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 Job postings rose 69,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.9 million,
the Labor Department said Friday. That's the most since March 2008, just a few
months after the Great Recession began. It's also close to the roughly 4 million
job openings each month that are consistent with healthier job markets.
Total hiring increased 26,000 to 4.6 million, the highest level since August
2008. The gain suggests employers are not only posting more jobs but are also
taking greater steps to fill them.
September's total hiring is still below the roughly 5 million people who are
typically hired in sturdier job markets.
The number of people who quit their jobs in September dipped from August but was
still about 15 percent higher than a year earlier. People usually quit their
jobs when they have another one lined up, or when they are certain they can find
one. More quits is a sign of confidence in the job market.
 The growth in hiring, job openings and quits points to more movement in the job
market, which can create opportunities for those out of work or who are looking
for another job.
It also shows that competition for jobs is easing. There were 2.88 unemployed
people, on average, for each available job in September. That's the lowest since
August 2008 and down from 7 to 1 in July 2009, just after the recession ended.
In a healthy economy, the ratio is usually about 2 to 1.
Unemployment is still high at 7.3 percent. But other reports suggest the job
market is healing.
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Earlier this month, the government's October employment report said
the economy added an average of 202,000 jobs a month from August
through October. That's up sharply from an average of 146,000 in May
through July.
Those figures reflect net payroll gains, which are the total number
of people hired minus those who were laid off, quit or retired. The
net gain can increase just because fewer workers are laid off, even
if hiring is flat.
Friday's report on job openings and turnover provides more details
than the monthly employment report. It was encouraging because it
shows those job gains are increasing because of more hiring.
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, who has been
nominated to replace him next year, have both cited greater overall
hiring and quits as key signs of job market improvement.
[Associated
Press; CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer]
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