The job situation south of the border soured in August, according to figures released Wednesday by the U.S. government.
The latest Job Openings and Labour Turnover (JOLTS) data recorded a significant decline to 5.44 million for August from a downwardly-revised 5.83 million the previous month.
JOLTS data was also below the expected figure of 5.75 million, although the data is volatile on a monthly basis and still indicate a solid labour market.
There was also a reduction in the number of hires in the U.S. to 5.21 million from 5.26 million in July, but both job openings and hires were above the level seen in August 2015.
There was a significant decline in openings in the manufacturing and construction sectors, while openings were little changed in the retail sector. There was an increase in the leisure sector, while openings in government declined.
More positively, Washington also reported an increase in hires in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
There was no change in the quit rates, which has held at 2.1% for the past three months. The overall layoffs rate also held at 1.1%, while the manufacturing rate increased to 0.9% from 0.8%.
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