US job openings remained unchanged in March at 6.9 million, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The labor market has been volatile this year after a lacklustre 2025, with the Middle East conflict introducing significant uncertainty into economic forecasts and the labor market.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs increased in March. However, hiring increased, and more people quit their jobs, evidence of confidence in the current state of the economy.
After peaking at 12.3 million in March 2022, job openings have decreased steadily. Strong hiring has been discouraged by a combination of high interest rates, uncertainty about policies, and the impact of artificial intelligence, according to US media reports.
So far this year, the creation of jobs has been inconsistent, being robust in January (160,000 new jobs) and March (178,000) but sluggish in February, when employers cut 133,000 positions, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting US media.
