WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. job openings fell in January from a 3½-year high. The modest decline suggests hiring could continue at its healthy pace but may not accelerate.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers posted 3.46 million job openings in January. That’s down from 3.54 million advertised in December, the most since August 2008. The department revised data back to January 2007.
The figures follow a government report Friday that showed the economy added 227,000 net jobs in February. It was the third straight month of strong job gains.
There were still 12.8 million unemployed people in January. That means an average of 3.7 people competed for each open job that month, the lowest ratio in three years. Still, the ratio is usually around 2-to-1 in healthy job markets.
It generally takes one to three months for employers to fill job openings. More openings in December and January likely contributed to February’s strong job growth. And they suggest hiring gains could continue to be above 200,000 a month in the coming months.
Job openings have rebounded 45 percent since the recession ended in June 2009, but they are still far below the pre-recession levels of roughly 5 million.
Manufacturers advertised more jobs in January than the previous month. Retailers, professional and business services, and hotels and restaurants posted fewer openings. Professional and business services include temporary help but also higher-paid jobs such as accounting, engineering and legal services.
