US job openings rise slightly in September, hiring slips
American employers advertised slightly more jobs in September but hired fewer people as the U.S. economy struggles to recover from last spring’s coronavirus collapse
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.American employers advertised slightly more jobs in September but hired fewer people as the U.S. economy struggles to recover from spring's coronavirus collapse.
Job postings rose to to 6.44 million in September, up from 6.35 million in August, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Employers hired 5.87 million workers, down from 5.95 million in September.
The U.S. labor market has rebounded gradually from last spring economic shutdown. The Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 638,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate dropped sharply to 6.9%, from 7.9% in September.
But the economy is still 10 million jobs short of what it had in February before the outbreak slammed the economy, forcing businesses to close at least temporarily. Americans, and their wallets, largely remained homebound in large swaths of the country.
A resurgence in coroanvirus cases as cold weather approaches could stall the recovery, as could Congress' failure to pass another aid package on top of a $2 trillion rescue package in March.