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“The tally of available jobs now outnumbers the unemployed by roughly 1 million. Openings began to outpace the unemployed last spring, for the first time in the 18 years the data has been tracked.”

US job openings rise, outnumber the unemployed by 1 million
By Christopher Rugaber
The Associated Press
March 15, 2019

U.S. employers posted nearly 7.6 million open jobs in January, near a record high set in November[.]

The Labor Department said Friday that hiring also rose and the number of people quitting their jobs picked up. Quits are a sign of a healthy economy, because people typically leave a job for another, usually higher-paying, one.

The tally of available jobs now outnumbers the unemployed by roughly 1 million. Openings began to outpace the unemployed last spring, for the first time in the 18 years the data has been tracked.

The strong job market is already pushing up wages more quickly, with hourly wages rising in February at the fastest pace in nine years.

Nearly 3.5 million people quit their jobs in January, up 2.9 percent from the previous month. That could force employers to pay more to prevent their workers from quitting.

The JOLTS report suggests the job market remains strong and bolsters most analysts’ expectations that steady hiring and rising wages will support faster growth later this year.

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