US Economy

Job openings hit record high in June at 6.2 million

Key Points
  • Monthly jobs openings — a gauge of the U.S. economy that's closely watched by Fed Chair Janet Yellen — increased in June.
  • The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Tuesday the number of job openings was at 6.2 million for the month.
  • The result is a record high for the Labor Department number.
Job openings hit record high -Labor Department
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Job openings hit record high -Labor Department

Monthly jobs openings — a gauge of the U.S. economy that's closely watched by Fed Chair Janet Yellen — increased in June from May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Tuesday.

The number of openings was at 6.2 million on the last business day of the month, a record high, the report from the Labor Department said. This represents an increase from 5.7 million on the last business day of May.

The June number is the highest reported since the Labor Department began tracking the series in December 2000, according to Reuters. The previous monthly job openings record was set in July 2015.

For the month of June, the Labor Department reported hires and separations were little changed at 5.4 million and 5.2 million, respectively.

U.S. job openings had previously risen to a series high in April, increasing to a seasonally adjusted 6 million.

Job openings grew in June most notably across professional and business services by 179,000, with health care and construction industries increasing the second and third most at 125,000 and 62,000, respectively.

The Labor Department noted that the hiring rate was little changed at 3.7 percent in June, representing both total private and government hiring. Hires decreased for educational services by 29,000, but were little changed for all other industries.

Regionally, the Midwest and West experienced an increase in job openings, while the Northeast saw a decrease in the amount of hiring.