US Openings Decline in January as Hires and Separations Climb

The United States opened 2022 with lower job openings, as hires and separations increased in January.

Total openings for January stood at 11.263 million, lower than the 11.448 million in December but higher than the 7.232 million the same month in 2021.
The private sector accounted for 10.234 million, with the highest in education and health services with 2.129 million and professional and business services with 2.065 million.
Government hires for the month were 1.029 million, lower than the 1.105 million in December but up from the 746,000 in January 2021.
Hires for the month climbed slightly to 6.457 million from 6.450 million in December and up from 5.719 million in January.
Separations increased to 6.058 million from 6.042 million in December and 5.172 million in the same month the previous year.
The 12 months ending in January recorded a net employment gain of 6.4 million, covering workers who may have been hired and separated more than once over the year.

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