A separate survey of small businesses by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 44% had jobs they couldn't fill, also a record high.
The NFIB and JOLTS “add to evidence from the April employment report that labor shortages are widespread, pushing up prices and potentially acting as a brake on the recovery,” said Michael Pearce, an economist at Capital Economics.
Job openings increased in the accommodation and food service sectors, with restaurants, bars and hotels leading the surge. There were an additional 155,000 job openings in state and local government education. Vacancies also increased in manufacturing, trade, transportation and utilities industries as well as in finance. But vacancies dropped in the healthcare and social assistance industry.