WASHINGTON, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed that the U.S. job market is deadlocked in a "low-hire, low-fire" cycle, although April job openings ticked upward.
The number of job openings rose to roughly 7.62 million at the end of April, an increase from March's 6.89 million, according to the survey.
Over 90 percent of April's rise was in the professional and business services sector, according to the report.
The data could indicate a bounce-back in demand for workers, which could reassure markets that the labor market is not only stabilizing but perhaps even expanding, U.S. media reported.
However, some economists are not all that sure that job openings have ticked upward.
Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told Xinhua: "I'm not convinced job availability did increase. The jump in openings was almost entirely in the professional and business services category."
"Excluding that, the increase was small and many areas, like restaurants, had a fall in openings. Also, there was a substantial drop in hiring, even in the professional and business service category. This looks to me like an error in the report," said Baker.
Economists cite widespread geopolitical uncertainty and supply-chain disruptions as primary reasons companies are hitting the brakes on onboarding new workers.
Some multinational employers have explicitly cited the Mideast geopolitical risks as the reason for halting hiring plans.
The situation between the United States and Iran remains volatile, and the conflict has disrupted oil and gas markets, leading to higher gasoline and production prices across the United States. ■
