US job openings little changed in July

(Sharecast News) - US job openings were little changed in July, holding at 7.3m, according to the latest JOLTS report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Hires and total separations also steadied at 5.1m, with quits at 3.1m and layoffs and discharges at 1.7m, both broadly unchanged on the month.

Openings remained stable at a 4.4% rate, with durable goods manufacturing the standout riser, adding 76,000 vacancies, and hiring activity was similarly flat at a 3.2% rate, though professional and business services saw a notable drop of 188,000.

Total separations showed little movement across industries, while quits eased in the "other services" category, down 46,000. Layoffs and discharges dipped in finance and insurance by 22,000, with other separation types essentially unchanged at 350,000.

By establishment size, layoffs and discharges fell among the smallest firms, while other rates showed minimal change. Among the largest employers, the hires rate declined, with openings, quits, layoffs and separations all steady.

The BLS also issued revisions for June, trimming job openings by 177,000 to 7.2m, hires by 16,000 to 5.3m, and total separations by 14,000 to 5.3m. Quits were revised down 19,000, while layoffs and discharges were revised up by the same amount.



Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com