In a development that indicates a possible slowdown in the labor market, available job opportunities in the United States fell during the month of December to their lowest level in more than five years. This decline coincided with a downward revision of the previous month’s data, which reinforces the idea of a decline in labor market strength at the end of 2025.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report released by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday showed that the number of job openings, considered an important measure of labor demand, fell by 386,000 jobs to 6.542 million jobs at the end of December, marking its lowest level since September 2020.
Furthermore, November data was revised to show 6.928 million job openings instead of the previously reported figure of 7.146 million. Economists polled by Reuters had expected 7.20 million job vacancies.
Regarding the movement of jobs, their number increased by 172 thousand jobs to reach 5.293 million jobs in December, but this level is still low when compared to historical levels.
