U.S. Job Openings Rise

What happened

Updated 3:33pm ET

U.S. job openings rose by 333,000 to about 7.52 million in September, exceeding economists’ forecasts, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.
The number of workers quitting their jobs rose by 321,000 to about 3.4 million, a sign economists use to gauge confidence in finding other work.
Hiring increased by 131,000 to about 5.4 million, while layoffs and discharges fell by 127,000 to about 1.6 million.
Openings now outnumber unemployed workers, though hiring has been sluggish for nearly three years.
The October jobs report is due Friday, and September’s gains would need to continue for several months to establish a lasting improvement.

How the left told it

The Boston Globe, the only left-leaning outlet provided, framed the figures as hopeful news for job seekers, tempered by persistent economic worries. Its AP report called the increases a “hopeful sign” but cautioned that several months of gains would be needed to show real progress.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets were split on how strongly the figures signaled improvement. Breitbart described “surging demand for workers,” while the Epoch Times emphasized a continuing “low-hire, low-fire environment.” The Daily Caller highlighted that state and local government accounted for roughly one-third of the increase in openings.