US job openings dropped to a five-year low in December 2025, report shows

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US Job Market Suggests Stability Amid Weakening Economy

The labor market in the United States appears to be stable, with a significant drop in job openings reported for December, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of job openings decreased by 386,000 to 6.542 million, marking the lowest level since September 2020.

The decline in job openings suggests that labor demand is softening, which may indicate a weakening economy. However, hiring increased by 172,000 positions to a still-low 5.293 million in December, suggesting that employers are continuing to add staff despite economic uncertainty.

Economists had forecasted 7.20 million unfilled jobs, but the actual number was lower than expected. The data also revealed a larger-than-expected increase in Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits last week, which may have been distorted by snowstorms across much of the country.

Despite these fluctuations, experts remain skeptical about an imminent recession. Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, stated that there is no indication of widespread layoffs, citing low initial claims numbers and a stable labor market trend.

The recent surge in unemployment benefits may be attributed to factors such as seasonal normalization after holiday season volatility and distortions from snowstorms. The labor market remains in a "low hire, low fire" mode, where hiring and firing are relatively low.

A more accurate snapshot of the jobs market is expected when the next job report is released, but for now, it appears that the US economy is maintaining stability despite economic headwinds.
 
I'm kinda surprised by this news 🤔. I mean, 386k fewer job openings sounds like bad news, right? But hiring still went up by 172k, so maybe it's not all doom and gloom? 😐 Economists are saying that the labor market is stable, but the data for unemployment benefits last week was a bit wonky due to snowstorms 🌨️. I'm with Carl Weinberg on this one - no indication of widespread layoffs 🙅‍♂️. It's all about the "low hire, low fire" vibe right now 📈. Can't say I'm optimistic about an imminent recession just yet 🤞. Maybe we'll get a clearer picture when the next job report comes out 📊. For now, it seems like the US economy is holding steady 💪 #StabilityOverSpeculation #EconomicUncertainty #JobMarketUpdate
 
idk, I think the job market is actually pretty dire, 🤔. like, yeah, hiring's still happening, which is good on paper, but have you seen the actual number of jobs being created? it's super low, and that just doesn't feel stable to me... 📉 also, all these new unemployment benefits filings are kinda weird, I mean, snowstorms or not, people shouldn't be struggling that much right now 🌨️. Carl Weinberg says there's no indication of widespread layoffs, but how can we really know for sure? the whole thing just feels like a bunch of mixed signals to me 😒. maybe it is stable, maybe it's not... I don't know, what do you think? 🤷‍♂️
 
so what's going on with this weak economy... like they're not expecting a recession or anything? 🤔 6.5 million job openings is still pretty high if you ask me... I mean yeah hiring did increase but it's still super low, doesn't that tell us something about how the economy is doing?

and what about these snowstorms messing with unemployment numbers? shouldn't we just rely on actual data instead of weather distortions? 🌨️ I'm not sure I buy all this "winter season" stuff... just seems like an excuse to me.

anyway, Carl Weinberg says there's no indication of widespread layoffs which is good but how do we know that's true if everyone's being super careful with job openings? 🤷‍♀️ it's like the economy is playing a game of cat and mouse where nobody wants to make a move... what are they waiting for or something?

still, I guess stability over recession is a good thing... but how long can this last?
 
The job market in the US is kinda weird right now... 🤔 On one hand, the number of job openings went down, which might mean labor demand is slowing down a bit. But on the other hand, hiring is still going strong, so it's like people are just trying to hold on for dear life 😅. I think economists are being a bit too optimistic about an imminent recession, though. If people are really worried about losing their jobs, they wouldn't be applying for unemployment benefits in such big numbers... unless they're actually expecting snowstorms to continue all year 🌨️. Still, it's good that the labor market is stable-ish for now, I guess 💯.
 
I'm not too worried about this news, ya know? 🤗 I mean, yeah, there are some numbers that suggest the economy might be weakening, but all I see is a stable labor market! Employers are still adding staff, which is pretty cool, if you ask me. And let's be real, 5.293 million jobs isn't too shabby either 😊. Plus, those snowstorms might've skewed some of those unemployment benefits numbers... so maybe we shouldn't read too much into that 🤔. I think what it all comes down to is that the economy is still finding ways to adapt and adjust, which is pretty optimistic if you ask me 💪!
 
I'm still kinda stoked about the state of the job market in the States 🤩. I mean, yeah, there's been a drop in openings and all, but at least hiring's still happening, right? It's like, people are being cautious but not getting rid of their jobs left and right, you know? The fact that it's a "low hire, low fire" thing going on is actually kinda reassuring. I remember when the pandemic hit and everyone was losing their jobs left and right... this feels way more stable than that 🙏.

I'm also kinda glad that experts are being cautious but not freaking out about an imminent recession. It's like, we've been through so much already, you know? A bit of economic uncertainty never hurt anyone 💸. Plus, I think it's cool that the labor market is kind of stuck in a holding pattern right now – maybe it'll give us all some time to breathe and figure out our priorities 🕰️.

I'm still not sure what the future holds, but at least for now, the US economy seems like it's trying to keep things stable 🔒. That's definitely something to be optimistic about 💪
 
🤔 I'm not feeling too optimistic about this news tbh... a 386k drop in job openings seems like a pretty big decrease to me. It's not just the number itself, but also how it compares to the pre-pandemic levels 📉. And yeah, hiring is still low, which makes me think that employers are being super cautious with their staff costs 💸. I'm also a bit concerned about those snowstorms messing up the unemployment benefits data... it's hard to tell if it was just a fluke or something more 🌨️. Still, Carl Weinberg seems pretty chill about it, so maybe he's right and we won't see any major layoffs 😐. But hey, I guess stability is better than a full-blown recession, right? 🤷‍♂️
 
🚨💔 The fact that the number of job openings has dropped to 6.542 million is still way too high in my opinion 🤯. It's like the economy is just trying to pretend everything is fine when really it's not 😒. I mean, a significant drop from 7.20 million unfilled jobs? That's still a lot of people who can't find work or are struggling 💼👎. And don't even get me started on the snowstorms causing distortions in the unemployment benefits data ❄️😓. It just feels like we're dodging reality rather than facing it head-on 🤷‍♀️.
 
idk about this one tho... i was supposed to get a promotion at work last week but they put me on hold and never called me back 🤔 anyway, i guess it's good that hiring is still going strong? my mom just lost her job due to company restructuring so that kinda blows the whole "stable economy" vibe out of the water for me 😕 has anyone else been affected by this kind of thing?
 
I mean, can you believe the job market is stable? Like, who needs a recession when we can just have a lot of people applying for jobs and not getting hired 😂🤦‍♂️? But seriously, it's like the economy is all, "Hey, let's slow down on hiring and firing, but still keep making some money 💸." And economists are all, "Nope, we're good, no recession here!" 🙅‍♂️. I guess that's what happens when you have to take into account snowstorms and holiday season volatility... like, who doesn't love applying for jobs during the holidays, am I right? 😂🎄 Anyway, it looks like the economy is stable for now, so let's all just breathe a sigh of relief and hope the job market doesn't get too crazy 🤯.
 
just read this article about the us job market 📈... seems like its still looking stable even tho the economy is kinda weak 🤔 think thats a good sign? also heard from economist guy that theres no signs of widespread layoffs which is a big plus for people worrying about jobs 😬 btw can anyone explain why unemployment benefits are going up again? maybe snowstorms had something to do with it ❄️
 
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