US job openings fall to 7.2 million in March, the lowest level since September

By PAUL WISEMAN Associated Press Economics Writer WASHINGTON AP Job openings in the United States fell in March as President Donald Trump s commerce wars clouded the economic outlook U S employers posted million vacancies in March down from million in February and million in March the Labor Department announced Tuesday It was the fewest number of openings since September and below the million that economists had forecast But the department s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary also proved that the number of Americans quitting their jobs a sign of confidence in the business activity rose modestly And layoffs fell to the lowest level since June Openings remain high by historical standards but have fallen steadily since peaking at million in March when the market system was still bouncing back from COVID- The American job realm has proven remarkably resilient Companies nonprofits and ruling body agencies continued hire in the face of high interest rates engineered by the Federal Reserve to combat a resurgence of inflation The economic outlook is uncertain largely because of Trump s policies huge taxes on imports purges of federal workers and the deportation of immigrants working in the United States illegally Still federal job cuts by billionaire Elon Musk s Department of Administration Efficiency didn t have much impact in the March numbers federal layoffs truly dipped to from February s which had been the greater part since November The job territory is continuing to hold its own but barely stated Robert Frick economist with the Navy Federal Credit Union While job openings dropped below forecasts they haven t hit a post-COVID low Hiring holds steady and layoffs dipped a bit showing that overall employers are clinging to the employees they have But this is likely the calm before the storm as layoffs are pending in authorities contractors and manufacturers and other sectors affected by cabinet layoffs and tariffs