Job openings in the United States tumbled last month to their lowest level since January 2021, a sign that the labor market is losing some momentum.
Posted vacancies nevertheless remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
The Labor Department reported Tuesday that the number of job openings dropped to 7.4 million in September from 7.9 million in August.
Economists had expected the level of openings to be virtually unchanged. Job openings fell in particular at healthcare companies and at government agencies at the federal, state and local levels.
The number of layoffs also rose and the number of Americans who quit their jobs fell below 3.1 million, the fewest since August 2020.
Though job openings have fallen sharply since peaking at 12.2 million in 2022, they remain higher than they were before the coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the American economy in early 2020.
When the economy roared back with unexpected strength from the COVID-19 recession, companies scrambled to find enough workers to keep up with customer orders.
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