Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. unexpectedly rose in March, remaining 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, increased to 5.757 million in March from 5.608 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.445 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to decline to 5.431 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 1.1381 from around 1.1386 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was at 1.4435 from 1.4447 earlier, while USD/JPY was at 109.07 from 108.98 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 94.19, compared to 94.08 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were mostly higher after the open. The Dow 30 gained 0.79%, the S&P 500 rose 0.67%, while the Nasdaq Composite added on 0.35%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,264.25 a troy ounce, compared to $1,265.35 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $44.03 a barrel from $44.27 earlier.