{
  "id": 5216840,
  "title": "US job openings rise slightly to 7.3 million as labor market remains sturdy despite higher costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/us-job-openings-rise-slightly-to-7-3-million-as-labor-market-remains",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-01T14:09:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Finance",
    "slug": "yahoo-finance",
    "url": "https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/articles/u-job-openings-rise-slightly-140953221.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Employers added a modest 7.27 million job openings in July, according to the Labor Department's report, as the U.S. labor market remained resilient despite rising costs that strain household finances. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) revealed that layoffs decreased, while the number of individuals quitting their jobs also fell, indicating confidence in their future prospects. However, the overall gross hiring - which includes both hires and those who lost or quit their jobs - decreased to 5.1 million in July from 5.3 million in June.\n\nDespite the relatively sluggish hiring, the American job market continues to operate steadily in spite of an energy crisis triggered by the conflict with Iran, which has strained family budgets. So far this year, U.S. employers have added an average of 61,000 net jobs per month. This figure is modest, but it represents an improvement from 2025, when job growth averaged below 10,000 jobs per month, the weakest hiring period since 2002, due to high interest rates and uncertainty caused by previous tariffs.\n\nThe unemployment rate remains low at 4.1%, and the number of people filing for unemployment benefits has been consistently low. Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, noted that the labor market is currently in a \"low fire, low hire\" phase, with companies becoming more cautious due to ongoing tensions in Iran and rising borrowing costs. If the Labor Department releases data on August hiring and unemployment on Friday, it is anticipated to show employers added 65,000 jobs in that month and the jobless rate rising to 4.2%, according to a forecasters' survey by data firm FactSet.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}