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US: Job openings sink to a post-pandemic low. The economy is barely adding any new jobs
The number of job openings in December fell to the lowest level in eight years if the pandemic era is excluded, underscoring the fragility of the U.S. labor market as the new year got under way. U.S. job openings dropped by 386,000 in December to 6.5 million, the government said in a report delayed by federal shutdowns. That's the lowest total since 2017 if the pandemic year is omitted. New hires in December totaled 5.29 million, but they were offset by 5.25 million separations - layoffs, job quitters, retirements, deaths and so forth. The exceedingly small gap between hires and separations illustrates just how weak ... (full story)