However, despite the uptick, the labor market remains in the throes of a cooldown amid the Federal Reserve’s aggressive actions to curb inflation. The United States had an estimated 9.026 million job openings in December, according to seasonally adjusted data released as part of the BLS’ monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report. Economists had expected December job openings to drop for a fourth consecutive month and land at 8.714 million. Outside of the initial stages of the pandemic, that was the lowest hires rate since 2014. At one point in early 2022, job openings soared north of 12 million.

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Persons: “, ” Jennifer Lee, that’s, Jerome Powell Organizations: New, New York CNN, of Labor Statistics, United, Labor, BMO Capital Markets, Fed, BLS, Federal Reserve Locations: New York, United States