If You're Looking for a Job, the Latest Data Shows It's Slim Pickings

By

Diccon Hyatt

Full Bio Diccon Hyatt is an experienced financial and economics reporter. He's written hundreds of articles breaking down complex financial topics in plain language, emphasizing the impact that economic currents would have on individuals' finances and the market. He has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Delaware.

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Published May 05, 2026

01:15 PM EDT

Since mid-2025, hiring and job openings have been far below previous levels. Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

• The U.S. economy had 6.9 million job openings in March, the same as in February as the job market stayed in a state of limbo.
• The frozen-over labor market thawed slightly as hiring, quitting and layoffs all edged up.
• The Iran war could affect job creation in the coming months as high gas prices squeeze household budgets and force cutbacks to spending on other things.

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The labor market mostly stayed in its low-hiring, low-firing limbo in March, but churned a little more than it has in recent months.

The number of job openings stayed at 6.9 million in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.1 That was more than the 6.8 million openings forecasters had expected, according to a survey of economists by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal, but shows that the market for employment remains sluggish.2

What This Means For The Economy

The low number of job openings reinforces the picture of the job market as staying afloat, but vulnerable to disruption from economic shocks such as the war-related surge of energy prices.

The data added more detail to the bureau's March payroll report, which showed job creation bouncing back after tanking in February. The Job Opening and Labor Turnover survey report released Tuesday shows how many people were hired, fired or quit, rather than the total number of jobs shown in the more widely watched payroll report that comes out weeks earlier. Tariffs and immigration restrictions have kept the job market on ice since mid-2025, with hiring and job openings far below previous levels and layoffs remaining scarce.

There was a faint glimmer of life in the data for March despite the onset of the Iran war. Layoffs, hiring and quitting all increased though remained at relatively low levels. Hires increased to 5.6 million from 4.8 million in February; quits rose to 3.2 million from 3 million; and layoffs rose to 1.9 million from 1.7 million.3 Most of the layoffs were in the information sector, which includes technology jobs exposed to disruption from AI software.

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"The low-hire, low-fire dynamic that has defined this market for over a year didn’t change much in March, but showed some early potential signs of movement," Sneha Puri, economist at the job site Indeed's hiring lab, wrote in a commentary.

The report may be too early to fully show the effects of the latest shockwave to hit the economy. The Iran war, currently in limbo with an uneasy truce, continues to keep oil prices elevated and gas and diesel fuel along with it, hurting household budgetsand potentially setting off a domino effect to consumer spending and the job market.

"It's too soon to see negative spillover effects from the US/Isreal war with Iran in the March JOLTS data," Matthew Martin, senior U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a commentary. "Higher oil prices threaten to reduce aggregate demand by crimping real incomes. Coupled with increased uncertainty, businesses are likely to pull back further on hiring intentions. Still, the tenuous ceasefire likely limits the worst-case scenarios to the outcome of the war."

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• What were hiring plans and layoffs in the job market's low-hiring limbo?
• How do tariffs and immigration restrictions affect job market dynamics?
• What factors contribute to the job market's low-hire, low-fire dynamic?

Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

1. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey."
2. MarketWatch. "U.S. Economic Calendar."
3. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Data Tools." Select the One Screen option for JOLTS and download data.

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