Job Openings Up In September

In a positive sign for labor demand, job openings in the JOLTS report popped back up in September, to 5.526 million from a revised 5.377 million in August. Openings peaked in July at a recovery best 5.668 million. High job demand will absorb yet more slack from what is a dwindling supply of available labor, in what could precede wage inflation and become a major concern for Fed policy makers. But in a contrasting indication of worker hesitance, confidence in the strength of the labor market may be limited based on the report's quits rate which remains stubbornly low, unchanged for a sixth month at 1.9 percent.