Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose much more than expected in June, 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 6.163 million in June from 5.702 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.666 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to increase to 5.775 million at the end of the second quarter from May’s initial reading.
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 1.1809 from around 1.1808 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD exchanged hands at 1.2998 compared to 1.3006 previously, while USD/JPY was at 110.40 from 110.34 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 93.24, compared to 93.22 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets traded lower after the open. The Dow 30 slipped 12 points, or 0.05%, the S&P 500 lost 3 points, or 0.13%, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 9 points, or 0.13%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,267.02 a troy ounce, compared to $1,268.53 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $49.05 a barrel from $49.09 earlier.