US job openings at 14-year high in February

[WASHINGTON] US job openings surged to a 14-year high in February, a sign that the labour market remains on a solid footing despite a sharp slowdown in job growth last month.

Job openings, a measure of labour demand, increased 168,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.1 million, the Labour Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey on Tuesday. That was the highest level since January 2001.

Employment growth braked sharply in March, with nonfarm payrolls increasing only 126,000. The weakest job gains in more than a year were seen as having been influenced by bad weather, which took a toll on economic activity in the first quarter.

REUTERS