Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. unexpectedly rose in April, boosting optimism over an improving labor market as employers actively seek workers, official data showed on Tuesday.
In the release of the monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, settled at 6.044 million in April from 5.785 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.743 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to decline from the initial reading at the beginning of the second quarter to 5.650 million.
The report has garnered more attention despite the lag on the data, as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen has cited the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
Following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.1265 from around 1.1266 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD exchanged hands at 1.2889 compared to 1.2900 previously, while USD/JPY was at 109.47 from 109.48 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 96.60, compared to 96.58 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets traded lower after the open. The Dow 30 fell 37 points, or 0.17%, the S&P 500 lost 5 points, or 0.19%, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 3 points, or 0.04%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,297.21 a troy ounce, compared to $1,296.87 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $47.30 a barrel from $47.20 earlier.