Washington, Jan 7 (AP) US job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labour market has cooled overall.

Openings rose to 8.1 million in November from 7.8 million in October, the Labour Department reported Tuesday. They were down from 8.9 million a year earlier and a peak of 12.2 million in March 2022 as the economy was roaring back from COVID-19 lockdowns. But they still exceed pre-pandemic levels.

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Economists had expected job openings to fall slightly in November.

Layoffs rose slightly in November, and the number of people quitting their jobs fell, suggesting that Americans are less confident in their ability to find better jobs elsewhere.

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The American labour market has cooled from the red hot hiring of 2021-2023. Employers added 1,80,000 jobs a month in 2024 through November, not bad but down from 2,51,000 in 2023; 3,77,000 in 2022, and a record 6,04,000 in 2021.

When the Labour Department releases December hiring numbers on Friday, they're expected to show that companies, government agencies and nonprofit organisations added nearly 1,57,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2 per cent.

The numbers were volatile during the fall: In October, hurricanes and a strike at Boeing limited job growth to just 36,000. In November, with the strike over, payrolls bounced back, growing 2,27,000.

The Federal Reserve closely monitors the labour market for clues about where inflation is headed. Fast hiring could push up wages and prices. Weakness might suggest the economy needs a jolt from lower interest rates.

Responding to inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Fed raised its benchmark rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1 per cent in mid-2022 to 2.7 per cent in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed's 2 per cent target.

At its December meeting, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024. But the central bank's policymakers signalled that they're likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts: They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had foreseen in September. (AP)

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