U.S. Job Openings Fell in August for First Time in Four Months

U.S. job openings declined in August for the first time in four months, pointing to a moderation in pace of hiring as the pandemic drags on.

The number of available positions slipped to 6.49 million during the month from an upwardly revised 6.7 million in July, according to the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, released Tuesday. A Bloomberg survey of economists called for an decrease to 6.5 million. Openings that involve workers recalled from layoffs or positions that are only offered internally are not counted in the figure.