The number of jobs open fell in November while the number of separations held steady, reflecting a US labor market stuck in a "no-hire, no fire" status, according to government data released Wednesday.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed there were 7.15 million jobs open at the end of November, the same month for which the unemployment rate reached a four-year high of 4.6%. Economists polled by Bloomberg had projected about 7.6 million openings for the month.

Openings for the month were lower in accommodation and food services as well as transportation and warehousing, though they increased in construction. Openings for October were also revised lower to 7.45 million from an earlier level of roughly 7.7 million.

Separations during the month totaled 5.1 million, unchanged from both October and the same month last year.

The hiring rate was declined in November to 3.2%, the Labor Department said, while the quits rate — seen as a barometer of workers' confidence — rose to 2%.

"Here's the key data: Hiring," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in a post on X. "Hiring was anemic in November. The 3.2% hiring rate was one of the worst since the Great Recession era."

Since 2013, only April 2020 (3.1%), saw a lower hiring rate than November.

Here's the key data: Hiring
Hiring was anemic in November.
The 3.2% hiring rate was one of the worst since the Great Recession era.

The United States is in a hiring recession. Virtually no jobs added since April outside of healthcare.

Both blue-collar and white-collar… pic.twitter.com/HYDbYWMxqq

— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) January 7, 2026

Long added that, "The United States is in a hiring recession. Virtually no jobs added since April outside of healthcare."

As for December, official data on the unemployment rate will be published Friday.

Data from the payroll processor ADP out Wednesday showed that private employers added 41,000 positions in December, offsetting losses from the previous month. And Bank of America's internal data similarly shows modest payroll growth for the month.

“While the story as the year closed remained one of ‘low-hire, low-fire,’ it appears possible that most of the labor market slowdown may have run its course,” the Bank of America Institute said in an employment analysis published Wednesday.

Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at emma.ockerman@yahooinc.com.

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