More Americans voluntarily left their jobs in September 2026, even as hiring remained broadly steady, revealing a notable change in how workers were moving through the U.S. labor market. Quits increased by 321,000 to 3.365 million, up from a revised 3.044 million in August, while employers recorded 5.402 million hires, an increase of 131,000 that the Bureau of Labor Statistics characterized as little changed.
The figures, published in the September JOLTS report on November 3, show that more workers were leaving jobs without a comparable nationwide acceleration in hiring. But the most revealing finding lies beneath the national totals: accommodation and food services accounted for approximately 61% of the increase in quits, according to an Investozora calculation using official industry data.
That concentration matters because a rise in voluntary departures can suggest that some workers feel more able or willing to change jobs. It does not necessarily mean Americans across every industry are finding better opportunities, receiving higher wages or becoming more confident about their financial security.
The national quits rate rose from 1.9% in August to 2.1% in September. BLS described the movement in the rate as little changed, even though the number of quits increased. Compared with September 2025, when approximately 2.990 million quits were recorded, the latest figure was higher by 375,000.
Quits generally represent employees voluntarily leaving their jobs, excluding certain departures such as retirements and transfers that BLS classifies separately. Economists monitor the measure because workers may be more willing to leave when they believe alternative employment is available. However, the survey does not establish whether those workers immediately secured another position or improved their earnings.
The strongest sector-level movement came from accommodation and food services, a category covering businesses such as restaurants, hotels and other food-service establishments. Quits in the industry increased from 522,000 in August to 719,000 in September, a gain of 197,000. Its quits rate climbed from 3.6% to 5.0%, according to BLS industry data.
Investozora calculates that the industry’s 197,000 additional quits represented approximately 61.4% of the nationwide increase of 321,000. This is a share of the monthly increase, not a claim that the industry accounted for 61.4% of all Americans quitting their jobs.
The same industry also experienced stronger hiring. Accommodation and food services recorded 879,000 hires in September, compared with 721,000 in August, an increase of 158,000. Its hiring rate rose from 5.0% to 6.1%.
These figures point to greater employee turnover alongside increased recruitment in a major service industry. They do not prove that employees leaving particular restaurants or hotels were hired elsewhere in the same industry, or that improved wages caused them to resign.
The experience was not uniform across the economy. Quits in arts, entertainment and recreation declined by 19,000. Manufacturing recorded 199,000 quits, compared with 205,000 in August, while construction recorded an increase of 46,000. Professional and business services saw quits rise by 31,000.
Another important distinction emerges when the data are examined by establishment size rather than industry. Private establishments employing one to nine workers reported 512,000 quits in September, up from 370,000 in August. Establishments employing 10 to 49 workers recorded 1.129 million quits, compared with 1.025 million a month earlier.
Together, those two establishment-size groups accounted for an additional 246,000 quits. That represented approximately 79.1% of the 311,000 increase across the entire private sector, according to an Investozora calculation from BLS establishment data.
The finding suggests that increased voluntary turnover was especially concentrated among smaller workplaces. It does not establish that the workers leaving smaller establishments were necessarily the same people driving the increase in accommodation and food services. The published industry and size-class figures describe different classifications and cannot establish that overlap.
The broader hiring picture was considerably steadier. Employers reported 5.402 million hires in September, compared with 5.271 million in August. The hiring rate moved from 3.3% to 3.4%. Although the reported number increased, BLS classified hiring as little changed, indicating that the estimate did not establish a statistically meaningful monthly shift.
Job openings also remained relatively stable by the agency’s assessment, despite increasing from a revised 7.190 million in August to 7.523 million in September. The openings rate rose from 4.3% to 4.5%.
That distinction is important for job seekers. An advertised opening represents a position an employer is trying to fill, but it does not guarantee that an applicant will receive an offer. Similarly, millions of monthly hires do not mean millions of additional jobs were created after departures are accounted for.
The September release also revealed a different pattern in involuntary job losses. Layoffs and discharges declined from 1.768 million in August to 1.641 million in September. The layoff rate was 1.0%, compared with 1.1% the previous month. BLS characterized layoffs and discharges as little changed.
The combination of rising quits, relatively steady hiring and subdued layoffs complicates the picture of a weakening labor market. Employers were not broadly accelerating dismissals, but the stronger movement in voluntary departures was concentrated in particular industries and workplace sizes.
It also contrasts with conditions earlier in the year. Investozora’s July labor report documented a period when both hiring and quits softened, suggesting reduced movement between jobs. The September figures indicate that voluntary departures subsequently strengthened without a comparably large increase in nationwide hiring.
The latest report also revised the historical figures used for that comparison. BLS raised its August job-openings estimate by 111,000, from the initially reported 7.079 million to 7.190 million. August hires were revised upward by 79,000, while quits were revised downward by 22,000.
Those adjustments mean that Investozora’s earlier August JOLTS coverage remains a record of what was initially reported, but the revised August estimates are the appropriate comparison for September. Separate employment data offer another reason for caution before interpreting the increase in resignations as evidence of a strong labor market.
The September payroll report showed that U.S. employers added just 29,000 nonfarm jobs during the month, while unemployment stood at 4.2%. BLS released those figures on October 2, more than a month before the September JOLTS report.
The numbers are not contradictory. Monthly payroll employment estimates measure the net change in employment, while JOLTS records much larger flows of hires and separations. Millions of people can enter and leave payrolls during a month even when the overall employment total changes only modestly.
Other employment indicators also measure different aspects of the labor market. Investozora’s private payroll coverage and early hiring data provide additional perspectives on employment trends, but their definitions and reporting periods differ from those of the federal JOLTS survey.
Similarly, weekly claims coverage follows unemployment-insurance applications rather than the full range of voluntary and involuntary employment separations captured in JOLTS.
For workers considering a job change, the September figures provide useful economic context, not a guarantee that finding another position has become easier. Job availability, pay, working conditions and the potential financial consequences of leaving employment can differ substantially between occupations, industries and locations.
The September JOLTS estimates are preliminary and seasonally adjusted. They may be revised as additional employer reports become available and seasonal factors are updated. The published data also cannot establish the individual motivations behind the increase in resignations.
The next major test will come with the October employment report, scheduled for November 6, followed by the October JOLTS release on December 1. Those reports will help establish whether September’s increase in quits marks the beginning of a more sustained change in worker mobility or remains a concentrated monthly development.
For now, the strongest conclusion is narrower than a nationwide return of worker confidence. More Americans quit their jobs in September, but much of the increase occurred in particular service industries and smaller establishments, while hiring across the economy changed little.
