WASHINGTON — In September, U.S. job openings fell sharply to their lowest point since January 2021, indicating a potential slowdown in the labor market’s current momentum. Despite this decline, the number of available positions continues to exceed the levels seen before the pandemic.

The Labor Department released data on Tuesday showing that job openings decreased to 7.4 million in September, down from 7.9 million in August. This drop was unexpected, as most economists had predicted that the number of openings would remain stable.

Additionally, layoffs have increased, and the number of Americans voluntarily leaving their jobs fell to under 3.1 million. This figure represents the lowest number of quits since August 2020 and points towards a growing hesitance among workers who may be losing confidence in their prospects for finding more attractive positions elsewhere.