US job openings slipped by 410,000 in January from December but layoffs rose, according to data released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number of job openings in the US in January was down 3.6% from December, though the number of hires edged up 1.9% from December.

Looking at separations, January’s 5.9 million separations were little changed from December. The number of quits fell by 5.1% in January,but the number of layoffs rose by 16.3%m or 241,000.