US job openings hit record 11M in October

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The number of job openings increased to a record 11 million at the end of October, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Labor Department.

While the expectation for openings was 10.3 million, the previous month's figure was at 10.6 million.

"Hires were little changed at 6.5 million and total separations edged down to 5.9 million. Within separations, the quits rate decreased to 2.8% following a series high in September. The layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged at 0.9%," the Labor Department said in a statement.

The number of people leaving their jobs decreased in October to 4.2 million, from a record 4.43 million in September.

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

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