Job openings in the United States slid in December, the US Labor Department reported.
Openings fell to 7.6 million, from 8.2 million in November. They were down from 8.9 million a year earlier and a peak of 12.2 million in March 2022. The openings fell short of the 7.9 million that economists had expected.
While the net gain in nonfarm payrolls picked up in the month by 256,000, the level of openings fell by 556,000. As a share of the labor force, openings declined to 4.5%, or 0.4 percentage point below November.
The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) showed professional and businesses services companies – a broad category that includes managers and technical workers – scaled back their job postings. Openings also fell in healthcare and social assistance and finance and insurance but ticked higher in arts, entertainment and recreation.
Layoffs totaled 1.77 million for the month, down just 29,000, while hires nudged up to 5.46 million and quits also saw a small gain to near 3.2 million. Total separations also moved little, at 5.27 million.
