(June 8) Job openings in April soared to a new record high, with 9.3 million vacancies coming as the economy rapidly recovered from its pandemic depths.
The standard set in April was well above the 8.3 million in March that itself was a new series high going back to 2000 for the Labor Departments Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
Federal Reserve policymakers closely watch the JOLTS numbers for indications of labor market slack, though they run a month behind the more widely publicized nonfarm payrolls count.
Markets had been looking for a JOLTS number around 8.18 million, according to FactSet.