US job openings slipped to 7.1 million in August as hiring stayed flat

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on 29 September 2026 that job openings and hires were little changed at 7.1 million and 5.2 million in August, with total separations unchanged at 5.1 million. Indeed Hiring Lab's read of the same release: employers keep signalling demand but are not hiring, with the layoff rate edging down to 1.0% and quits flat at 1.9%.

What it means A low-hire, low-fire market is the baseline any claim about AI displacing jobs has to be read against.