Now you know.
The latest U.S. job market numbers, straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and what they mean for your next hire.
- Unemployment rate 4.2% September 2026 Released Friday, October 2, 2026. BLS Employment Situation ↗ · Series LNS14000000 ↗
- Nonfarm payroll change +29,000 September 2026 (preliminary) Released Friday, October 2, 2026. BLS Employment Situation ↗ · Series CES0000000001 ↗
- Job openings 7.1M August 2026 (preliminary) Released Tuesday, September 29, 2026. BLS JOLTS ↗ · Series JTS000000000000000JOL ↗
- Hires 5.2M August 2026 (preliminary) Released Tuesday, September 29, 2026. BLS JOLTS ↗ · Series JTS000000000000000HIL ↗
- Quits rate 1.9% August 2026 (preliminary) Released Tuesday, September 29, 2026. BLS JOLTS ↗ · Series JTS000000000000000QUR ↗
Seasonally adjusted. Data pulled from the BLS Public Data API on 2026-10-22. Next Employment Situation: Friday, November 6, 2026. Next JOLTS: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Recent months are revised.
How to read the numbers
How to read JOLTS
Openings are jobs employers are trying to fill on the last business day of the month. Hires are people actually added that month. When openings sit well above hires, roles are taking longer to fill.
What the quits rate tells you
Quits are people leaving by choice. A low quits rate usually means people feel less confident about moving. That’s a retention window, and also why strong candidates may need a better reason to leave.
Payrolls vs. unemployment
The payroll number counts jobs added by employers. The unemployment rate counts people looking for work. They come from different surveys and can move in different directions month to month.
Preliminary means it will change
Recent months are revised as more reports come in. Watch the trend over three to six months, not one headline.
Go local
National numbers set the mood, but you hire in a local market. BLS publishes state and metro data too. Check the market where the role sits.
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