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Job Openings

Unfilled jobs employers are actively trying to fill.

Job Openings
7.6M
Thousands · latest, May 2026
vs prior month▲ 0.1%
vs year ago▲ 3.9%
2001 Recession · Mar 2001 – Nov 2001Global Financial Crisis · Dec 2007 – Jun 2009COVID-19 Recession · Feb 2020 – Apr 20204.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M200520102015202020257.6M
Job Openings — one value per year; US recessions are shaded on the chart.
YearJob Openings
20005.1M
20013.7M
20023.2M
20033.4M
20044.1M
20054.3M
20064.6M
20074.5M
20083.1M
20092.6M
20103.1M
20113.8M
20124.0M
20134.1M
20145.1M
20155.8M
20166.0M
20176.3M
20187.5M
20196.7M
20206.8M
202111.5M
202210.9M
20238.5M
20247.3M
20256.5M
20267.6M

Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.

Source: FRED · JTSJOL · series · Dec 2000 to May 2026 · latest-revised

Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from FRED.

Unfilled jobs employers are actively trying to fill.

Total nonfarm job openings on the last business day of the month (BLS JOLTS).

Source: FRED · May 2026 · Full lesson → Learn

About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.

Read across

No single number is the economy. These measure nearby parts of it — add one to compare, or open it on its own.