 5.11 million, and the rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 3.2 percent.

• Quits decreased by 75K to 3.09 million, and the rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.9 percent.
• Layoffs and discharges decreased by 62K to 1.73 million, and the rate remained unchanged at 1.1 percent.
• Other separations increased by 26K to 295K, and the rate remained unchanged at 0.2 percent.

Table 5. JOLTS Level Indicators

	Aug 2025	Jul 2025	M/M change	Aug 2024	Y/Y change
Job openings level
Nonfarm	7.227M	7.208M	19K	7.649M	-422K
Private	6.457M	6.401M	56K	6.638M	-181K
Hire level
Nonfarm	5.126M	5.240M	-114K	5.230M	-104K
Private	4.805M	4.918M	-113K	4.862M	-57K
Separation level
Nonfarm	5.111M	5.221M	-110K	5.170M	-59K
Private	4.781M	4.907M	-126K	4.853M	-72K

Table 6. JOLTS Rate Indicators

	Aug 2025	Jul 2025	M/M change	Aug 2024	Y/Y change
Job openings rate
Nonfarm	4.3%	4.3%	0.0pp	4.6%	-0.3pp
Private	4.5%	4.5%	0.0pp	4.7%	-0.2pp
Hire rate
Nonfarm	3.2%	3.3%	-0.1pp	3.3%	-0.1pp
Private	3.5%	3.6%	-0.1pp	3.6%	-0.1pp
Separation rate
Nonfarm	3.2%	3.3%	-0.1pp	3.3%	-0.1pp
Private	3.5%	3.6%	-0.1pp	3.6%	-0.1pp

Upcoming releases

Date	Time	Release	Data source
Oct 07	10:00 AM	Monthly Debt Update, October 2025	U.S. Treasury
Oct 07	08:30 AM	Monthly Trade Update, August 2025	Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct 10	10:00 AM	Monthly Fiscal Update, September 2025	U.S. Treasury
Oct 15	08:30 AM	Monthly Inflation Update, September 2025	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct 21	10:00 AM	State Employment Update, September 2025	Bureau of Labor Statistics
Oct 30	08:30 AM	Monthly GDP Update, Q3 2025 Advance Estimate	Bureau of Economic Analysis
Oct 31	08:30 AM	Monthly Expenditures Update, September 2025	Bureau of Economic Analysis

Notes

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics; ADP National Employment Report; JEC Republicans calculations

“pp” = percentage points; “M/M” = month over month; “Y/Y” = year over year

Consistent with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, monthly figures are seasonally adjusted. Discrepancy in change figures is possible due to rounding.