WASHINGTON - Job openings in the United States rose sharply earlier this year, a sign that employers might be preparing to step up hiring.
The number of openings in January rose about 7.6 per cent, to 2.7 million, compared with December, the Labour Department said. And the job openings rate climbed to 2.1 per cent, the highest in nearly a year. That rate measures available jobs as a percentage of total employment.
There are now about 5.5 unemployed people, on average, competing for each opening.
That's still far more than the 1.7 people who were competing for each opening when the recession began. But it's down from just over six people per opening in December 2009.
The gradually brightening jobs picture corresponds to what many job search websites are reporting.