U.S. employers posted slightly more job openings in July.

The number rose to 7.27 million from a revised 7.18 million in June.

The Labor Department reported this on Tuesday.

Layoffs fell, but fewer people quit their jobs.

Gross hiring dipped to 5.1 million in July.

That is down from 5.3 million in June.

The labor market is not booming, but it remains steady.

This is true despite an energy shock from fighting with Iran.

That fighting has squeezed household budgets.

So far this year, employers added an average of 61,000 net jobs a month.

That figure is unimpressive, but it is better than 2025.

In 2025, monthly job growth was below 10,000.

The unemployment rate stays low at 4.1%.

Weekly claims for unemployment benefits have also been low.

Heather Long is the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union.

She said the market is in a "low fire, low hire" mode.

She noted that companies are cautious because of the war in Iran.

They are also cautious because of higher borrowing costs.

Friday’s report on August hiring is expected to show 65,000 new jobs.

Forecasters surveyed by FactSet also expect the jobless rate to tick up to 4.2%.