Job Openings in U.S. Jumped in March to Second-Highest on Record
Job openings climbed in March to the second-highest level on record, a sign the U.S. labor market stayed strong in the first quarter, a report from the Labor Department showed Tuesday.
Key Points
Number of positions waiting to be filled rose by 149,000 to 5.76 million, the most since record 5.79 million help-wanted signs went up in July
Hiring decreased to 5.29 million from 5.51 million in February
Some 2.98 million people quit their jobs, up from 2.98 million, keeping the quits rate at 2.1 percent
Dismissals fell to 1.67 million, the fewest since July, from 1.81 million
Big Picture
Elevated job listings, along with scant signs of headcount reductions, show employers remained confident last quarter even as U.S. growth slowed. The slump in the pace of hiring could be a sign that as the economy gets closer to full employment, companies have a tougher time finding qualified staff. The quits rate, a figure Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has highlighted because it’s a barometer that workers believe they’ll be able to find better-paying jobs, has been holding near the highest level of the expansion.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-10/job-openings-in-u-s-jumped-in-march-to-second-highest-on-record