Oct. 29 (UPI) — U.S. job openings held steady in September but fell slightly from this time last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. The monthly Jobs Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary report showed that job openings were little changed in September from the previous month at 7.4 million, but fell by 1.9 million from September 2023.
Job openings declined by 178,000 in healthcare and social assistance, while openings in state and local government, excluding education, dropped by 79,000 and federal government job openings dipped by 28,000.
The report said the finance and insurance sector saw the biggest job opening increase with 85,000 more jobs being offered.
Hiring changed little at 5.6 million for the month, while total separations — which includes layoffs, quits and those leaving jobs for other reasons — was unchanged at 5.2 million.
The report said 1.8 million were laid off or fired in September, which held steady from the previous month, as well, with 3.1 million quitting the jobs they already had.
The number of total separations for the past year was down by 326,000 from the same time in 2023. The number of people quitting, or voluntarily leaving their jobs, was also down by 525,000 from this time last year.
Quitting decreased in professional and business services by 94,000, but increased in state and local government, not including education, at 22,000. Quitting also jumped in real estate and leasing by 18,000.
Layoffs and firings showed an increase of 238,000 over September 2023. Over the past month, the most layoffs and firings happened in the durable goods manufacturing sector with 46,000 jobs.