The number of US job openings in April rose 4.5% from March to a record high of 6.04 million, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, the number of hires fell 4.8%.

The job openings rate — a measure of job openings compared with total employment — rose to 4.0% in April from 3.8% in March.

Job openings increased in a number of industries with the largest increase occurring in accommodation and food services, up 118,000. Job openings decreased by 30,000 in durable goods manufacturing. The number of job openings increased in the Midwest and Northeast regions.

Bloomberg reports the increase in help-wanted signs, coupled with a decline in hiring, may indicate that companies are increasingly dealing with a shortage of qualified workers as the job market tightens.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-05/saudi-led-alliance-cuts-qatar-ties-as-gulf-crisis-escalates

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