(Washington, DC – Insurance News 360) – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey for November revealed a drop to 6.9 million openings and a slight decrease in hires to 5.7 million, and a slight fall in quits to 3.4 million.

Job openings dropped 243,000 to 6.9 percent on the last day of November, and job openings in the private sector decreased by 237,000. There was little change in government.

Job openings in “other services” and construction both fell (66,000 and 45,000, respectively).

The number of new hires dropped by 218,000 to 5.7 million in November, and the rate of hires was 3.8 percent overall. The federal government increased hiring by 8,000 positions, but professional and business services fell by 167,000, and total private sector hires fell by 236,000.

Separations didn’t change much, with 5.5 million in November, and a rate of 3.7 percent. Total separations decreased in professional and business services (-122,000) and in accommodation and food services (-88,000). The number of total separations was little changed in all four regions. The number of quits fell by 112,000. In professional and business services, there was a drop of 84,000; accommodation and food services saw a decrease of 62,000.

Source: U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.