Job openings across the United States fell to 6.5 million in December 2025, the lowest point in eight years outside the COVID-19 pandemic years. This drop happened as employers added only 50,000 jobs that month, showing a labor market that is slowing down after years of strong growth. The figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, painting a picture of fewer chances for workers looking for new positions at the start of 2026.
Background
The US job market boomed for years after the pandemic. Employers rushed to fill spots left empty by quits and retirements. In 2024, businesses added around 2 million jobs over the year. That pace picked up speed with monthly gains often topping 200,000. But signs of a slowdown started showing up in 2025. No single month that year saw employers add as many as the 168,000 average from 2024. By year's end, the total for 2025 came to about 584,000 new jobs—the smallest yearly gain since 2009, skipping the pandemic slump.
Earlier reports for October and November got revised down too. Together, those two months lost 76,000 jobs from what was first reported. This adjustment made the picture even weaker. The unemployment rate did tick down to 4.4 percent in December from 4.6 percent the month before. Still, more people were out of work at year's end than at the start of 2025—about 659,000 more unemployed workers compared to January.
Long-term unemployment held steady at 1.9 million people jobless for 27 weeks or more. That group made up 26 percent of all unemployed. Short-term jobless numbers dipped a bit to 2.3 million for those out of work less than five weeks. These shifts happened against a backdrop where job openings had been trending down for months. Back in November, openings stood at 7.1 million, already down from higher levels earlier in the year.
Key Details
The December JOLTS report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed job openings dropped by 386,000 from November to hit 6.5 million. The rate stayed about the same at 3.9 percent. Big decreases hit professional and business services, where openings fell by 257,000. Retail trade saw 195,000 fewer openings, and finance and insurance lost 120,000.
Sector Wins and Losses
Not every area lost ground. Hires stayed steady at 5.3 million for the month, with a rate of 3.3 percent. Leisure and hospitality led job additions in December's payroll report, adding 47,000 spots. Private education and health services followed with 41,000 new jobs. Government added 13,000, and financial activities gained 7,000.
Other sectors pulled back. Retail trade cut 25,000 jobs, with warehouse clubs and supercenters down 19,000, plus food and beverage retailers off by 9,000. Electronics stores added a small 5,000, but it did not offset the rest. Construction shed 11,000 jobs, professional and business services dropped 9,000, manufacturing lost 8,000, and transportation and warehousing cut 6,600.
Health care kept growing, up 21,000 in December, part of 713,000 added all year. Food services and drinking places gained 27,000 that month, matching the year's average pace. But sectors like business services and manufacturing saw net losses over 2025—97,000 and 68,000 jobs gone respectively.
Quits held firm at 3.2 million in November, up slightly from October. Layoffs and discharges eased to 1.7 million. These numbers suggest workers still feel some confidence to leave jobs, even as openings shrink.
"The labor market is cooling, but it remains stable with hires and quits showing workers have options," said an economist tracking employment trends.
What This Means
Fewer job openings point to businesses pulling back on expansion. Companies face higher interest rates and uncertainty about the economy ahead. This low of 6.5 million openings is well below peaks from a few years back, when numbers topped 11 million. It matches a time before the pandemic when growth was steady but not explosive.
For workers, choice is narrower. Job seekers in retail, professional services, and finance find fewer listings. Health care and leisure still hire, offering paths for some. The unemployment rate at 4.4 percent keeps things from looking dire, but the rise over the year—from 4.0 percent in January—shows more strain.
Employers added jobs at a 0.4 percent growth rate for 2025, far below what faster estimates first suggested. Downward revisions across months underline the slowdown. Private payrolls from other reports show even softer numbers, with 398,000 added all year versus 771,000 in 2024.
Looking ahead, a slower market could ease pressure on prices if businesses hold wages steady. Workers with college degrees saw their unemployment rate hold near 2.8 percent, still low. But broader groups face tougher odds. The shift caps a year where hiring cooled across the board, setting a cautious tone for 2026. Government data and private trackers both confirm the trend: the US added the fewest jobs in over 15 years outside crisis times.
