Investing.com - The number of job openings in the U.S. rose less than expected in September, but remained in territory consistent with an improving labor market as employers actively seek workers, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the U.S. Labor Department said that the number of job openings, excluding the farming industry, increased to 5.486 million in September from 5.453 million a month earlier, which was revised from the original reading of 5.443 million.
Analysts had expected the number of job openings to rise to 5.508 million.
The report has garnered more attention, as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen often cites the survey when assessing the state of the labor market.
Following the report, EUR/USD was trading at 1.1048 from around 1.1046 ahead of the release of the data, GBP/USD was unchanged at 1.2374, while USD/JPY was at 104.60 from 104.79 earlier.
The US dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major rivals, was at 97.73, compared to 97.78 ahead of the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets were lower after the open. The Dow 30 fell 0.20%, the S&P 500 lost 0.26%, while the Nasdaq Composite traded down 0.28%.
Elsewhere, in the commodities market, gold futures traded at $1,283.45 a troy ounce, compared to $1,282.35 ahead of the data, while crude oil traded at $44.45 a barrel from $44.51 earlier.