Job openings rate was 3.8 percent in December 2017

There were 5.8 million job openings on the last business day of December 2017, and the job openings rate was 3.8 percent. The job openings rate was highest in the accommodation and food services industry (5.5 percent) and in health care and social assistance (5.1 percent).

Industries with job openings rates below the overall average in December include state and local government education (1.6 percent), private educational services (2.0 percent), and construction (2.2 percent).

These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2017" (HTML) (PDF). Also see more charts featuring data on job openings, hires, and separations. The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings.