A sign of strength in the labor market: Job openings increased in August

  • CNN
  • October 1, 2024
CNN

 — 

The number of available jobs in the US grew in August, signaling an undercurrent of strength in the labor market.

There were an estimated 8.04 million job openings in August, up from an upwardly revised 7.71 million in July, according to new data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Economists were expecting the number of available jobs to land at 7.682 million, a slight increase from July's initial total, according to FactSet consensus estimates.

The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey report kicks off a week chock-full of critical economic data for the US labor market, culminating with the Friday jobs report. The health of the job market has leap-frogged inflation to become the top concern for the Federal Reserve, which cut its benchmark interest rate last month for the first time in four years.