U.S. jobs openings were essentially unchanged million last month amid economic uncertainty arising from President Donald Trump’s trade policies and an impending government shutdown .

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings blipped up to 7.23 million from 7.21 million in July. Economists had forecast a drop to 7.1 million.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that layoffs fell month. But so did the number of people quitting their jobs — which is a sign of confidence in their prospects of finding a better job. The report’s measure of hiring last month was the weakest since June 2024.

Job openings remain at healthy levels but have fallen steadily since peaking at a record 12.1 million in March 2022 as the U.S. economy roared back from COVID-19 lockdo

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