Job openings in the U.S. rose by 645,000 to 6.31 million at the end of January 2018 from a downwardly revised 5.67 million at the end of December 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
The job openings rate increased to 4.1% from 3.7% in the previous month. Openings increased in professional and business services, construction, and transportation, warehousing and utilities.
The number of hires edged up slightly to 5.58 million from 5.52 million in the prior month. Total separations climbed to 5.41 million from 5.31 million.
Hires totaled 65.4 million and total separations were 63.2 million over the 12 months ending in January, resulting in a net employment gain of 2.1 million.
