US hiring in April at slowest pace in nearly two years

[WASHINGTON] The pace of hiring by US employers slowed to near a two-year low in April, pushing up job openings in a potential sign that firms are having a hard time finding workers.

The Labour Department said on Wednesday in its monthly Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, that the rate of hiring fell to 3.5 per cent from 3.7 per cent in March. That was the slowest rate since August 2014.

Job openings, a measure of labour demand, increased 118,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.79 million, the highest number since last July. The job openings rate rose to 3.9 per cent.

REUTERS