ISTANBUL

US job openings hit 7.437 million in June, below estimates, according to Labor Department figures released Tuesday.

The market expected the figure would be at 7.51 million. In May, the number of openings was revised downward to 7.712 million.

The number of hires saw little change, around 5.2 million, and its rate remained unchanged at 3.3% in June.

Total separations, which include quitting, layoffs and discharges, were broadly stable at 5.1 million, with a constant 3.2% rate.

Some 3.1 million workers left their jobs in the world's largest economy in June, staying at around a rate of 2%, the agency said in a statement.

Those leavings fell in professional and business services, state and local government education, and federal government.

The Labor Department's survey measures job vacancies by collecting data from employers about employment, job openings, hiring, and separations.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, considers job openings for all positions that are open or not filled on the last business day of the month when the survey is done.