U.S. Economy Shed Nearly 1 Million Job Openings Last Year
By Matt Grossman
The number of open jobs in the U.S. economy fell by nearly one million last year, evidence of how demand for workers has sputtered in an uneven labor market.
In December, there were just over 6.5 million open positions, down from about 7.5 million at the end of 2024, according to the Labor Department's monthly report on job openings and labor turnover. Four years ago, at the height of the postpandemic economic boom, openings peaked at more than 12 million.
The Jolts report brought other signs that while the labor market has weakened, it hasn't collapsed. The number of people who were hired into new jobs improved slightly in December to 5.3 million, and was roughly unchanged from a year ago. December also brought a slight increase in the tally of people who left their job voluntarily, typically a healthy sign that workers are finding new opportunities.
Layoffs ticked higher at the end of last year, but remain relatively subdued overall. The layoff rate ended 2025 at 1.1%, roughly unchanged from a year ago.
The December Jolts report was rescheduled from earlier in the week after a brief partial government shutdown closed the Labor Department on Monday and Tuesday.
The shutdown also shifted back the release of the January jobs report. Those numbers, previously scheduled for Friday, will now be out on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 05, 2026 10:43 ET (15:43 GMT)
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