employers hired more workers in march even as the number of job openings fell slightly, the labor department said tuesday.









the job openings and labor turnover survey points to a stronger labor market two months ago than another government report suggested friday.









labor said last week that employers added a net 85,000 jobs in march, including hiring and layoffs, as payroll growth sputtered amid frigid weather and a pullback in drilling by oil producers, among other factors. that was the lowest total since june 2012. job gains rebounded to 223,000 in april.









tuesday's jolts report provides a more granular view of employee movements and shows a more encouraging picture. the number of hires, for example, increased by 56,000 to about 5.1 million.









hiring increased in retail, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality. it declined in construction, manufacturing and education and health services.









part of the reason net job gains were weak is that layoffs and discharges also picked up, rising by 105,000, or 6.2%, to 1.8 million. at least some of those job cuts were in the oil industry, which continues to shed workers in response to low crude prices.









meanwhile, about 2.8 million americans quit their jobs <u+2014> the most since april 2008 <u+2014> up from 2.7 million in february. a large number of quits is a sign of a dynamic labor market in which workers feel confident enough to leave one job for another.









overall, the report "helps ease concerns that the weak 85,000 (job gain total) for march was the start of a new trend," says barclays capital economist jesse hurwitz. "confidence remains intact."









less encouraging is that job openings fell by 150,000 to 5 million after hitting a 14-year high in february. but economist daniel silver of jpmorgan chase notes that openings were still up about 18% from the year-ago period.









another measure of the labor market's progress is that there were 1.7 unemployed workers for each job opening in march, down sharply from a high of 6.7 in 2009.









that shows the labor market is continuing to tighten, aiding job seekers, though at a slower pace than last year, hurwitz says. he expects job gains to pick up to a solid monthly average of 200,000 to 225,000 for the rest of 2015. that would mark an uptick from the 184,000 monthly pace in the first quarter but a slowdown from last year's brisk clip of 260,000.









last week, labor said that employers added 223,000 jobs in april.
report on hiring, quits brightens labor market picture
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