Job openings in September rise to second-highest level on record

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Job openings rose in September to the second-highest level in the history of the series, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Job openings rose to a seasonally adjusted 5.53 million from 5.38 million in August, though that's short of the 5.67 million peak reached this summer. The series started in Dec. 2000. The quits rate -- an important proxy of worker confidence, since it shows the willingness to look for another job -- was 1.9% for the sixth consecutive month. The hiring rate ticked down a notch to 3.6%.