Jobs report: June JOLTS shows 7.4 million openings, quits flat

JOLTS, June 2026	Level	Rate	Change vs. May
Job openings	7.4 million	4.4%	Little changed
Hires	5.3 million	3.4%	Unchanged
Total separations	5.4 million	3.4%	Little changed
Quits	3.2 million	2.0%	Unchanged
Layoffs and discharges	1.8 million	1.1%	Unchanged

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June, released August 4, 2026, was a quiet jobs report by design: almost every headline measure held steady. Employers listed 7.4 million open positions on the last business day of June, for an openings rate of 4.4%, which BLS described as little changed from May.

Hiring and departures were similarly stable. Hires were unchanged at 5.3 million, a rate of 3.4%. Total separations were 5.4 million, also a 3.4% rate. Within separations, quits held at 3.2 million (2.0%) and layoffs and discharges held at 1.8 million (1.1%).

The flat quits rate matters because voluntary departures tend to track workers’ confidence in finding another job. A 2.0% rate alongside a 1.1% layoff rate describes a market where few workers are leaving on their own and few are being pushed out.

Under the surface, openings moved by industry. Transportation, warehousing and utilities added 97,000 openings, and the federal government added 39,000. Wholesale trade lost 74,000 openings and nondurable goods manufacturing lost 55,000.

Revisions to May were mixed. BLS cut May job openings by 57,000, raised May hires by 82,000 and raised total separations by 159,000, a reminder that the prior month’s turnover was somewhat higher than first reported.

Taken together, hires of 5.3 million against separations of 5.4 million meant turnover roughly netted out in June. That balance, combined with an unchanged layoff rate, is consistent with employers holding headcount steady rather than expanding or cutting aggressively. The industry shifts in openings were notable in transportation and wholesale trade, two sectors closely tied to goods movement, which moved in opposite directions during the month.

JOLTS lags the monthly payroll data by about a month, so it is best read as a description of labor demand and churn rather than a fresh signal on employment levels. BLS scheduled the July JOLTS release for Tuesday, September 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The next jobs report from this series will show whether the openings rate keeps holding near 4.4% or begins to drift.