JOLTS Job Openings Report, September 2026 Explained

A new jobs report comes out on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. It is called the JOLTS report. JOLTS stands for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. In plain words, it counts how many open jobs employers are trying to fill.

You may not think a jobs report has anything to do with your house. It does. Open jobs are a sign of future paychecks. When there are lots of open jobs, people feel safe signing a mortgage or a lease. When openings dry up, people get careful with big money moves.

This page is here before the new number lands. Below we explain what the report measures, what the charts already show, and what a higher or lower number could mean for you here in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach.

What the JOLTS report actually measures

The report is put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a government agency that counts jobs and prices. JOLTS counts open jobs across the country. An open job is a spot an employer wants to fill and could start filling right away.

Think of it as a help-wanted count for the whole country. More open jobs usually means employers want to hire. Fewer open jobs usually means they are pulling back.

What the charts show right now

The chart above shows the number of open jobs across the country. The latest count is 7,271K for July 2026. That is about 7.27 million open jobs. (The K just means thousands.)

That number is up from 7,182K the month before. It is also up from 7,089K a year earlier. So open jobs have been rising, not falling. That points to steady demand for workers.

We also track the unemployment rate in our three counties. The unemployment rate is the share of people who want a job and cannot find one. In Miami-Dade it was 2.5% in July 2026, down from 2.9% a year earlier. In Broward it was 4.6%, up from 3.9%. In Palm Beach it was 4.8%, up from 4.1%. So the local picture is mixed. One county improved, and two moved the other way.

What it means for your mortgage payment

JOLTS does not set your mortgage rate. But it feeds a bigger story about the job market. A hot job market can push rates up. A cooling job market can pull rates down. Rates move on many reports, not just this one.

Here is why the direction matters to you. On a $600,000 home loan, even a small change in your rate can change your monthly payment by a real amount over 30 years. So the trend behind reports like this one can shape what you pay each month.

What it means for home prices

When lots of people feel safe about their jobs, more of them shop for homes. More buyers competing for the same houses tends to hold prices up. If open jobs fall hard and people worry, some buyers step back. Fewer buyers can cool prices or slow how fast homes sell.

What it means for rent

Rent follows jobs too. If people feel secure, they are more willing to sign a lease or renew one. That supports rent. If the job market weakens, some renters double up or hold off on a move. That can soften rent or make units sit empty longer.

How to read tomorrow's number

Do not get stuck on one month. Look at the direction over time. Is the open-job count rising, falling, or holding flat? One report is a single dot. The trend is what moves rates, prices, and rent.

If you are buying, selling, renting out a place, or holding a mortgage in South Florida, the safest move is to watch the trend and plan for a range of outcomes. We are happy to talk through what any result could mean for your own situation.

Unemployment rate in our three counties

County figures from FRED, latest month published: July 2026.

Every figure on this page comes straight from FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) — series JTSJOL. We publish these before the report lands so you can read the background while it is still quiet, then we add the actual number here the moment it is out.