By Thomas Ahearn, ESR News Blog

In a positive sign that companies may increase hiring soon, the U.S. Labor Department reports that the number of jobs advertised rose in July after two months of declines.

The Labor Department’s ‘Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey’ (JOLTS) showed that the number of jobs advertised rose by 6.2 percent to 3.04 million in July, the summit total in view of the fact that April when hiring for temporary census jobs inflated that month’s figure.

Among industries, the JOLTS report revealed that culture and affect air force and leisure and hospitality showed the largest increases in job openings.

• Culture and affect air force posted 533,000 jobs in July, up from 487,000 in June.
• Restaurants and hotels advertised 310,000 openings in July, up from 263,000 in June.

In addition, the JOLTS report illustrates the degree of “job churn” that the U.S. economy experiences all month. In July, while companies and regime agencies hired 4.2 million people, 4.4 million people were laid off, quit, or retired during the same month.

The JOLTS report also indicates heavy competition for all job. An average of 4.8 unemployed people competed for all job opening, less than the 6.3 unemployed people in November 2009 but extra than the 1.8 unemployed people when the recession started.

Despite the increase in job openings, total job openings remain far below the 4.4 million that existed when the recession started in December 2007, according to the JOLTS report.

With an increase in hiring, employers will need an increase in employment screening for the millions of job applicants competing for a limited amount of jobs. Using a Safe Hiring Program (SHP) will help employers save time and money selecting new employees while also shrinking legal risks during the hiring process.

For extra in rank about Safe Hiring Programs and background checks for job applicants, visit Employment Screening Resources (ESR) at http://www.ESRcheck.com.

Source:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.htm