JOLTS Job Openings last printed 7.36M on Tue, Aug 4, 2026 against a 7.40M consensus forecast and a 7.59M prior, a -0.18 sigma surprise. The next release is Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET. Published by Bureau of Labor Statistics, captured live by Helious.
JOLTS is the Fed's favored gauge of labor demand. Powell cites the openings-to-unemployed ratio by name. It lags other jobs data by a month but still moves markets because it maps directly onto the 'labor market rebalancing' framework. The quits rate doubles as a leading wage-growth indicator.
More openings than expected is bearish Treasuries (tight labor demand, Fed stays patient); a drop in openings rallies bonds. The 10 AM timing means it hits a fully staffed, liquid market. See it scored live on the Helious desk, or read how the σ surprise is computed.
| DATE | ACTUAL | FORECAST | PRIOR | SURPRISE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Aug 4, 2026 | 7.36M | 7.40M | 7.59M | -0.18σ | BELOW FORECAST |
History accumulates from the desk's live capture (began July 2026). Every row links the print page published the moment the number landed.
| PERIOD | VALUE (K OPENINGS) | PRIOR | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | 7,359K | 7,537K | -178K |
| 2026-05-01 | 7,537K | 7,585K | -48K |
| 2026-04-01 | 7,585K | 6,887K | +698K |
| 2026-03-01 | 6,887K | 6,922K | -35K |
| 2026-02-01 | 6,922K | 7,240K | -318K |
| 2026-01-01 | 7,240K | 6,550K | +690K |
| 2025-12-01 | 6,550K | 6,846K | -296K |
| 2025-11-01 | 6,846K | 7,170K | -324K |
| 2025-10-01 | 7,170K | 7,169K | +1K |
| 2025-09-01 | 7,169K | 6,919K | +250K |
| 2025-08-01 | 6,919K | 7,089K | -170K |
| 2025-07-01 | 7,089K | 7,204K | -115K |
| 2025-06-01 | 7,204K | 7,310K | -106K |
| 2025-05-01 | 7,310K | 7,098K | +212K |
| 2025-04-01 | 7,098K | 6,952K | +146K |
| 2025-03-01 | 6,952K | 7,242K | -290K |
| 2025-02-01 | 7,242K | 7,431K | -189K |
| 2025-01-01 | 7,431K | 7,295K | +136K |
| 2024-12-01 | 7,295K | 7,566K | -271K |
| 2024-11-01 | 7,566K | 7,379K | +187K |
| 2024-10-01 | 7,379K | 6,943K | +436K |
| 2024-09-01 | 6,943K | 7,520K | -577K |
| 2024-08-01 | 7,520K | 7,426K | +94K |
| 2024-07-01 | 7,426K | 7,416K | +10K |
| 2024-06-01 | 7,416K | 7,782K | -366K |
| 2024-05-01 | 7,782K | 7,529K | +253K |
| 2024-04-01 | 7,529K | 8,206K | -677K |
| 2024-03-01 | 8,206K | 8,440K | -234K |
| 2024-02-01 | 8,440K | 8,378K | +62K |
| 2024-01-01 | 8,378K | 8,520K | -142K |
| 2023-12-01 | 8,520K | 8,602K | -82K |
| 2023-11-01 | 8,602K | 8,580K | +22K |
| 2023-10-01 | 8,580K | 9,259K | -679K |
| 2023-09-01 | 9,259K | 9,254K | +5K |
| 2023-08-01 | 9,254K | 8,657K | +597K |
| 2023-07-01 | 8,657K | 9,180K | -523K |
Official published series (JTSJOL) via FRED, Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Desk-captured prints above include the consensus forecast and σ surprise the moment each number landed.
Primary source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · released monthly, ~5 weeks after the reference month at 10:00 AM ET · download the history (CSV), free to cite with a link to this page.
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