US job openings rose in July after two months of declines, the government reported Wednesday in a positive sign that companies could increase hiring in coming months. The Labor Department said the number of jobs advertised rose by 6.2 percent to 3.04 million, the highest total since April. Despite the increase, however, job openings remain far below the 4.4 million in December 2007, when the recession began. The report indicated strong competition for jobs. In July, 4.8 unemployed people were seeking each job opening, an improvement from the peak of 6.3 in November 2009. Still, it was far more than the 1.8 unemployed people competing for each opening when the recession started. Total US hiring remains weak and is down from a monthly total of 5 million people in December 2007. Layoffs have risen moderately for the past two months but are still at pre-recession levels, the report said.
