U.S. employers advertise more jobs, but hiring falls

U.S. employers advertised more open positions in January, yet hiring fell, painting a mixed picture of the job market.

The Labor Department said job openings jumped 4.9 percent, to 5.5 million, the most since July. The number of jobs filed fell 6.9 percent, to 5 million, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS.

The figures are an echo of previous data that show the job market stumbled in January, likely in part because of harsh winter weather. Net hiring, as reported in the separate monthly jobs report, fell in January before rebounding in February.

Still, the increase in available jobs in the JOLTS data suggests employers are determined to add workers and points to more hiring in the coming months.