Hires refer to the total number of new employees added to payrolls during a given month, including both new hires and rehires (JOLTS survey). Total Nonfarm covers all private-sector industries plus government employers. Unlike job openings — which measure unfilled demand — hires measure actual labor market throughput: how many workers successfully entered new positions. A high and stable hiring rate signals strong employer confidence and labor market fluidity. When hires fall persistently below their trend, it often indicates that employers are becoming cautious about adding headcount, which has historically preceded recessions and periods of rising unemployment. Hires data is available from December 2000 via the Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS program. Data sourced from FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis).