Job openings decline sharply in December to 7.6 million, below forecast
According to a Labor Department data released Tuesday, job postings decreased in December but hiring, voluntary resignation, and layoffs were unchanged.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, the number of open positions fell to 7.6 million, the lowest since September, and below the Dow Jones projection of 8 million. The ratio of available workers to open jobs was reduced to 1.1 to 1.
The Federal Reserve regularly monitors the report for indications of a tight or slack labor market, even though it comes one month after other jobs statistics.
The number of openings decreased by 556,000 during the month, even though the net gain in nonfarm payrolls increased by 256,000. Openings as a percentage of the labor force fell to 4.5%, which is 0....