Job openings rose in March south of the border, but figures released Tuesday morning show that the hiring rate was slightly lower.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' reported that there were 5.8 million job openings in March, up from 5.4 million job openings in February, according to the Job Openings and Labour Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report. Economists expected 5.4 million job openings in March, unchanged from the prior month, according to a consensus estimate from Thomson Reuters.
The monthly report from the U.S. Labor Department is a closely followed barometer of economic conditions, and measures job postings in different sectors, and the number of hires and layoffs.
The hiring rate came in at 3.7%for the month. The number of hires was also slightly lower at 5.3 million. The decline was largely in the private sector and retail.
The March turnover rate was similar to February's at 3.5% or five million total separations.
