Job openings in the U.S. declined to 5.81 million at the end of Dec. 2017, from 5.88 million at the end of November 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
The job openings rate for the month remained stable at 3.8%, unchanged from the previous month. Job openings increased in information and the federal government but declined in retail trade and in construction and business services.
The number of hires remained stable at 5.49 million in December 2017, with the hires rate also unchanged at 3.7%. Total separations, including quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations, increased to 5.24 million in December 2017, from 5.20 million in November 2017.
Over the 12 months ending in December 2017, hires totaled 64.7 million and separations totaled 62.6 million, resulting in a net employment gain of 2.2 million.
