U.S. job openings fall in June as hiring rises

U.S. job openings declined in June, driven by a sharp drop in the healthcare sector, but a concurrent rise in hiring and persistently low layoffs pointed to a labor market that remains stable and resilient amid global economic uncertainty. The data, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, provides a mixed but steady picture as policymakers and economists await a more comprehensive jobs report later this week.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, fell by 178,000 to 7.359 million on the last day of June. The decline was largely concentrated in the healthcare and social assistance sector, where vacancies dropped by 147,000, the largest monthly decrease in nearly a year. The overall job openings rate edged down to 4.4% from 4.5% in May. Despite the drop in available positions, hiring activity increased. Employers hired 5.348 million workers in June, an increase of 96,000 from the previous month, lifting the hires rate to 3.4%. Layoffs and discharges were essentially unchanged at 1.766 million, with the layoff rate holding steady at a low 1.1%.

The report suggests the labor market is in what economists describe as a "slow-hire, slow-fire" phase,...