US EditionJob openings slide to 6.9 million in February, another hint of sluggish hiring in America
Hiring fell to 4.8 million in February with a 3.1% hires rate, the lowest since April 2020, amid concerns about high interest rates and AI impact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
- The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings fell to 6.9 million in February, signaling sluggishness in the United States labor market as vacancies slipped from 7.2 million in January.
- Although January data was revised higher to 7.2 million, the Labor Turnover Summary confirms persistent market deterioration over the past year, reflecting high interest rates and uncertainty over President Donald Trump's economic policies.
- Quits and Hires tumbled to six-year lows, with Employers adding fewer than 10,000 jobs monthly in 2025—the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002. The hires rate fell to 3.1 percent, matching April 2020 levels.
- Construction, Manufacturing, Information, Finance, and Private Education saw significant declines in job openings, while accommodation and food services dropped 211,000 positions. These sectoral contractions reflect broader employer caution amid economic uncertainty.
- Economists attribute the market slowdown to uncertainty over President Donald Trump's economic policies and artificial intelligence disruption in entry-level roles. Despite sluggish hiring, the unemployment rate remained low at 4.4%, creating a paradoxical low-hire, low-fire environment.
33 Articles
33 Articles
'Ice cold': US job market crashes to lowest level since Covid lockdowns
New data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Tuesday continued to show weakness in the American jobs market.The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) shows that the number of new hires in February decreased to 4.8 million, which was roughly 400,000 fewer hires than wer...
Looking for a job? New data suggest it may take a while
Job seekers are facing a tougher market. The U.S. hiring rate fell in February to 3.1%, the lowest since April 2020, and the number of job openings slipped to 6.9 million from a revised 7.2 million in January, according to a U.S. Department of Labor report released Tuesday. The monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, tracks U.S. job openings, hires and separations, including resignations, layoffs and firings. “This report shows…
US job openings fall sharply as hiring hits 6-year low in February
US job openings fall sharply as hiring hits 6-year low in February U.S. job openings fell more than expected in February and hiring dropped to the lowest level in nearly six years, government data showed on Tuesday. Job openings, a measure of labor demand, decreased 358,000 to 6.882 million by the…
US Labor Demand Cools as Job Openings Slip Below 7 Million
U.S. job openings slipped below seven million in February as labor demand slightly cooled. The number of job vacancies declined by 358,000 to 6.882 million, from an upwardly revised 7.24 million in January, according to new data released on March 31 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists penciled in a reading of 6.92 million. Last month’s decline was concentrated in accommodation and food services (211,000) and mining and logging (12,000)…
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