WASHINGTON — The number of available jobs in the U.S. fell in March, although companies filled more open positions in a sign they are confident enough to hire.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that job postings dropped 2.9 percent to just under a seasonally adjusted 5 million in March. Meanwhile, total hiring ticked up 1.1 percent to 5.1 million, the most since December.
Despite the drop in job openings in March, there are still many more open positions than a year ago: That figure has increased 18.6 percent in the past 12 months.
And there were other positive signs in the report. Increased hiring is welcome because even as companies have advertised more jobs, they have not been filling them as quickly.
The number of people quitting their jobs rose to 2.78 million, roughly matching February’s total, which was the highest in nearly seven years. More quits are a good sign because workers typically quit when they have a new job, usually at higher pay.
