US job openings fall to 10.1M in August

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Job openings in the US fell to 10.1 million in August, below market forecasts of 10.775 million.

The figure fell 1.1 million from a downwardly revised figure of 11.2 million in July, while the rate of job openings was at 6.2% in August, according to Labor Department figures released Tuesday.

The largest drop in job openings was in health care and social assistance with 236,000, other services with 183,000, and retail trade with 143,000.

The number of hires and its rate saw little change at 6.3 million and 4.1%, respectively.

Total separations, which include employees leaving, layoffs and discharges, came in at 6 million.

Around 4.2 million people left their jobs in August, according to the figures.

The survey measures job vacancies by collecting data from employers about employment, job openings, hiring, and separations.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, considers job openings as all positions that are open or not filled on the last business day of the month when the survey is done.