US job openings little changed in January, quits rate slips

(Sharecast News) - The number of job openings in the U.S. were little changed at the start of the year. According to the Department of Labor, the number of job openings dipped by 0.3% month-on-month to reach 8.863m (consensus: 8.9m).

Hiring meanwhile fell by 1.7% on the month to 5.687m.

The number of voluntary separations or so-called 'quits' fell by 1.6% versus December to reach 3.385m.

That pushed the quits rate down by one tenth of a percentage point to 2.1%.

Quits are seen by some as an indicator of Americans' confidence in the jobs markets and their ability to risk looking elsewhere for employment.