Search
 

August job openings mark 13-year high

Job openings in the climbed to a 13-year high in August as employers gained confidence about the outlook for demand in the worlds biggest economy.

By Lorraine Woellert | Updated on October 07, 2014
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) — Job openings in the climbed to a 13-year high in August as employers gained confidence about the outlook for demand in the world’s biggest economy.   The number of positions waiting to be filled rose to 4.84 million in August, the most since January 2001, from a revised 4.61 million the prior month, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. Hiring and firings cooled, while fewer people quit their jobs.   The upswing in openings adds to signs of sustained progress in the labor market. The figures form part of a package of data Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and her colleagues use to measure the labor market’s health, which will help determine when the central bank will to begin to raise its benchmark interest rate in 2015.   “It reinforces the view that the labor market is improving,” Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, said before the report. “It’s making progress, reflecting an economy that seems to have pretty good momentum.”   The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 4.7 million openings after a previously reported 4.67 million in July.

With assistance from Chris Middleton in Washington.

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to BenefitsPRO.com, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited BenefitsPRO.com content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Critical BenefitsPRO.com information including cutting edge post-reform success strategies, access to educational webcasts and videos, resources from industry leaders, and informative Newsletters.
  • Exclusive discounts on ALM, BenefitsPRO magazine and BenefitsPRO.com events.
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com

Already have an account?

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Recommended Stories

BenefitsPRO

Join BenefitsPRO

Don’t miss crucial news and insights you need to navigate the shifting employee benefits industry. Join BenefitsPRO.com now!

  • Unlimited access to BenefitsPRO.com - your roadmap to thriving in a disrupted environment
  • Access to other award-winning ALM websites including ThinkAdvisor.com and Law.com
  • Exclusive discounts on BenefitsPRO.com and ALM events.

Already have an account? Sign In Now
Join BenefitsPRO

Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.