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The Openings-Hires Gap Is the Widest Since 2022. August JOLTS Tests Whether Anyone Can Fill the Jobs.

Published September 29, 20265 min read

Unused hard hats hang at a factory workshop entrance, with work gloves nearby and machinery blurred behind them. — Factory hiring gear stands ready as the gap between job openings and completed hires draws scrutiny. Illustration: MarketIntelLabs

July's JOLTS report put 7.271 million job openings against 5.054 million actual hires. The 2.217 million gap between the two is wider than any month since December 2022, when the gap ran 4.739 million amid the Great Resignation's tail. For three years the openings-hires spread sat near its 2019 norm of roughly 1.3 million. Now it is testing levels not seen since the labor market was running hot, and it is doing so with layoffs at 1.666 million, near a series low. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the August report at 10:00 AM ET on Tuesday, September 29, 2026; our preview: Hiring Fell to Its Lowest in Two Years While Openings Kept Climbing. August JOLTS Lands Tomorrow. , flagged that h…

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