The number of unemployed Americans is now higher than the number of job openings for the first time since 2021, according to a new government report.

In its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released on Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 7.24 million job applicants and 7.18 million available job positions. The number of job openings is below economic forecasts, which estimated there would be 7.38 million vacancies. Compared to July, the number of open jobs in June was 7.4 million.