WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. job openings fell for a third straight month in March, but remained at levels consistent with a tight labor market.
Job openings, a measure of labor demand, dropped 384,000 to 9.590 million on the last day of March, the lowest level since April 2021, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, on Tuesday. Data for February was revised higher to show 9.974 million job openings instead of the previously reported 9.931 million.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 9.775 million job openings. Federal Reserve officials were gathered for a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday. The U.S. central bank is expected to raise its policy interest rate by another 25 basis points to a 5%-5.25% range at the meeting’s conclusion on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
