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Many employers plan to add workers in coming months.

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U.S. economy on mend: Job openings rise, layoffs fall,

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WASHINGTON — Companies posted more open jobs in January while layoffs decreased as the economy heals slowly from the pandemic.

What’s happening

There were 6.9 million jobs available on the last day in January, up from 6.7 million in December, the Labor Department said Thursday. That suggests employers are getting ready to hire in the coming months.

What it means

Hiring actually began to pick up in February, according to last Friday’s jobs report, which showed that employers added 379,000 jobs, the most since October, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.2% from 6.3%. While the economy still has 9.5 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic, February’s job gain was much higher than January’s and came after a sharp job loss in December, suggesting the economy, after stalling out late last year, is mending.

Thursday’s report tracks gross job gains and losses, while last week’s figure is a net change in total jobs. The data released Thursday also showed that layoffs fell to just under 1.7 million in January, the same pace of job cuts that was occurring before the pandemic.

That data contrasts with the number of people seeking unemployment benefits, which fell last week but remains at a very elevated level of 712,000, according to a separate report Thursday. That suggests an unusually high number of Americans are still losing jobs. The figures may vary for several reasons. The government has broadened the eligibility for unemployment benefits during the pandemic, for example, by allowing those who have refused to take jobs they felt were unsafe to claim aid.

What’s next

According to a surveyby Manpowergroup, an employment agency, nearly one-quarter of companies surveyed said they plan to add workers in the AprilJune quarter. That’s the most since the pandemic began. One-third expect to return to their pre-pandemic hiring levels by July, while more than half expect to do so by the end of the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS 2020 A woman walks past a “We’re Hiring” sign while entering a Target store in Westwood, Mass. Employers added 379,000 jobs in February, the most since October.