BLS reports job openings trended downward in December
Feb. 5 (UPI) — The number of U.S. non-farm job openings trended downward to 6.5 million in December, while hiring and job separations remained steady, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.
The number of job openings in December was down by 386,000 in December and 966,000 for the year, while hiring and job separations remained steady at 5.3 million each in December, the bureau reported.
While the number of job openings was down in December, the rate remained steady at 3.9%.
Openings among the professional and business services sector decreased by 257,000, while retail trade jobs decreased by 195,000 and finance and insurance by 120,000.
The rate for new-hires stayed steady in December at 3.3%, as hiring rose by 28,000 in the real estate and rental and leasing sector and by 36,000 in state and local government — but not including education — and decreased by 11,000 in the federal government.
December’s rate of job separations, which the bureau defines as those quits, layoffs, discharges and other separations, also remained steady at 3.3%, while the number and rate of quits were steady at 3.2 million and 2%, respectively.
Within the professional and business services sector, the number of quits decreased by 151,000, while those in the education services sector declined by 19,000.
The number of quits in the retail trade sector rose by 87,000, while information-sector quits increased by 28,000.
Layoffs and discharges in December changed little, at 1.8 million and a rate of 1.1%, while transportation, warehousing and utilities sectors recorded 103,000 layoffs and discharges in December.
Finance and insurance reported 20,000 fewer layoffs and discharges for the month, and other separations stayed unchanged at 285,000.
Among the size of respective job providers, those with between one and nine employees and those with 5,000 or more reported virtually no change in numbers and rates of job openings, hirings and separations, according to the bureau.
The federal agency also adjusted November’s reported job openings down by 218,000 to 6.9 million, while the number of hirings was revised up by 6,000 to 5.1 million.
Total separations in November also were revised, with 64,000 more than initially reported for a total of 5.1 million, including 32,000 more quits, 14,000 more layoffs and discharges, and 17,000 more other separations reported.
The November changes for quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations increased the month’s totals to 3.2 million, 1.7 million and 249,000, respectively.
The bureau’s report comes a day after the ADP National Employment Report indicated private sector employment reportedly rose by 22,000 in January, which was about half the anticipated number.
