JOLTS for November decline below forecast

The number of job openings on the last business day of November stood at 8.79 million, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) on Wednesday. This reading followed 8.85 million (revised from 8.73 million) openings in October and came in below the market expectation of 8.85 million.

“Over the month, the number of hires and total separations decreased to 5.5 million and 5.3 million, respectively,” the BLS noted in its press release adding that “Within separations, quits (3.5 million) edged down and layoffs and discharges (1.5 million) changed little.”

The US Dollar Index retreated from session highs with the immediate reaction and was last seen trading modestly higher on the day at 102.35.