by Staff writer
Job openings in the US have surged to a record 6.3 million, Labor Department says.
According to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report, professional and business fields led the way in new openings with 215,000 openings, while transportation, warehousing and utilities added 113,000 and construction added 101,000.
The report suggests slack remains in the labor market, as employers continue to hire and the pool of available jobs grows.
Most of the openings came in the private sector, which saw 608,000 new positions.
The jobs openings rate increased to 4.1 percent, identical to the unemployment rate.
Professional and business led the way in new openings with 215,000, while transportation, warehousing and utilities added 113,000 and construction added 101,000.
Layoffs and discharges also rose a bit, from 1.66 million in December to 1.76 million in January.
In addition to the job creation, the labor force participation rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 63 percent, tied for the highest level since March 2014.
Those counted as not in the labor force plunged by 653,000 in February, while the labor force increased by 806,000.
The unemployment rate has been at 4.1 percent since October, its lowest reading since December 2000.
