Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. fell more than expected in May, although they remained in territory consistent with an improving labor market as employers actively seek workers, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, decreased to 5.500 million in May from 5.845 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.788 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to decline to 5.700 million.
The report has garnered more attention, as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen often cites the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
Following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.1093 from around 1.1089 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.3168 from 1.3147 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 104.59 from 104.51 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 96.36, compared to 96.39 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were higher after the open. The Dow 30 gained 0.52%, the S&P 500 rose 0.56%, while the Nasdaq Composite traded up 0.69%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,343.35 a troy ounce, compared to $1,344.45 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $45.81 a barrel from $45.92 earlier.