US Labor Market Remains A Riddle

US job openings once again frustrated economists expecting evidence of labor market normalization. There were 9.553 million open positions on the last business day of September, key data released on Wednesday showed. Consensus was 9.4 million. The prior month's headline JOLTS print was revised lower to 9.497 million. The gap with hires rose. The second consecutive monthly increase, small though it was, underscored the notion that the path back to normal is long and winding given lingering d