Input Stories

The number of job openings in U.S. manufacturing declined from August to September, in line with all nonfarm job openings, according to new data out today from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What’s going on: Manufacturing job openings were 481,000 last month, down from 491,000 in August. Total openings were at 7.44 million, down from a downwardly revised 7.86 million in August and below market expectations of 7.99 million (FXStreet).

• Job openings in nondurable goods manufacturing declined to 155,000 from 170,000.
• Open positions in durable goods manufacturing, however, increased slightly in the same time period, to 327,000 from 321,000.

Hires: Manufacturing hiring was up in September, to 356,000 from August’s 306,000. Hiring increased across industries, too, coming in at approximately 5.56 million, up from 5.44 million the month prior.

Layoffs and discharges: The number of layoffs and discharges rose in durable goods manufacturing in September but changed little in the overall economy.

• Quits in manufacturing, on the other hand, edged down, to 203,000 in September from 208,000 in August.

What it means: “The decline in job openings reflects a labor market that has slowed back to a pre-pandemic pace after experiencing years of blockbuster growth” (CNN).