There Now Are More Job Openings in the U.S. Than Unemployed Workers to Fill Them
It’s the first time that has happened since the government began tracking job openings in 2000.
There were a record 6.7 million job openings in April, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. That was an increase from an upwardly revised 6.63 million in March.
The revised data show that job openings outstripped total unemployed workers in March for the first time, and the trend continued in April.
There were 6.59 million unemployed workers in March and even fewer, 6.35 million, in April, according to the Labor Department’s monthly report on job openings and labor turnover, also known as JOLTS.
The Midwest had the highest rate of job openings at 4.8 percent of total employment and available jobs. The West, which includes California and 12 other states, was next at 4.4 percent.