U.S. job openings were little changed in October, reaffirming elevated uncertainty over the U.S. economy, according to delayed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on Dec. 9.
Following a solid 431,000 gain in September, vacancies rose more modestly in October, up 12,000 to 7.67 million.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)—postponed due to the government shutdown—found that openings were led by the retail trade, with 142,000.
Declines were centered mainly in professional and business services (down 114,000), the federal government (negative 25,000), and leisure and hospitality (down 22,000).
The number of job quits—a signal of worker confidence in the labor market—declined by 187,000 to 2.94 million, the lowest since August 2020….