AP: Job Openings Remained Steady in March

U.S. job openings in March were essentially unchanged but hiring improved, reported The Associated Press.

Employers posted 6.87 million jobs in March, compared to 6.92 million in February, the Labor Department reported this week. However, AP noted that the numbers don't reflect the full impact of the Iran war and were logged before the war impacted the economy.

"The job market has been up and down so far this year after a dismal 2025. And the Iran war, which began February 28, has clouded the outlook for the economy and hiring. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that layoffs rose in March. But hiring improved: Employers added 5.55 million gross jobs, the most since February 2024. More Americans also quit their jobs—a sign of confidence in their prospects," AP wrote.

In 2025, AP said that employers added fewer than 10,000 jobs a month, which was the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002. Meanwhile so far in 2026, job creation has "bounced around," as it was strong in January (160,000 new jobs) and March (178,000) but weak in February when employers slashed 133,000 jobs.

The Labor Department will release its job report for April this Friday. According to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet, it is expected to show that companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a steady 57,000 net jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%.

AP quoted Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, who said that Tuesday's JOLTS report showed a "steady labor market." But Weinberg cautioned that "this picture of the labor market will change as the economy adjusts to $100+ a barrel of oil, higher inflation, possibly tighter monetary conditions and global recession starting in Asia," which is dependent on disrupted supplies of oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf.