January’s job openings held relatively steady at 8.9 million according to the latest BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover report. This is slightly less than the 9.0 million openings in December 2023.
Where job openings increased
- Accommodation and food services (+94,000)
- Nondurable goods manufacturing (+82,000)
- Health care and social assistance (+71,000)
- Other services (+64,000)
- Professional and business services (+54,000)
Where job openings decreased
- Retail trade (-170,000)
- Transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-66,000)
- State and local government, excluding education (-56,000)
- Durable goods manufacturing (-48,000)
- Private educational services (-41,000)
The number of quits as well as the quits rate changed only slightly, with the number coming in at 3.4 million and the rate being 2.1%. The number of hires was also little changed at 5.7 million after December’s 5.6 million.
