(CN) — Employers across the U.S. posted fewer open jobs in November, the second straight month of decline according to the Labor Department, while the European Union said its jobless rate dropped again to the lowest level since the height of the Great Recession.
According to the Labor Department, the number of available jobs slipped 0.8 percent in November to 5.88 million. That was down from 5.93 million in October.
Job openings fell in manufacturing, business services, and government.
They rose in construction, retail, and hotels and restaurants.
The number of job openings posted reached a peak in September when they hit 6.18 million.
Despite the declines in October and November, job openings in the United States are still 4.4 percent higher than a year ago, and the national unemployment rate continues to stand at 4.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the EU's statistics agency Eurostat reported Tuesday the unemployment rate for the 28-state union hit 7.3 percent in November, down a tenth from October, a full percentage point from November 2016, and the lowest level since October 2008.
The 19-state eurozone, which includes only EU members that use the euro as currency, saw a November jobless rate of 8.7 percent, also down a tenth from October and more than a percentage point from November 2016. The eurozone's unemployment rate is currently the lowest it's been since January 2009.
While all member states saw lower unemployment rates, several states with the highest figures saw the steepest declines, including Greece, Croatia and Cyprus.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Czech Republic has the lowest jobless rate in the EU at 2.5 percent, followed by Malta and Germany at 3.6 percent.
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