US Job Openings Hold Steady, Defying Recent Slowdown Trend

US job openings came in above forecast last month after May’s reading was revised higher, defying a recent trend of a gradual softening in the labor market.

Available positions edged lower to 8.18 million from a upwardly revised 8.23 million reading in the prior month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, known as JOLTS, showed Tuesday. The June figure exceeded most estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

The report still shows there’s solid demand for workers even though employers have pulled back on hiring and wage growth has slowed. The unemployment rate rose ...