The numbers: Job openings in the U.S. climbed in April to a three-month high of 10.1 million, another sign the economy hasn’t cooled enough to forestall more interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve.Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal... The numbers: Job openings in the U.S. climbed in April to a three-month high of 10.1 million, another sign the economy hasn’t cooled enough to forestall more interest-rate increases by the Federal Reserve.
The number of people quitting jobs, meanwhile, fell slightly, to 3.79 million. Quits dipped below 4 million in January for the first time since mid-2021, but they have moved sideways since then.Key details: Job openings rose the most in retail, health care, transportation and warehousing — parts of the economy that have led the way in hiring.While many openings are never actually filled, economists view the trend in job postings as a rough gauge of how strong the labor market is.
The U.S. is forecast to add a solid 188,000 new jobs in May. The May jobs report comes out on Friday. Recent U.S. inflation readings and reports on consumer spending have also been stronger than expected.