Job openings outnumber unemployed by 1 million

The difference between the number of open jobs and total U.S. unemployed reached 1 million in September, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Tuesday.

According to the data, the number of job openings slipped down to 7 million, a drop of 284,000 from the previous month’s high point. 

{mosads}That figure was just more than a million higher than the roughly 6 million people the BLS said Friday were unemployed in its monthly jobs report.

The figures are the latest signs of a healthy job market, though some say the disparity indicates a skills gap, where companies can’t find employees with the right skills to fill their jobs.

Another positive indicator of health in the labor market is the number of people quitting their jobs, which remained roughly the same in September at 3.6 million. People’s willingness to quit can indicate confidence that they will be able to find new employment relatively easily. 

Republicans were hoping to ride a strong economy to success in Tuesday’s midterm elections, but early Associated Press exit polls found that just 19 percent of voters listed the economy as their top issue, behind immigration, at 23 percent, and health care, at 26 percent.