US job openings jump to 14-year high in latest sign that strong hiring will continue

U.S. employers advertised the most job openings in nearly 14 years in November, evidence that the strong hiring that occurred last year will likely continue into 2015.

The Labor Department says job openings rose 2.9 percent to 4.97 million, the most since January 2001. More job vacancies generally lead to more hiring, though employers have been slow to fill their openings for most of the recovery.

The healthy data echoes last Friday's jobs report, which showed that employers added a net total of 252,000 jobs in December, capping the best year for hiring in 15 years. Nearly 3 million more people started earning paychecks in 2014. That was the most since 1999.