US Job Openings Rise to Three-Month High But Fewer Workers Quit

US job openings unexpectedly rose in December to the highest level in three months while fewer Americans quit their jobs, indicating workers are growing more cautious even as labor demand remains strong.

Vacancies increased to 9 million from an upwardly revised 8.9 million reading in the prior month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS, showed Tuesday. The December figure exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

At the same time, the number of people who voluntarily quit their job fell to 3.4 million, the lowest in nearly three years. ...