Big Lots workers see stronger hiring as job openings hold steady

Flat job openings can hide a busy labor market, and March’s turnover numbers showed exactly that. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said openings held at 6.9 million while hires jumped to 5.6 million, up 655,000 from February. Total separations were little changed at 5.4 million, with quits at 3.2 million and layoffs and discharges at 1.9 million.

For Big Lots workers, that matters because mobility often shows up in the churn, not the headline. A store can keep the same number of posted jobs and still feel more active if nearby retailers, warehouses and restaurants are hiring harder, or if hourly workers are switching for better schedules and steadier hours. The March report backed that up: hires increased in transportation, warehousing and utilities, and edged up in professional and business services and accommodation and food services. The hires rate rose to 3.5 percent, while the quits rate held at 2.0 percent and the layoffs-and-discharges rate was 1.2 percent.

The March reading also looked healthier than February, when hires fell to 4.8 million and the hires rate dropped to 3.1 percent, the lowest since April 2020. Compared with March 2025, when openings were 7.2 million, hires were 5.4 million and separations were 5.1 million, the latest report pointed to steady labor movement rather than a surge in new demand. BLS also said layoffs and discharges in retail trade fell by 66,000 in March 2025, a reminder that retail staffing pressures can move in different directions from the broader job market.

Big Lots has lived through that kind of instability itself. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2024, and Variety Wholesalers finalized its acquisition of 219 Big Lots locations in January 2025. The new company said it would operate 219 stores in 15 states across the Midwest, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, with a smaller footprint than the old chain but a still-significant need for hourly labor.

That need is visible in the hiring pages. Big Lots says it is recruiting for store support centers in Columbus, Ohio, and Henderson, North Carolina, and for store roles across more than 220 stores in 17 states. The chain reopened 132 stores in May 2025 in two phases, on May 1 and May 15, and by early June it had 219 reopened locations. For workers, the takeaway is simple: a stable openings count does not mean a frozen market. In retail, the real story is often how fast people are moving in and out, and Big Lots is still part of that motion.