Published:
Job openings posted big September gain in positive sign for labor market ahead of payrolls report
The BLS JOLTS report showed job openings rose by 333,000 to 7.52 million in September, with hiring up and layoffs down, while quits increased to 3.36 million—supporting a resilient labour-market narrative ahead of nonfarm payrolls on Friday.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reported a sharp rise in September job openings. Openings increased by 333,000 to 7.52 million, exceeding the cited market consensus, and the openings rate climbed to 4.5% (up 0.2 percentage points).
Hiring also increased, while layoffs fell. Hires rose by 131,000 to 5.4 million, and layoffs and discharges declined by 127,000 to 1.64 million, the lowest level since March 2025. At the same time, employee departures rose: the total of workers leaving their jobs jumped to 3.36 million, up 321,000 from August, with quits highlighted as a gauge of confidence in finding new work.
The data are being viewed as context ahead of Friday’s nonfarm payrolls release. The article notes Wall Street expectations for a gain of 59,000 after September’s small increase, alongside an assumed unemployment rate of 4.2%.
For FX traders, the key watch-through is whether this labour-market strength is confirmed in payrolls and wages, because that would reinforce expectations around the US rate path and financial conditions.
Why this matters for FX
Rising job openings, higher quits and lower layoffs point to continued labour-demand strength, which can keep wage growth and inflation pressures in focus. That matters for FX via US interest-rate expectations: stronger labour-market momentum can delay or reduce the case for policy easing and tends to support USD relative to peers, depending on how it shifts the market’s rate path ahead of payrolls.