US job openings rise to 10.7 million in September, well above estimates

US job openings rose 437,000 to approximately 10.7 million in September, according to Labor Department figures released Tuesday.

The figure is well above estimates of 10 million. The number in August was revised to 10.3 million from 10.1 million.

"The rate changed little at 6.5 percent in September but was 0.8 percentage points lower than its peak in March 2022," the agency said in a statement.

In September, the largest increases in job openings were in accommodation and food services with 215,000, followed by health care and social assistance at 115,000 each.

The number of hires dropped to 6.1 million, while its rate changed little at 4%.

Total separations, which include employees leaving, layoffs and discharges, fell to 5.7 million in September.

Around 4.1 million workers left their jobs in September, while the rate stood steady at 2.7% for the third month in a row, according to the figures.

The Labor Department's survey measures job vacancies by collecting data from employers about employment, job openings, hiring and separations.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, considers job openings for all positions that are open or not filled on the last business day of the month when the survey is done.