The number of US job openings in January rose 4.9% from December to more than 5.5 million, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Effective with this release, data have been revised from December 2000 forward to incorporate annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey seasonal adjustment factors.

Wholesale trade job openings increased by 74,000, followed by construction at 61,000. Job openings decreased by 40,000 in educational services and by 16,000 in state and local government.

Regionally, job openings increased in the Midwest over the month.

The job openings rate — a measure of job openings compared with total employment — rose to 3.7% in January from 3.6% in December.

MarketWatch reports the number of available jobs rose in January but fewer workers were willing to leave their existing positions, an indication of a labor market that’s improving but still not white hot.

The number of hires fell 6.9% in January to about 5.0 million: the decline was widespread across industries. The number of hires fell by 101,000 in professional and business services. Regionally, hires decreased in the South.

The number of separations also increased 4.4%, to about 4.9 million.

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