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 lockdowns. Altogether, Tuesday’s JOLTS numbers suggest the job market remains in an awkward place: Americans who have jobs are mostly safe from layoffs. That meant employers added an average of fewer than 71,000 jobs a month over that period, not the 147,000 first reported. At their last meeting two weeks ago, Fed policymakers cut their benchmark interest rate for the first time this year to support the sputtering job market.