Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. unexpectedly rose in April, remaining in territory consistent with an improving labor market as employers actively seek workers, official data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, increased to 5.780 million in April from 5.670 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.757 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to decline to 5.672 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.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1402 from around 1.1402 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4557 from 1.4574 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 106.69 from 106.79 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 93.47, compared to 93.46 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were higher after the open. The Dow 30 gained 0.35%, the S&P 500 rose 0.29%, while the Nasdaq Composite added on 0.22%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,264.50 a troy ounce, compared to $1,265.60 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $51.19 a barrel from $51.24 earlier.