US Job Openings Up Slightly In July, Hiring Rate Steady
9/8/2010 11:18:32 AM
By Darrell A. Hughes
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The total number of job openings in the U.S. increased slightly in July while the rate at which workers were hired held steady. Total job openings rose by 2.3% to a seasonally adjusted 3.04 million in July, according to the U.S. Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey released Wednesday. The survey also found the hiring rate for nonfarm jobs was unchanged at 3.3%. Overall, the increase amounted to 178,000 openings, with gains in manufacturing, hospitality and professional and business services leading the advance. T. Rowe Price Associates Chief Economist Alan Levenson said the data support "the expectation of continued forward momentum in the recovery of nonfarm payrolls, in which the pace of monthly job growth rises over time." About 4.2 million workers were added to payrolls in July, but that is below the five million mark seen at the onset of the recession in December 2007, according to the survey. Turnover, which includes layoffs, voluntary separations and retirements, was little changed for the private sector from June to July. Turnover in the public sector, however, decreased. The survey follows a slight uptick in the unemployment rate, which rose to 9.6% in August after holding steady at 9.5% the previous two months. But the employment report last week also showed private-sector companies added 67,000 jobs, following an upwardly revised 107,000 gain in July. Government employment, which includes state and municipal jobs, fell 121,000 in August. The declines were a result of 114,000 temporary census workers being let go, along with position cuts by state governments, which are facing budget pressures. -By Darrell A. Hughes, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6684; darrell.hughes@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones NewswiresSeptember 08, 2010 11:18 ET (15:18
