Job Openings in U.S. Fall to Lowest Level in Nine Years as Hiring Slows

U.S. Job Openings Fall to Lowest Level in at Least Nine Years
By Courtney Schlisserman


Oct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Job openings in the U.S. fell in August to the lowest level in at least nine years, signaling the economy hasn’t improved enough to prompt companies to take on more staff.

The number of unfilled positions fell by 21,000 to 2.39 million, the fewest since records began in 2000, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Openings were down by 2.4 million, or 50 percent, since peaking in July 2007.

The report showed hiring and firing both slowed in August, indicating last month’s acceleration in payroll losses may have been due to a lack of employment rather than a pick up in dismissals. Labor Department figures last week showed employers cut staff by a net 263,000 workers in September and the unemployment rate increased to the highest level since 1983.

“We’re not going to signal the all-clear on the jobs market until we see hiring pick up,” said Zach Pandl, an economist at Nomura Securities International Inc. in New York. “Firing has cooled off but firms have not really ramped up hiring activity.”

The rate of job openings in August held at 1.8 percent, matching July’s reading as the lowest in records dating back to 2000. The pace of hiring fell to 3.1 percent after increasing in July for the first time this year. The separations rate dropped to 3.3 percent, also matching the lowest on record. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601068&sid=aYZfOLKO2Zpk

on TV say again?

and I tried to tell them not to believe it.

I got called all sorts of bad names.


but, to be honest, since I"m unemployed, I would rather have been wrong.

Hope you're able to find something. :(

I get yelled at when I talk about facts too.

Since when did positive thinking become a fix for everything?

I think on google news page, GE is opening up a second shift at a plant, I think in Ohio, 90 job openings, 10,000 applicants that is 111 applicants for each opening.... it is mean out there...

...yikes,
got a chance to use my unemployment time to go back to school for 6 mos and try to move forward...

all the projections and the numbers for job growth across industries are PRE-recesion/meltdown
now all bets are off

hope I can at least get a job in a 'green' industry or something of the sort, st this point I am lookin into non-profit work, it isn't as lucrative, but I'd be helping people and it may be easier to get into ...

either way, I think many of us are screwn.

I feel very bad for them. For one thing, a college education was pretty cheap several decades ago compared to now. It must be pretty hard being saddled with large student loans to pay back, while having trouble finding any job of consequence to allow yourself to repay them. Add the problems with finding a home loan in this economy and having to pay for high medical insurance and it's a world that looks bleaker than the one I faced when I was young and just starting out in life.

that are getting laid off to hire the kids just out of college, if they hire anyone at all.

Not faulting your compassion, just pointing out that college graduates are having the higher rates of employment right now.