U.S. job openings dropped to an 11-month low in February and hiring decreased. Job openings fell by 538,000 to a seasonally adjusted low of 7.1 million, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. That was the lowest level since March 2018 and reflected declines in several industries.
The job openings rate dropped to 4.5% from 4.8% in January. Hiring fell to 5.7 million in February from 5.8 million in the prior month. Non-farm payrolls increased by only 33,000 jobs in February, the fewest since September 2017.