[2016-03-17] Job openings rise in January

Published:mar, 2016 10:31 a.m. ET

by STEVE GOLDSTEIN D.C Bureau chief

Job seekers wait in line to speak with company representatives during a Choice Career the event in Fair. Job openings rose in January.

The number of available jobs rose in January but fewer workers were willing to leave their existing positions, a Indicati On the a labor market that ' s improving but still isn't white hot.

Job openings rose to a seasonally adjusted 5.54 million from a downwardly revised 5.28 million in December, the Labor Depa Rtment said Thursday.

Job Openings in thousands

Wholesale trade and construction were the fields with the biggest of gains in openings. Educational services, state and local government and financial sectors had fewer.

The quits rate, however, fell to 2% from 2.2%. The Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen has said she views the quits rate as a important proxy for worker confidence, as Willingness to leave a job usually indicates a better job are on the horizon.

quits rate Seasonally adjusted

[From] Http://www.marketwatch.com/story/job-openings-rise-in-january-2016-03-17