Louisiana began seeing signs of its job market slowing down in August, with job openings falling by around 15,000 from July, new data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

The data released from the BLS on Wednesday is one of the first glimpses at how the state’s job market might be impacted by a potential recession or economic slowdown. The data from August shows that job openings dropped sharply from month to month, and hiring also showed signs of slowing.

The number of people leaving their jobs — either involuntarily and voluntarily — rose by 6,000 compared to July, as Louisiana workers continued to quit their jobs in high numbers.

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From July to August, Louisiana saw one of the sharpest declines in job openings, which fell by 0.7%, with only 17 states seeing steeper falls. Still, though, the state’s job vacancies have increased by 0.2% since August 2021, which is in the top 10 for U.S. states.

Compared to July, the number of new hires fell by around 2,000 in August. Louisiana was around the middle of the pack among U.S. states in one-month change for new hires, though it has the 14th-largest percent increase since August 2021.

Even as hirings and job openings fall, Louisiana is still seeing people quit their jobs in droves. In August, 68,000 Louisiana workers left their jobs voluntarily, and more than half-a-million have quit this year — an increase of 16.5% from January-August 2021.

Only 13 states have seen their quit numbers rise more than Louisiana since August 2021.

Around 22,000 Louisiana workers were laid off or fired in August, which is the second-largest one-month total for the year, behind only May’s 27,000. The number of firings and layoffs is slightly higher than the year-to-date figure for 2021 but generally close to normal levels.

Louisiana has had the sixth-largest increase in involuntary separations in the last year among U.S. states.

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The rise in quitting in Louisiana has run alongside a historically low unemployment rate. The state has broken its record for the lowest seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in its history several times this year, and its rate of 3.5% in August was the lowest on record.

“With unemployment rates continuing to fall and employment continuing to grow, Louisiana shows its commitment to putting people back to work,” said Louisiana Workforce Commission Sec. Ava Cates in a release. “Programs like Tech Ready Louisiana offered thru (sic) the LWC can give employees the skills needed to drive their careers further.”

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This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Louisiana had 15,000 fewer job openings in August