The U.S. experienced a surprisingly robust uptick in job openings and hiring in June, according to Bloomberg, even as COVID-19 has since caused some state reopenings to stall or reverse. The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, showed the number of available positions rising to 5.89 million in June, up from 5.37 million in May.
The manufacturing numbers: Job openings included 336,000 in the manufacturing industry in June, up from 306,000 in May. According to NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray: “Manufacturers hired 441,000 workers in June, down from an all-time high of 523,000 in May and up from 299,000 and 326,000 in March and April, respectively. At the same time, total separations bounced back somewhat from 285,000 in May, the lowest since November 2016, to 386,000 in June.”