Bloomberg BusinessWeek (11/06/12) Alex Kowalski

Job openings declined to a five-month low in September, suggesting uneven forward momentum in the labor market may continue through the rest of the year. There were 3.56 million job openings, 100,000 fewer than in August, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The slowing global economy and the possibility of federal tax increases next year have resulted in a reluctance to hire on the part of U.S. employers.

Much of the decrease in job openings was seen in professional and business services, government, and manufacturing. Job openings rose in education, health services, and in the trade, transportation, and utilities industries. Total firings, meanwhile, fell to 1.7 million from 1.85 million a month before.