Job openings little changed in September, JOLTS survey shows

Job openings in the US were little changed in September, according to data released on Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary or JOLTS report show that the number of job openings on the last business day of September stood at 9.55m.

This was slightly up from a revised 9.50m in August and ahead of the 9.25m consensus forecast.

The job openings rate, which is the number of openings as a percentage of employment plus job openings, was unchanged at 5.7%.

The sectors that had the biggest increases in job openings were accommodation and food services (+141,000) and in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+39,000), while openings decreased in professional and business services (-105,000), federal government (-43,000), and information (-41,000).

"Over the month, the number of hires and total separations changed little at 5.9 million and 5.5 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.7 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little," the BLS said.