Breaking: US JOLTS Job Openings decline to 8.79 million in November vs. 8.85 million forecast
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Breaking: US JOLTS Job Openings decline to 8.79 million in November vs. 8.85 million forecast

The number of job openings on the last business day of November stood at 8.79 million, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) on Wednesday. This reading followed 8.85 million (revised from 8.73 million) openings in October and came in below the market expectation of 8.85 million.

"Over the month, the number of hires and total separations decreased to 5.5 million and 5.3 million, respectively," the BLS noted in its press release and added:

"Within separations, quits (3.5 million) edged down and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little."

Market reaction to JOLTS Job Openings report

The US Dollar (USD) Index retreated from session highs with the immediate reaction and was last seen trading modestly higher on the day at 102.35.

US Dollar price today

The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies today. US Dollar was the strongest against the Japanese Yen.

  USD EUR GBP CAD AUD JPY NZD CHF
USD   0.04% -0.22% 0.14% 0.45% 0.53% -0.01% 0.22%
EUR -0.05%   -0.29% 0.08% 0.37% 0.47% -0.09% 0.19%
GBP 0.22% 0.29%   0.38% 0.66% 0.74% 0.20% 0.49%
CAD -0.14% -0.09% -0.39%   0.27% 0.39% -0.18% 0.14%
AUD -0.46% -0.35% -0.66% -0.28%   0.10% -0.46% -0.18%
JPY -0.50% -0.50% -0.81% -0.40% -0.11%   -0.62% -0.27%
NZD 0.02% 0.09% -0.20% 0.19% 0.46% 0.55%   0.29%
CHF -0.22% -0.18% -0.50% -0.12% 0.17% 0.28% -0.30%  

The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the Euro from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent EUR (base)/JPY (quote).

 

This section below was published as a preview of the JOLTS Job Openings data at 08:00 GMT.

  • The US JOLTS data will be watched closely by investors ahead of the December jobs report.
  • Job openings are forecast to edge higher to 8.85 million on the last business day of November.
  • Further loosening in labor market conditions could ramp up expectations of a Fed rate cut in March.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) will be released on Wednesday by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The publication will provide data about the change in the number of job openings in November, alongside the number of layoffs and quits.

JOLTS data will be scrutinized by market participants and Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers because it could provide valuable insights regarding the supply-demand dynamics in the labor market, a key factor impacting salaries and inflation. While job openings have been trending down during 2023 – a sign of cooling demand for labor – these remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

What to expect in the next JOLTS report?

"Over the month, the number of hires and total separations changed little at 5.9 million and 5.6 million, respectively," the BLS noted in the October report and added: "Within separations, quits (3.6 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little."

After declining steadily from 10.3 million to 8.9 million in the April-July period, job openings rose to 9.49 million in August. In September, this number retreated to 9.3 million and dropped to its lowest level since March 2021 at 8.7 million in October. For the upcoming November data, markets expect another slight uptick to 8.85 million.  Meanwhile, Nonfarm Payrolls increased by only 150,000 in October and by 199,000 in November.

Following the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) December policy meeting, the US Dollar (USD) has been struggling to stay resilient against its rivals. The USD Index fell over 2% on a monthly basis and touched its weakest level in five months at 100.60 in the last week of 2023. The Fed’s revised Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) showed that policymakers saw a total of 75 basis points (bps) rate cuts in 2024. Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in the post-meeting press conference that policymakers were talking about when it will be appropriate to lower the policy rate and added that they are very focused on “not making the mistake of keeping rates too high too long.” According to the CME Group FedWatch Tool, markets are pricing in an 85% probability that the Fed will lower the policy rate by 25 bps in March.

FXStreet Analyst Eren Sengezer shares his view on the JOLTS Job Openings data and the potential market reaction:

“JOLTS Job Openings data for October surprised to the downside and suggested that labor market conditions continued to loosen following unexpected increases in openings in August and September. A reading at or above 9 million could cause investors to scale back dovish bets and help the USD find demand. On the other hand, a print between 8 and 8.5 million could make it difficult for the currency to hold its ground. However, a significant decline could also hurt the risk mood and trigger a sell-off in US stocks. In this scenario, the USD’s losses could remain limited.”

When will the JOLTS report be released and how could it affect EUR/USD?

Job openings numbers will be published at 15:00 GMT. Eren points out key technical levels to watch for EUR/USD ahead of JOLTS data:

“EUR/USD started the new year under bearish pressure and declined below the lower limit of the ascending regression channel coming from early October, currently located near 1.1000. At the same time, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) retreated toward 50, reflecting a loss of bullish momentum. The 1.0950 level (Fibonacci 23.6% retracement of the October-December downtrend) aligns as the first support for the pair. If this level fails and starts acting as resistance, 1.0850 (200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA), Fibonacci 38.2% retracement) could be set as the next bearish target.

On the upside, buyers could show interest in case EUR/USD returns within the ascending channel by flipping 1.1000 into support. In this scenario, 1.1100 (mid-point of the ascending channel) could be seen as the next resistance before 1.1140 (December 28 high).”
 

Employment FAQs

How do employment levels affect currencies?

Labor market conditions are a key element to assess the health of an economy and thus a key driver for currency valuation. High employment, or low unemployment, has positive implications for consumer spending and thus economic growth, boosting the value of the local currency. Moreover, a very tight labor market – a situation in which there is a shortage of workers to fill open positions – can also have implications on inflation levels and thus monetary policy as low labor supply and high demand leads to higher wages.

The pace at which salaries are growing in an economy is key for policymakers. High wage growth means that households have more money to spend, usually leading to price increases in consumer goods. In contrast to more volatile sources of inflation such as energy prices, wage growth is seen as a key component of underlying and persisting inflation as salary increases are unlikely to be undone. Central banks around the world pay close attention to wage growth data when deciding on monetary policy.

The weight that each central bank assigns to labor market conditions depends on its objectives. Some central banks explicitly have mandates related to the labor market beyond controlling inflation levels. The US Federal Reserve (Fed), for example, has the dual mandate of promoting maximum employment and stable prices. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) sole mandate is to keep inflation under control. Still, and despite whatever mandates they have, labor market conditions are an important factor for policymakers given its significance as a gauge of the health of the economy and their direct relationship to inflation.