US job openings dip as hiring hits record high

[WASHINGTON] US job openings fell slightly in April as hiring surged to a record high, government data showed on Monday.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, slipped to a seasonally adjusted 7.4 million from 7.5 million in March, the Labour Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS. The job openings rate was unchanged at 4.7 per cent.

Hiring jumped by 240,000 jobs in April to 5.9 million, the highest level since the government started tracking the series in 2000. The hiring rate increased to 3.9 per cent from 3.8 per cent in March.

The economy created 75,000 jobs in May after adding 224,000 positions in April, the government reported last Friday. The unemployment rate was unchanged near a 50-year low of 3.6 per cent.

REUTERS