Job Openings (JOLTS)
JOLTS job openings count the total unfilled positions across the US nonfarm economy where work is available, the job could start within 30 days, and the employer is actively recruiting. Sampled monthly from roughly 21,000 establishments, it is the headline measure of labor demand and a key input to the Fed's read on wage pressure.
Latest reading
As of April 2026, Job Openings (Job openings) stands at 8K — up from 7K the prior reading. The signal is the ratio of openings to unemployed workers: above 1.5 is a very tight market with strong wage pressure, while below 1.0 means more job seekers than openings — genuine slack. Openings tend to fall before layoffs rise, making this a leading indicator. The data lags by two months, so treat the trend, not the latest level, as the read. Series history runs from 2000 to present.
Job openings
Next release: Jun 30, 2026
Full history
How to read it
The signal is the ratio of openings to unemployed workers: above 1.5 is a very tight market with strong wage pressure, while below 1.0 means more job seekers than openings — genuine slack. Openings tend to fall before layoffs rise, making this a leading indicator. The data lags by two months, so treat the trend, not the latest level, as the read.
Methodology & data
Job Openings is sourced from BLS via the Federal Reserve's FRED service (BLS via FRED (JTSJOL), monthly, seasonally adjusted). We pull the complete history, chart it on a monthly basis, overlay SPY for context, and generate a dated plain-English reading from the latest release — with no smoothing or adjustment beyond what the chart legend states.
Every reading is stamped with its release date, last updated 2026-06-09. See our methodology for the standards every series on the site is held to.
- Category
- Labor
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Source
- BLS
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Frequently asked questions
What is the Job Openings (JOLTS)?
JOLTS job openings count the total unfilled positions across the US nonfarm economy where work is available, the job could start within 30 days, and the employer is actively recruiting. Sampled monthly from roughly 21,000 establishments, it is the headline measure of labor demand and a key input to the Fed's read on wage pressure.
How do you read Job Openings?
The signal is the ratio of openings to unemployed workers: above 1.5 is a very tight market with strong wage pressure, while below 1.0 means more job seekers than openings — genuine slack. Openings tend to fall before layoffs rise, making this a leading indicator. The data lags by two months, so treat the trend, not the latest level, as the read.
Where does the Job Openings data come from?
BLS via FRED (JTSJOL), monthly, seasonally adjusted. We chart the full history and publish a dated, plain-English reading with every release; the raw series is downloadable as CSV at /data/indicators/jolts-job-openings.csv.
How often is Job Openings updated?
Job Openings is a monthly series from BLS, refreshed here as soon as a new release posts to FRED.