- #JOLTS Dec report: -Hires rate 3.3%, up from 3.2% in Nov -Quits rate flat at 2% -Openings drop sharply to 6.5m, from 6.9m in Nov -Layoffs up marginally to 1.76m, from 1.7m in Nov Mixed data but imo, the stable hires/quits is higher signal than the sharp drop in the volatile openings series 1/
- Job openings dropped to 6,542,000, lowest level since September 2020. Openings are a volatile series so take with a grain of salt. But this brings openings more in line with hires and quits that have been more sluggish over the last 2 years. 2/
- Hires rate ticked up slightly to 3.3% in Dec 2025, though it remains lower than year ago and sluggish overall (comparable to levels from 2013). Quits were flat at 2%. Despite bouncing around, quits are largely flat vs. a year ago. Quits are a little better than hires, but still remain sluggish. 3/
- Layoffs were up marginally in Dec, rising to 1,762,000. Not a substantial increase for a volatile data point month-to-month, however, layoffs are close to where they were pre-Covid. Better than constant drip of layoff headlines would suggest, but not as good as last few years. 4/Feb 5, 2026 15:32
