U.S. job openings rise more than expected in April

06/08/2025 / By Laura Harris

Employers posted nearly 7.4 million job openings in April, up by 191,000 from March and above the 7.1 million forecast, indicating ongoing demand for workers.
Hiring increased by 169,000 to 5.6 million, while layoffs rose by 196,000 to 1.79 million, suggesting a dynamic but steady labor market.
The number of quits, often a sign of worker confidence, declined by 150,000 to 3.2 million, hinting at growing caution among employees.
Despite uncertainty from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, federal cuts and immigration crackdowns, the labor market remains near full employment and shows signs of stability.
Economists say firms may be “hoarding” workers as they wait to see how Trump’s economic policies play out, though risks of a downturn loom in the second half of the year.

Employers posted more job openings than anticipated in April, while both hiring and layoffs increased, signaling a labor market that remains resilient despite broader economic uncertainty.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), job openings rose by 191,000 to nearly 7.4 million – surpassing economists’ expectations of 7.1 million, as surveyed by FactSet. Although the figure marks a three percent decline compared to April 2024, the month-over-month gain points to continued demand for workers.

The ratio of job openings to unemployed workers edged slightly lower to 1.03 to one, hovering near the March level, suggesting a gradually rebalancing labor market.

Hiring also ticked up in April, increasing by 169,000 to 5.6 million, while layoffs rose more sharply by 196,000 to 1.79 million. The number of workers quitting their jobs – often considered a sign of worker confidence – fell by 150,000 to 3.2 million.

“The labor market is returning to more normal levels despite the uncertainty within the macro outlook,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Research. “Underlying patterns in hirings and firings suggest the labor market is holding steady.”

The report offers a mixed but generally stable picture of the labor market ahead of the release of the BLS non-farm payrolls report for May on Friday, June 6. Economists project the economy added 125,000 jobs in May, a slowdown from April’s 177,000, but still reflective of modest growth. The unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.2 percent.

While sentiment data has indicated some softening in hiring activity, the JOLTS report underscores a labor market that, for now, remains durable in the face of shifting economic conditions.

Labor market shows resilience despite uncertainties of Trump’s tariffs, federal cuts and tough immigration stance

The data paints a picture of a labor market holding firm despite headwinds from President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs, federal spending cuts and a tough stance on immigration. Though economists warn that the full fallout from these policies may still lie ahead, April’s report offered a measure of reassurance.

“Politicians can count their lucky stars that companies are holding on to their workers despite the storm clouds forming that could slow the economy further in the second half of the year,” said Christopher Rupkey, a chief economist at FWDBonds, a financial markets research firm.

Moreover, Carl Weinberg, a chief economist at High Frequency Economics, said the latest JOLTS suggests employers are in a wait-and-see mode.

“Once companies are more certain that bad times are coming, they will start to shed workers,” Weinberg wrote in his commentary. “However, the economy is still near full employment. We suspect companies are still hoarding workers until they are very, very sure about an economic downturn.”

Meanwhile, Spencer Morrison wrote in his article for American Greatness in March that Trump has been using tariffs to re-shore economic production.

“Tariffs are a powerful tool that President Trump is using to re-shore economic production from the Third World back to America. This will – almost by definition – increase America’s Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”) and create jobs in the long run,” Morrison wrote. (Related: Trump’s tariffs will create millions of jobs.)

Learn more about the actual state of the American economy at Collapse.news.

Watch the video below where Antoni discussed how the U.S. labor market is nowhere near as robust as people thought it was.

This video is from TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.