July job openings fall to 3.69 million

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
Job openings at U.S. workplaces fell to 3.69 million in July -- the lowest level since January -- from 3.87 million in June, the U.S. Department of Labor reported
Compared with same period in the prior year, July's job openings rose 5.4%, as private openings increased 5.3% to 3.28 million, and government openings increased to 405,000 from 380,000
With about 11.51 million unemployed people in July, there were about 3.1 potential job seekers per opening, slightly up from three seekers per opening in June
In July 2012, there were about 12.7 million unemployed people -- about 3.6 potential seekers per opening
When the recession began in December 2007, there were less than two potential job seekers per opening
The number of separations, such as quits and layoffs, fell to 4.11 million in July, the lowest since December, from 4.23 million in June
Meanwhile, the total number of hires rose to 4.42 million in July from 4.32 million in June
The level of hires was almost 5 million when the recession began