US job openings decline to lowest level in more than a year

Jarrell Dillard, Bloomberg News on Jan 7, 2026

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U.S. job openings fell in November to a more than one-year low and hiring slowed, indicating most employers remain reluctant to make big changes to headcount.

The number of available positions decreased to 7.15 million in November from a downwardly revised 7.45 million in the prior month, Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed Wednesday. The figure was below all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

The pullback in openings reflected fewer opportunities in leisure and hospitality, health care and social assistance, as well as transportation and warehousing. The number of hires declined to the lowest since mid-2024, while layoffs also eased.

The decline in vacancies along with a slowdown in hiring reinforces views that the job market continues to soften, though companies are largely refraining from dismissing workers outright.

The number of layoffs in November declined to a six-month low after climbing in the prior month to the highest level since 2023, the JOLTS report showed. At the same time, there was a pickup in the number of Americans who voluntarily left their jobs in industries including accommodation and food services, as well as construction.

A report earlier Wednesday showed hiring at U.S. companies rose at a moderate pace in December after firms shed jobs in the prior month, according to ADP Research.

Separate figures from the Institute for Supply Management showed services activity expanded in December at the fastest clip in more than a year. That helped propel hiring in the industries that make up the largest part of the economy. The group’s employment gauge advanced to the highest level since February.

To help shore up a cooling job market, Federal Reserve officials lowered interest rates at their final three policy meetings of 2025. With inflation holding above their 2% goal, central bankers are widely expected to hold rates steady later this month, while weighing fresh employment data.

The JOLTS report showed the number of vacancies per unemployed worker, a ratio Fed officials watch closely as a proxy of the balance between labor demand and supply, fell to 0.9 — the lowest since March 2021. At its peak in 2022, the ratio was 2 to 1.

Some economists have questioned the validity of the JOLTS data, in part due to the survey’s low response rate and sometimes sizable revisions. A separate index by job-posting site Indeed, which is reported on a daily basis, showed openings rebounded in November after reaching a multiyear low.

(With assistance from Julia Fanzeres.)