US job openings nudge up in November

Job openings in the US nudged higher in November, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Openings came in at 5.43m from 5.34m in October and compared with economists’ expectations for a 5.41m reading. The figure was down from a record 5.7m in July but up 11% on the previous year.

Meanwhile, hires edged up to 5.2m from 5.17m while the number of people quitting their jobs increased 6.3% on the year to 2.83m.

Quits are considered a good sign, as they indicate that people were either leaving because they were confident of finding another job or moving on to a better one.