US Job Openings Unexpectedly Rise a Second Month to 9.6 Million

  • Increase in September vacancies was driven by leisure sector
  • Quits rate held steady at 2.3%, lowest since the start of 2021
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US job openings unexpectedly climbed in September for a second month, underscoring the persistent strength of labor demand in various pockets of the economy.

The number of available positions increased to 9.6 million from a downwardly revised 9.5 million in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed Wednesday. Hiring edged up, while layoffs declined.