By Felix Richter
The number of job openings in the United States continued its downward trend in July, as the labor market shows clear signs of cooling. According to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), 8.83 million positions remained unfilled on the last business day of July, the lowest reading since March 2021 and the first time in more than two years that job openings dropped below 9 million.