Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Job openings in the U.S. rose in September to the highest level in three months, indicating companies are waiting to make sure the economy will keep growing before committing to expand payrolls.

The number of unfilled positions climbed by 57,000 to 2.48 million, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Openings were down by 2.3 million, or 48 percent, since peaking in June 2007.

With 15.1 million Americans unemployed in September, that means there about six workers competing for each available job, one reason why consumer confidence has been shaken. Labor Department figures last week showed the ranks of the unemployed swelled to 15.7 million last month, pushing the jobless rate up to 10.2 percent, the highest level since 1983.

“Companies still have a lingering cautiousness about hiring,” said John Herrmann, chief economist at Herrmann Forecasting in Summit, New Jersey. “They may need to get into the new year before they start to plan new hiring.”

The rate of job openings in September rose to 1.9 percent from 1.8 percent the prior month, marking the first increase since February. The August reading matched July’s as the lowest in records dating back to 2000.

Firings Stabilize

The pace of hiring held at 3.1 percent, and the rate of separations was 3.3 percent, also matching the lowest on record.

The October payroll decrease of 190,000 workers exceeded the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News and followed a 219,000 drop the prior month, figures from the Labor Department showed Nov. 6. The unemployment rate climbed from 9.8 percent in September.

President Barack Obama the same day signed a bill extending jobless benefits and promised new measures to find jobs for some of the unemployed.

“My economic team is looking at ideas such as additional investments in our aging roads and bridges, incentives to encourage families and business to make buildings more energy efficient,” additional tax cuts, and more steps to ease the flow of credit to small business and promote exports, he said at the White House.

Projected Expansion

The U.S. economy may grow at a 3 percent annual pace in the fourth quarter, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News this month. That compares with a 3.5 percent rate of expansion in the third quarter.

The jobless rate is projected to exceed 10 percent through the first half of 2010, giving households reason to be prudent spenders, the economists’ forecasts showed.

“Businesses are still cutting back on fixed investment and staffing, though at a slower pace,” Federal Reserve policy makers said last week in announcing they planned to hold interest rates low for an “extended period.” Consumer spending “appears to be expanding but remains constrained by ongoing job losses, sluggish income growth, lower housing wealth, and tight credit,” they said.

Companies continue to reduce staff. Sprint Nextel Corp., the third-largest U.S. mobile-phone carrier, will cut as much as 6 percent of its workforce as the company loses subscribers to rivals. Sprint will eliminate 2,000 to 2,500 jobs, saving at least $350 million annually, the Overland Park, Kansas-based company said in a statement yesterday.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Willis in Washington at bwillis@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 10, 2009 11:49 EST