Labor Dept.: U.S. job openings fall to 18-month low

Nov. 5 (UPI) — The number of job openings in the United States fell in September to the lowest level in a year and a half, Labor Department figures showed Tuesday.

The department said openings fell by 277,000 for the month, slightly down from August, and the job openings rate was 4.4 percent. The overall number of vacancies declined to about 7 million.

Statistics showed the quits rate, which measures confidence and mobility, fell to 2.3 percent.

Hires increased by 50,000 in September, to about 6 million, to 3.8 percent. Total separations jumped 76,000 to 5.81 million.

The department’s hiring report is always a month behind its jobs report, which showed last week 128,000 positions were added in October and the unemployment rate remained flat, at 3.6 percent.

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