Job openings and hiring increased slightly in April ahead of the Friday employment report from the Labor Department, which will be a major data point for the Federal Reserve as it determines the path for interest rates that undergird economic activity.

Like other economic factors including capital expenditures and consumer spending levels, employment conditions are in a holding pattern as companies wait to see where U.S. tariff policy lands amid President Trump’s ongoing trade war and his fragile truce with top trading partner China.

Job openings increased to 7.4 million in April from 7.2 million in March, according to data released Tuesday. New hires increased by about 170,000 while separations also increased, with about 100,000 workers leaving their current roles.

While many sectors reported fewer job openings in April, bigger industries including professional services and healthcare more than made up for the reductions in the smaller sectors.

Job openings have been fluctuating between 7 million and 8 million per month for about a year now, after descending rapidly off a postpandemic high around 12 million. There’s now one open job for every jobseeker in the economy.

The rate of people quitting their jobs — viewed informally as a general measure of job security — decreased slightly to 2.0 percent in April from 2.1 percent in March as a share of total employment, while contracting by 0.1 percent compared to last year. The quits rate has remained within a 0.1-percentage point range of 2.0 percent since May of 2024.

Economists are seeing the modest variation in the context of increased policy........

© The Hill