The number of available jobs in the U.S. is shrinking

(CNN) – Job opportunities are slowly disappearing in the U.S., and hiring has screeched to its slowest pace in a decade (aside from the pandemic plunge). That’s making more workers hold tight to the job they’ve already got. The good news: Those jobs don’t appear to be nearing the chopping block. That’s according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, which showed that the number of open positions edged back slightly in June, hiring activity sank, layoffs were muted and the number of people quitting their jobs hit a three-year low, according to data released Tuesday. It’s yet another sign that the once-scalding-hot labor market is not just settling into a steadier state but potentially drifting closer toward a downswing. Related Stories “Even as [Tuesday’s] data evidence a labor market cooling at a manageable pace, cautionary flags continue to be waved,” Wells Fargo economists Sarah House and Aubrey George wrote in a note to clients issued Tuesday. “Labor demand remains concentrated in just a few industries, workers are hunkering down and feeling less confident about job availability, and businesses are more reluctant to bring on new hires.” What the latest data shows In June,...