WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted more job openings in February, a sign that hiring will likely improve in the months ahead.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers advertised 4.2 million job openings, up 7.7 percent from January. That's the highest number of postings since January 2008, when the Great Recession was just beginning and the economy had yet to suffer the full shock of the downturn.

Total hiring edged up 1.5 percent to 4.6 million in February. That's still less than a healthy job market, where around 5 million people are hired each month.

Hiring has accelerated over the past two months after a winter slowdown. After factoring in job losses, employers added 192,000 jobs in March and 197,000 in February, the government said last Friday.


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