US Job Openings br Hit a Record 7.3 Million The Labor Department br reports a 2.4 jump in br December job openings. Job openings continue br to outnumber the unemployed. Such a surge indicates that br companies expect to need br more employees to meet demand. Lower paying jobs with the br biggest increases include positions br in the restaurant, hotel and br healthcare industries. Higher paying jobs in the br field of architecture and br engineering reported br the biggest increases. The data also showed a br December hiring boost br with a steady number br of people who quit. Hourly pay is up slightly, br with wage increases at br a modest 3.3 as compared br to the expected 4.