Job openings and hiring hold steady as 'low hire, low fire' market drags on

Job openings and hiring were little changed in August, according to the Labor Department's monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, yet another data point that suggests the economy remains in a "low hire, low fire" job market.

The economy had 7.1 million jobs open last month, down slightly from a revised 7.3 million in July, the report showed. The rate of job openings dropped to 4.3%, from 4.4% a month earlier.

Hiring in August held steady, with 5.2 million workers finding new positions.

Layoffs also stayed stable, with about 1.6 million workers, or 1%, involuntarily losing their jobs last month. The number of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs was also unchanged at 3.1 million, or 1.9% of the workforce.

A more current look at the job market will be released on Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes its monthly payrolls report covering the month of September. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect to see a gain of 90,000 jobs.

Claire Boston is a Senior Reporter for Yahoo Finance covering housing, mortgages, and home insurance.