While job openings fell in December, layoffs also declined, leading economists to point to a gradual recovery. The job openings rate fell to 2.3% in December, which is a 31% increase since July 2009. Layoffs fell to 1.84 million, with government layoffs increasing the total. Economists say that the economy is improving, but the labor market is lagging behind the housing market and other economic indicators. The unemployment rate fell to 9% in January.
See "Job openings dip in December, but layoffs decline", Lucia Mutikani, Reuters, February 7, 2011