US job openings stayed at a surprisingly strong 7.6 million in May, defying expectations of a decline to 7 million. The American labor market remains resilient in the face of economic shock from the Iran war.
Labor Market Resilience
The job market is sturdy but not exactly booming. Layoffs rose in May, and the number of people quitting their jobs ticked up only slightly. Employers are advertising openings, but they aren’t actually doing much hiring. Gross hiring dipped to 5.17 million in May from 5.26 million in April.
According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hiring switch needs to fully turn on for the labor market to feel alive again. The US has added an average of nearly 114,000 net jobs a month in the first five months of the year, up from just 9,700 a month in 2025.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
