Job Openings Leveling off at a High Rate.

NFIB Small Business Optimism Index (December 2015)

– Index level 95.2. Previous was 94.8

This is a survey index which measures small business owners views regarding the following 10 things: plans to increase employment, plans to make capital outlays, plans to increase inventories, expect economy to improve, expect real sales higher, current inventory, current job openings, expected credit conditions, now a good time to expand, and earnings trend.

Redbook Chain Store Sales (week ended 1/9/2016)

– Store Sales year/year +1.7%. Previous was +2.9%.

While sales in chain stores have been increasing the rate of increase has slowed since Spring 2015.

JOLTS (November 2015)

– Job Openings Job Openings  5,431,000. Previous was 5,349,000

This is the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The headline number is job openings.

Job Openings increased steadily since August 2009 and have recently leveled off at a record level.  According to BLS there are 7,904,000 unemployed people looking for work.  Presumably most of those do not have the skills for the  5,431,000 Job Openings.