US September JOLTS Job Openings Rise Unexpectedly to 7.523 Million

U.S. job openings climbed to 7.523 million in September, exceeding consensus expectations of 7.100 million to 7.160 million and rising from an upwardly revised 7.190 million in August. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job openings rate increased to 4.5%. Total hires edged up to 5.402 million, while total separations reached 5.319 million. Voluntary quits increased to 3.365 million or about 3.4 million, pushing the quits rate to 2.1%. Meanwhile, layoffs and discharges dropped to 1.641 million, lowering the layoff rate to 1.0%.