September job openings reach 7.5 million as quits rise

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 7.5 million job openings in September, while hiring was little changed and the number of workers quitting rose to 3.4 million, its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed Tuesday. The openings rate was 4.5%, and the agency characterized the monthly change in vacancies as little changed. The September total exceeded economists’ forecasts cited in reports, though the BLS’s assessment compared it with August’s revised level of about 7.2 million. The agency’s published monthly comparison showed an increase of 333,000. Employers hired 5.4 million people during the month, also little changed from August. The hires rate was 3.4%. Total separations, which include quits, layoffs and other departures, were 5.3 million and little changed. Layoffs and discharges stood at 1.6 million, also little changed, according to the BLS. Quits increased by 375,000 from a year earlier to 3.4 million, while the quits rate was 2.1 and little changed from August. Voluntary departures can reflect workers’ confidence in finding another job, but the monthly figures do not establish whether the increase will continue. Accommodation and food services...