JOLTS
JOLTS Job Openings
The BLS JOLTS report counts job openings, hires and quits — the Fed’s favored gauge of labor-demand imbalance.
| Published by | Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly (lags the jobs report by about a month) |
| Release time | 10:00 AM ET |
What it measures
JOLTS measures unfilled job openings, hiring, layoffs and voluntary quits. The openings-per-unemployed ratio became the Fed’s shorthand for how tight the labor market is.
Why traders watch it
- Openings falling without layoffs rising is the "soft landing" path the Fed wants — this report scores it monthly.
- The quits rate leads wage growth: workers quit more when they can get paid more elsewhere.
How to read it
- Openings/unemployed ratio first; near 1.0 reads as balanced.
- Quits rate is the cleanest wage-pressure lead.
- Data lag one extra month and revisions are sizable — direction over level.
FAQ
Why does a lagging survey still move markets?
Because the Fed cites it. When policymakers anchor their labor-balance narrative on openings and quits, a surprise reprices rate expectations regardless of the lag.
What is the quits rate telling me?
Confidence and wage pressure: workers quit when outside offers beat their current pay. Falling quits foreshadow cooling wage growth.
Get every release pushed in seconds — download FirstPrint
The official source of each release is authoritative. Not investment advice.