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The number of U.S. job openings in manufacturing edged down in October, while overall job opening numbers rose slightly, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What’s going on: There were 465,000 seasonally adjusted open positions in manufacturing in October, a small decrease from 478,000 in September.

• The number was down significantly from October 2023, when there were 576,000 seasonally adjusted U.S. job openings in manufacturing.
• In the larger economy, there were 7,744,000 seasonally adjusted job openings in October, up a bit from September’s 7,372,000.
• Year-over-year, seasonally adjusted total job openings were down about 12% (there were 8,685,000 in October 2023).

The details: Job availability in durable goods moved down in October, to 317,000 seasonally adjusted openings from 321,000 in September. The number was a more significant decrease from October 2023, when the total was 364,000.

• In nondurable goods, openings came in at a seasonally adjusted 148,000, a mild decline from September’s 156,000. In October 2023, there were 213,000 seasonally adjusted manufacturing job openings in nondurable goods. 

Quits, layoffs and discharges: Quits in manufacturing inched up slightly in October to a seasonally adjusted 209,000 from September’s 200,000.

• Layoffs and discharges declined more, to 111,000 from 159,000. These decreased most notably in durable goods, to 55,000 in October from 92,000 in September.