Job openings rose in January, according to a new Labor Department report. As a result, the number of unemployed workers per available job dipped slightly to 5.4, from about 6 workers per job opening in December:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The job openings rate — which refers to the number of job openings, as a percentage of total existing and open jobs — rose. In January the job openings rate was at 2.1 percent, up from 1.9 percent in December, and at its highest level in nearly a year.
Job openings rates varied across industries. It was highest in education and health services, and lowest in arts, entertainment and recreation:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Despite criticisms about the growth of government, the job openings rate was higher in the private sector (a rate of 2.1 percent) than it was in government work (1.7 percent).
The government may not have many available positions, but it isn’t laying off many people, either. The public sector had a significantly lower rate of layoffs and discharges than did the private sector (0.5 percent versus 1.7 percent).
The overall job separations rate — which includes people who quit and retire as well as those who leave their jobs involuntarily — was highest in construction.
Bureau of Labor Statistics