Job Openings Rise to 9 Million in December While Quits Hit Lowest Level in Years
• Job openings in the U.S. rose to 9 million in December, topping 9 million for the first time in 3 months and showing the labor market is still quite sturdy.
• Openings are down from a record 12 million in 2022 but still higher compared to pre-pandemic levels.
• The number of people quitting jobs fell again to 3.4 million, hitting the lowest level in years, a sign of a softening labor market.
• Most of the new openings were in white-collar professional occupations, manufacturing and healthcare.
• The ratio of job openings to unemployed workers held steady at 1.4, down from a peak of 2.0 in 2022 and almost back to a pre-pandemic level around 1.2.