Where the Open Jobs Are: Openings vs. Hires by Industry (Oct. 20, 2026)
"There are plenty of open jobs" and "nobody is hiring" can both be true at the same time. The latest official data show millions of positions sitting open while employers fill them slowly. Here is a plain-language look, as of October 20, 2026, at which industries have the biggest gap between open jobs and actual hires, and what that means if you need people.
Millions of openings, fewer hires
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) (opens in a new tab), covering August 2026, counted 7.1 million job openings on the last business day of the month, a 4.3 percent openings rate. During the month, employers made 5.2 million hires. That is roughly 1.4 open jobs for every hire. Quits held at 3.1 million and layoffs and discharges at about 1.6 million, both steady.
The gap isn't the same everywhere, though. Some industries are hiring about as fast as jobs open up. Others are falling behind.
Where employers are falling behind
From the JOLTS industry tables (opens in a new tab) for August (seasonally adjusted):
| Industry | Open jobs | Hires in August |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 522,000 | 332,000 |
| Durable goods manufacturing | 380,000 | 188,000 |
| Transportation, warehousing and utilities | 338,000 | 247,000 |
| Health care and social assistance | 1,359,000 | 703,000 |
| Professional and business services | 1,186,000 | 935,000 |
| Construction | 251,000 | 308,000 |
A few things stand out:
- Factories have about two openings for every hire in durable goods. Durable goods manufacturing, which includes auto parts, machinery and metal products, had 380,000 open jobs in August, up from 252,000 a year earlier, but made only 188,000 hires.
- Warehouses and transportation slowed their hiring. Hires in transportation, warehousing and utilities fell to 247,000 in August from 273,000 in July, while openings rose to 338,000.
- Health care has the widest gap. About 1.36 million openings against 703,000 hires.
- Construction is the exception. Hires (308,000) outpaced openings (251,000), as the busy season moved people onto job sites.
In the Midwest, which includes Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, there were 1.53 million open jobs and 1.15 million hires in August.
Layoffs are still low
The U.S. Department of Labor's weekly claims report (opens in a new tab) released October 15 showed 199,000 seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims for the week ending October 10, with a four-week average of 198,500. About 1.71 million people were receiving ongoing benefits for the week ending October 3. Employers are holding on to the workers they have, which means fewer experienced people are hitting the market.
The bigger picture
The September jobs report (opens in a new tab) showed U.S. payrolls up only 29,000, with unemployment at 4.2 percent. Manufacturing added 9,000 jobs, and factory workers averaged 40.6 hours a week with 3.0 hours of overtime. Put together: demand for workers is real, especially on the plant and warehouse floor, but filling those jobs is taking longer.
What this means for employers
- An open job is lost production. If your openings are sitting for weeks, overtime and short-staffed shifts are costing you more than you might think.
- Don't wait for applicants to find you. With quits steady and layoffs low, the best workers aren't job hunting. A recruiter who already knows them can reach them faster.
- Speed up the process, not the standards. Pre-screened candidates let you move quickly without skipping background checks, references or drug screening.
- Try temp-to-hire. It gets someone on your floor now and lets you see their work before making a permanent offer.
BLS releases September state and Michigan numbers today, October 20, at 10 AM ET. New weekly claims are due Thursday, October 22, and September JOLTS data come November 3. We'll keep tracking them here.
Let us fill your open seats
Aggressive Hiring Group is a woman-owned, family-run staffing agency in Monroe, MI, placing workers for employers nationwide for 12 years. We keep a network of pre-screened industrial, warehouse, logistics, office and technical candidates ready to go, and every one goes through our screening process, including background and reference checks and 10-panel drug screening. If you have jobs sitting open, call us at 734.785.8968, Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, or request staff online.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover — August 2026 (released Sept. 29, 2026), tables 1 and 2; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation — September 2026 (released Oct. 2, 2026); U.S. Department of Labor, Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report (released Oct. 15, 2026).