The number of job openings in the US hit an all-time high in April, highlighting the strong demand for labour from companies as epidemic restrictions are lifted and the economy strengthens.
The (JOLTS) survey of job vacancies and labor turnover released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed that the number of job vacancies rose to 9.3 million in April, the highest level since data were available in 2000, and the March figure was revised upward to 8.3 million.
The number of job openings exceeded hiring by 3.2 million in April, the biggest difference on record.
Recruitment challenges have been fraught in recent months, with half of the states announcing that they will withdraw from federal unemployment insurance plans early to encourage people to go out to look for jobs. At the same time, companies are paying bonuses, raising wages and increasing benefits such as health insurance to attract job seekers.
The latest employment report from the Labor Department shows that non-farm payrolls rose by 559,000 in May and by 278000 in April. However, non-farm payrolls are still lower than expected, and the labour market is 7.6 million fewer jobs than it was before the outbreak.