US job openings reach 7.1M in November, below estimates

​​​​​​​By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US job openings hit 7.1 million in November, below market expectations, according to the Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) figures released Wednesday.

November data followed October's downwardly revised 7.4 million, while the markets had expected the November data would come in at 7.6 million.

The number of hires saw little change, around 5.1 million, and the rate remained unchanged at 3.2% in November.

The number of hires decreased in state and local government, excluding education (-39,000) and in state and local government education (-31,000), while they increased in federal government (+11,000).

Total separations, which include quitting, layoffs, and discharges, were broadly stable at 5.1 million in November, at a constant 3.2% rate.

"Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations include separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm," the agency said in a statement.

Some 3.2 million workers left jobs in the world's largest economy in November, staying around a rate of 2%.

The Labor Department's survey measures job vacancies by collecting data from employers about employment, job openings, hiring and separations.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) considers job openings for all positions that are open or not filled on the last business day of the month when the survey is taken.​​​​​​​