US job postings edge down to 6.49 million
![In this Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, file photo help wanted signs for servers and cooks at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa are displayed along route 40 at the entrance to the resort in Farmington, Pa. U.S. employers advertised more jobs but hired fewer workers in July, sending mixed signals about a job market in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Labor Department said Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, that the number of U.S. job postings on the last day of July rose to 6.6 million from 6 million at the end of June.](https://kstp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/kstp_800HiringServersSignFarmingtonPAAP.jpg)
In this Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020, file photo help wanted signs for servers and cooks at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa are displayed along route 40 at the entrance to the resort in Farmington, Pa. U.S. employers advertised more jobs but hired fewer workers in July, sending mixed signals about a job market in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The Labor Department said Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, that the number of U.S. job postings on the last day of July rose to 6.6 million from 6 million at the end of June.[AP/ Gene J. Puskar]
U.S. employers advertised for slightly fewer jobs in August as hiring ticked up modestly.
The number of U.S. job postings on the last day of August dipped to 6.49 million, down from 6.70 million July, The Labor Department said Tuesday. A year earlier, employers posted 7.17 million job openings.
Long-term jobless caught in a squeeze that imperils recovery
Hiring in August edged up to 5.92 million, slightly above the 5.90 million job applicants hired in July.
The government reported last Friday that the U.S. economy generated 661,000 jobs in September, marking the third straight month of slower hiring after an initial burst as the recovery began to recover from the spring virus-related lockdowns.