US job openings jump to nearly two-year high as layoffs fall
The figures suggest labour demand is steadying this year, after near-zero job growth in 2025
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[NEW YORK] US job openings jumped in April to the highest level in almost two years and layoffs fell, adding to signs the labour market remained resilient – even as businesses navigated rising energy costs sparked by the Iran war.
Available positions rose to 7.6 million from 6.87 million in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed on Tuesday (Jun 2).
The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 6.87 million openings.
One sector – professional and business services – accounted for almost the entirety of the increase. The overall number of hires fell to 5.1 million, partly unwinding a surge in March, while layoffs moderated to 1.7 million.
The figures suggest labour demand is steadying this year, after near-zero job growth in 2025.
While vacancies still remain well below the levels seen in the pandemic reopening period, the stabilisation could further undermine the case for interest-rate cuts as Federal Reserve officials increasingly discuss the possibility of rate hikes.
Even so, surveys suggest businesses and workers remain anxious about the labour market and economic conditions.
The share of consumers who said jobs were plentiful fell in May to the lowest since 2021, said The Conference Board, a global think tank.
Small-business hiring plans also remained subdued in April, as inflation concerns continued to hang over companies, the latest data revealed.
The so-called quits rate, which measures the percentage of people voluntarily leaving their jobs each month, fell to 1.9 per cent, matching the lowest since 2020.
The report also showed the number of vacancies for each unemployed worker, a ratio Fed officials watch closely as a proxy for the balance between labour demand and supply, was little changed at one to one.
At its peak in 2022, the ratio was two to one.
Recent jobless claims data have shown few signs of widespread layoffs, despite some high-profile announcements of job cuts, including from the likes of Meta Platforms, Starbucks, LinkedIn and Walmart.
The government’s monthly jobs report for May is due on Friday, and economists expect it to show an 85,000 increase in payrolls, going by the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.
A separate index by job-posting site Indeed has been little changed since the end of March. BLOOMBERG
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