Slightly more US jobs opened in June than the month before, but fewer workers were hired, the government said on Wednesday. Job openings stood at 4.004 million, up from 3.945 million in May and well above the 3.598 million in June 2005, according to the Labour Department's latest Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
There were more job openings in June than in May in construction; manufacturing; education and health services; and government and fewer in trade, transportation and utilities; professional and business services; and leisure and hospitality, the report showed.
The monthly survey lags many job market gauges, but it has become a more effective measure since the department began to adjust the numbers for seasonal variations in 2004.
The job openings rate was up marginally to 2.9 percent in June from 2.8 percent the previous month and essentially unchanged since November 2005, the department said.
Total private-sector job openings stood at 3.509 million in June compared with 3.496 million the previous month and 3.183 million in June 2005.
The number of people hired in June dropped to 4.758 million from 4.949 million in May and 4.807 million the year earlier. The hires rate edged down to 3.5 percent from 3.7 percent the previous month and below the 3.6 percent reading for the year-ago month. The rate of separations - due to firing, layoffs, quitting or retirement - stood at 3.4 percent in June, down from 3.6 percent in May and matching a 3.4 percent rate in June 2005. The number of separations fell to 4.550 million in June from 4.811 million in May and 4.590 million in June 2005.