WASHINGTON Reuters -- U.S. job openings fell by the most in almost 2 -- 1 2 years in August, but they were kept at high levels as demand for labor remains strong, which could keep the Federal ReserveFederal Reserve on its aggressive monetary policy tightening path.
The Labor Department said in its monthly job openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, that the job openings, a measure of labor demand, dropped 1.1 million to 10.1 million on the last day of August.
Data for July was revised lower to show 11.170 million job openings instead of 11.239 million as previously reported.
The Fed is trying to reduce demand for labor and the economy to bring inflation down to its 2% target. The U.S. central bank has hiked its policy rate from near zero to 3.25% since March, and last month signaled that there were more large increases on the way this year.