WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. job openings fell slightly last month to 6.9 million, another sign of sluggishness in the American labor market
The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job vacancies slipped from 7.2 million in January.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS), showed that layoffs rose and the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects for finding better pay or working conditions elsewhere — slipped.
The U.S. job market has sputtered over the past year, reflecting the lingering impact of the high interest rates and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies and the impact of artificial intelligence.
Employers added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month in 2025 – weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002. This year started out with a decent 126,000 new jobs in January. But in February, the United States lost 92,000 jobs. When the Labor Department releases March jobs numbers Friday, they’re expected to show that hiring rebounded and that companies, nonprofits and government agencies added 60,000 jobs this month.
Despite sluggish hiring, the unemployment rate has stayed low – at 4.4%. Economists refer to a low-hire, low-fire job market in which companies are hesitant to add staff but don’t want to let go of the workers they have. There are growing worries that AI is taking over entry-level work and that companies are reluctant to make hiring decisions until they better understand how they are going to use AI.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
