U.S. job openings were essentially steady in March, while hiring picked up even as layoffs rose, according to new U.S. Labor Department data that economists said may need to be reassessed as the economy absorbs the early effects of the Iran war. The Labor Department reported that employers posted 6.87 million jobs in March, compared with 6.92 million in February. The report also showed employers added 5.55 million gross jobs—most since February 2024—even as layoffs increased.
The March job openings data came from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, a monthly snapshot of labor demand and worker flows. The survey has shown a choppy pattern earlier in 2026 following what the Labor Department said was a weak 2025, with hiring strengthening in some months and falling in others. In particular, the report noted hiring strong in January and March, but weak in February when employers slashed jobs.
Despite the rise in layoffs, the report highlighted hiring and worker movement. Employers added 5.55 million gross jobs in March, and more Americans quit their jobs, which the report and related commentary framed as consistent with workers feeling they could find new employment. The quit figure is often watched as a measure of whether workers believe they can leave current jobs without falling into unemployment.
Economists also pointed to the broader context that has influenced hiring decisions. The report said job openings have trended down from a record peak in March 2022, and it attributed the weaker hiring environment to high interest rates after inflation in 2021 and 2022, uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s policies, and potentially the disruptive effect of artificial intelligence.
In commentary published Tuesday, Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, described the JOLTS data as showing a “steady labor market,” while also stressing that the outlook could shift. Weinberg cautioned that the labor market’s picture would change as the economy adjusts to $100-plus a barrel oil, higher inflation, potentially tighter monetary conditions, and a global recession starting in Asia—along with the effects of disrupted supplies of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf.
Other analysis in the report tied the hiring outlook to a threshold level needed to prevent the unemployment rate from rising. It said economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis estimated the “break-even” rate of monthly hiring at 153,000 and that Alexander Bick later updated that estimate in March, calculating it could be as low as 15,000 jobs a month. The report said the lower break-even could reflect fewer people competing for work, including in part because of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Labor Department is scheduled to issue its April jobs report on Friday, which will add another read on the labor market’s direction. In a FactSet survey of forecasters, economists expected companies, nonprofits and government agencies to add 57,000 net jobs in April and to keep the unemployment rate at 4.3%.
As the new JOLTS report underscores, the near-term labor-market picture in March included both strength in hiring and signs of stress in layoffs, while economists warned that the post-Feb. 28 period may bring adjustments as higher energy costs and geopolitical disruption filter through hiring plans.