There were 10.1 million open jobs nationwide on the final day of June, up from 9.2 million in May, according to data released by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this week. It marked the third straight month of record-breaking job openings.
The number of job openings in June exceeded the 9.5 million people who were unemployed that same month, underscoring the continuing challenge that businesses face coping with a nationwide labor shortage that is undermining the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The job openings rate increased to 6.2% in the Northeast and 6.5% nationwide. Industries with the largest number of job openings were professional and business services (+227,000); retail trade (+133,000); and accommodation and food services (+121,000).
On a positive note, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report released Monday did show an uptick in hires in June to 6.7 million (+667,000) and the rate of hires (4.6%) with little change in the number of layoffs.
However, the report also showed the number of people who voluntarily quit their jobs rose to 3.9 million (+239,000) in June for a “quits rate” increase of 2.7%. Quits increased the most in professional and business services (+72,000); durable goods manufacturing (+47,000); and state and local government (+33,000).
