US job openings, overall hiring reach 5-year highs

U.S. job openings and overall hiring both reached five-year highs in September, signaling steady improvement in the job market, AP reported. Job postings rose 69,000 to a seasonally adjusted 3.9 million, the Labor Department said Friday. That's the most since March 2008, just a few months after the Great Recession began. It's also close to the roughly 4 million job openings each month that are consistent with healthier job markets. Total hiring increased 26,000 to 4.6 million, the highest level since August 2008. The gain suggests employers are not only posting more jobs but are also taking greater steps to fill them. September's total hiring is still below the roughly 5 million people who are typically hired in sturdier job markets. The number of people who quit their jobs in September dipped from August but was still about 15 percent higher than a year earlier. People usually quit their jobs when they have another one lined up, or when they are certain they can find one. More quits is a sign of confidence in the job market. The growth in hiring, job openings and quits points to a more movement in the job market, which can create opportunities for those out of work or who are looking for another job.