U.S. reports 3.64M job openings in May

WASHINGTON, July 10 (UPI) -- U.S. employers say they had 3.6 million job openings in May, up from 3.4 million in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey said the hiring rate and firing rate were both essentially unchanged at 3.3 percent.

The report, which includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires and separations for the non-farm sector by industry and by geographic region, said job openings increased for manufacturing and government.

Over the 12 months ending in May, the number of hires totaled 51.1 million and separations totaled 49.3 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.8 million. These figures, however, include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year, the bureau said.