US JOLTS Job Openings edge higher than forecast

The number of job openings on the last business day of February stood at 8.75 million, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) reported in the Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey (JOLTS) on Tuesday. This reading followed 8.74 million (revised from 8.86 million) openings in January and came in slightly above the market expectation of 8.74 million.

“Over the month, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.8 million and 5.6 million, respectively,” the BLS noted in its press release. “Within separations, quits (3.5 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) changed little.”

As for price reaction to JOLTS Job Openings data, the US Dollar (USD) Index edged lower after this report and was last seen losing 0.22% on the day at 104.73.