WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of available jobs in the U.S. fell in March, though companies filled more of their open positions in a sign they are still confident enough to hire.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that job postings fell 2.9 percent to just under a seasonally adjusted 5 million in March. Meanwhile, total hiring ticked up 1.1 percent to 5.1 million, the most since December.
The number of people quitting their jobs rose to 2.78 million, roughly matching February’s total, which was the highest in nearly seven years. More quits are a good sign because workers typically quit when they have a new job, usually at higher pay.
The figures underscore that lackluster job gains overall in March reflected a temporary slowdown. Employers during the month added the fewest jobs since June 2012, and the economy likely contracted in the first three months of the year. The data has raised concerns that the economy was slipping into a new phase of sluggish growth.
Instead, businesses ramped up hiring in April and added 223,000 jobs, according to last week’s jobs report.