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Jobs available in the United States hit a new record at the end of June, pushing openings above the number of unemployed Americans looking for jobs, a sign of an unusually tight labor market.
Unfilled job vacancies rose 590,000 to seasonally adjusted 10.1 million in June, the highest level since record keeping began in 2000, the Labor Department said on Monday. The increase was driven by sectors such as professional and commercial services, retail, and accommodation and food services, as pandemic-related restrictions continued to ease this month and consumers were more willing to dine out and travel.
The increase in job vacancies in June preceded a slight increase in cases related to the Delta variant of Covid-19. Private measures of job vacancies through July showed openings remained high, although they began to level off as hiring improved. The still high number of openings indicates that the variant, so far, does not affect hiring plans.
The number of job vacancies in June exceeded the 9.5 million people who were unemployed that same month. To be counted as unemployed, a person must be available and looking for a job.
The gap between job openings and unemployment shows unusual tension in the labor market. From 2000 to 2018, there were more unemployed than jobs available. That changed in early 2018, when the unemployment rate hit its lowest level in 50 years.
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