US job openings surged to their highest level in nearly two years, powered mostly by white-collar roles — a welcome development for recent college graduates and professionals battered by the recent hiring slowdown.
Employers posted 7.62 million job openings in April, up sharply from 6.89 million the month before and the highest level since May 2024, according to Labor Department data.
The rebound was driven overwhelmingly by professional and business services, a broad category that includes many office and corporate jobs and has been among the sectors hardest hit by the white-collar slowdown.
Openings in the sector jumped by 668,000 positions in April, accounting for more than 90% of the nationwide increase, according to the Labor Department.
The surge came after a bleak stretch for office workers throughout much of last year, when employers pulled back on hiring amid economic uncertainty, cost-cutting efforts and concerns about slowing growth.
The latest figures suggest companies are once again looking for talent.
The stronger-than-expected data could also complicate the Federal Reserve’s path ahead as policymakers weigh whether to cut interest rates.
A labor market showing renewed demand for workers gives the central bank less evidence that the economy is weakening enough to warrant immediate relief.
The report arrived as many young Americans have grown increasingly anxious about their job prospects, particularly in white-collar fields where entry-level opportunities have become harder to find.
Recent graduates have complained that competition for jobs has intensified and have increasingly pointed to artificial intelligence as a factor reshaping hiring practices.
In the tech sector, AI was blamed for tens of thousands of brutal job cuts during the first three months of the year, according to executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
The recent rise in openings may offer some encouragement to job seekers trying to break into corporate America.
Still, the report was not without warning signs.
While job openings climbed sharply, actual hiring remained subdued.
Employers hired 5.12 million workers in April, down from 5.54 million in March, indicating that many companies are posting positions faster than they are filling them.
Workers also appeared reluctant to leave their jobs.
The number of people voluntarily quitting fell to 2.98 million in April, a sign that employees remain cautious about their prospects elsewhere.
The rebound was also highly concentrated rather than broad-based.
Several sectors, including financial activities, retail trade and leisure and hospitality, saw openings decline even as overall vacancies rose.
That suggests the labor market remains uneven, with strength concentrated in specific industries rather than spread across the economy.
The latest figures nevertheless mark a significant turnaround from late last year, when job openings fell to 6.55 million in December — the lowest level of the cycle.
Since that trough, openings have climbed by more than 1 million positions.
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