US job openings drop to more than five-year low in December

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.S. job openings dropped to the lowest level in more than five years in December and data for the prior month was revised lower amid a softening in labor market conditions at the end of 2025.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, decreased by 386,000 to 6.542 million by the last day of December, the lowest level since September 2020, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, on Thursday.

Data for November was revised down to show 6.928 million job openings instead of the previously reported 7.146 million.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 7.20 million unfilled jobs. Hiring increased by 172,000 positions to a still-low 5.293 million in December.