Job openings, a measure of labor demand, increased by 119,000 to a seasonally adjusted 7.1 million, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, on Monday. That lifted the job openings rate to 4.5 percent from 4.4 percent in September.

Hiring rose by 196,000 to 5.9 million, matching August's record high. The hiring rate increased to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in September.

The government reported last Friday a slowdown in job growth in November, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 155,000 jobs. The economy created 237,000 job in October.