U.S. Economic Calendar This Week: Sept. 28–Oct. 2, 2026

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The U.S. economic calendar for Sept. 28–Oct. 2, 2026 brings together the week’s key labor, inflation and growth releases.

Quick answer: The main U.S. releases this week are August JOLTS on Tuesday, September 29, at 10:00 a.m. ET; BEA’s Q2 GDP third estimate and August Personal Income and Outlays on Wednesday, September 30, at 8:30 a.m. ET; and the September jobs report on Friday, October 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET. Those times are 11:00 p.m. Tuesday and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday in Korea.

Schedule checked September 27, 2026. Times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and Korea Standard Time (KST). Agency calendars can change; verify the linked release schedule before publication or trading.

U.S. economic data calendar: September 28–October 2

Date Release time (ET) Korea time (KST) Release What it measures
Tuesday, Sept. 29 10:00 a.m. 11:00 p.m. JOLTS, August 2026 Job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and other separations
Wednesday, Sept. 30 8:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m. GDP, Q2 2026 third estimate Updated estimate of April–June economic growth, plus related accounts
Wednesday, Sept. 30 8:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m. Personal Income and Outlays, August 2026 Income, spending, saving and PCE inflation
Friday, Oct. 2 8:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m. Employment Situation, September 2026 Payrolls, unemployment, wages, hours and labor-force measures

The release dates and times are listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). This is a focused list of major labor, growth and inflation releases—not every economic or company event on the calendar.

Tuesday: August JOLTS report

The BLS is scheduled to publish the August Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey at 10:00 a.m. ET. JOLTS separates job openings from actual hiring: openings are positions available on the last business day of the month, while hires and separations cover activity during the month.

The latest published JOLTS report, for July, showed 7.3 million openings, a 4.4% openings rate, 5.1 million hires, 3.1 million quits and 1.7 million layoffs and discharges. These are the July baseline, not a forecast for August. The official July report also revised June openings down by 177,000, a reminder to check revisions as well as the newest headline.

On release, compare the openings level and rate with hires, quits and layoffs. A vacancy is not the same as a new job added to payrolls, and one month of data does not establish a trend by itself. See our August JOLTS release guide for the full report-specific checklist.

Wednesday: Q2 GDP estimate and August PCE data

BEA has scheduled two releases for 8:30 a.m. ET:

  1. GDP (Third Estimate), Q2 2026. The second estimate put real GDP growth at a 1.5% annual rate for April–June. The third estimate can update the growth figure and its components. BEA also says its 2026 annual update of national and regional accounts begins September 30, so readers should note the data vintage when comparing revised time series.
  2. Personal Income and Outlays, August 2026. This report includes the PCE and core PCE price indexes, alongside personal income, spending and saving data. In the latest published month, July, headline PCE inflation was 3.7% year over year and core PCE was 3.3%; both rose 0.2% month over month. These are historical readings, not estimates for August.

For inflation, compare monthly and annual rates and check revisions. For spending, distinguish current-dollar outlays from inflation-adjusted real PCE. The release combines several questions about households; avoid treating one line as a complete description of consumer health.

Read our separate guides to the September 30 Core PCE report and the Q2 GDP third estimate.

Friday: September Employment Situation

The September Employment Situation is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. The latest published report covers August: nonfarm payrolls increased by 162,000 and the unemployment rate was 4.1%. Those figures are a starting point for comparison—not a preview of September’s result.

When the report is released, check the payroll change and revisions together. Then review the unemployment rate, labor-force participation, average hourly earnings, average workweek and industry detail. Payroll employment and unemployment come from different BLS surveys, so they can move in different directions without either measure being an error.

Our September jobs report guide has the release-day checklist and the latest official baseline.

What should investors watch across the week?

  • Labor demand versus realized hiring: JOLTS openings describe vacancies; payrolls describe net changes in jobs. They are related, not interchangeable.
  • Prices versus real activity: Read PCE inflation beside real spending, rather than inferring household demand from nominal spending alone.
  • Revisions and data vintage: September 30 includes BEA’s annual accounts update. Record whether a figure is newly reported, revised or your interpretation.
  • Expectations versus outcomes: A market reaction reflects what was already expected as well as the release. The calendar itself does not predict stock, bond or Federal Reserve decisions.

Frequently asked questions

What time is the JOLTS report on September 29?

The BLS schedule lists the August 2026 JOLTS report for 10:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, September 29, which is 11:00 p.m. KST that day.

What time are the GDP and PCE reports on September 30?

BEA lists both the Q2 GDP third estimate and August Personal Income and Outlays for 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, September 30, or 9:30 p.m. KST.

When is the September 2026 jobs report?

The BLS has scheduled the September Employment Situation for Friday, October 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET (9:30 p.m. KST).

Primary sources

Educational information only; not individualized investment, tax or legal advice. Confirm scheduled times and published results with the issuing agency.