Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. avoided an expected drop in March, remaining in territory consistent with an improving labor market as employers actively seek workers, official data showed on Thursday.
In the release of the monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, settled at 5.743 million in March from 5.682 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.743 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to decline from the initial reading in the second month of the year to 5.670 million in March.
The report has garnered more attention despite the lag on the data, as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen has cited the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
Following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.0896 from around 1.0894 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD exchanged hands at 1.2929 compared to 1.2930 previously, while USD/JPY was at 114.03 from 113.97 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 99.35, compared to 99.36 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets traded higher after the open. The Dow 30 advanced 26 points, or 0.12%, the S&P 500 rose 3 points, or 0.14%, while the Nasdaq Composite traded up 27 points, or 0.45%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,221.10 a troy ounce, compared to $1,221.25 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $46.10 a barrel from $46.02 earlier.