US job openings fall to 6.5m in October
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Thursday 05 Feb 2026
(Sharecast News) - US job openings fell to 6.5m in December, according to the latest JOLTS report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, extending their steady downward trend.
Openings declined across several major sectors, including professional and business services, retail trade and finance and insurance, with the job‑openings rate little changed at 3.9%.
Hiring activity was similarly stable, with modest increases in real estate and state and local government offset by a drop in federal government hires.
Total separations showed only marginal changes, falling in professional and business services and private education but rising in transportation, warehousing and utilities.
Quits eased in professional and business services but picked up in retail and information, while layoffs rose in transportation and warehousing and fell in finance. Other separations were little changed at 285,000.
Quits were flat at 3.2m and layoffs held near 1.8m, signalling little month‑to‑month movement in overall labour churn.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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