News Briefs

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (“JOLTS”), a closely-watched measure of labor market health, indicated there were 6.1 million job openings at the end of August, little changed from June.  Hires edged down to 5.4 million and the quits rate moderated to 2.1%.  BLS Report

Eduardo Porter of the New York Times writes that small U.S. cities were hit especially hard by the recession because they did not have the industrial mix necessary to rebound. Porter writes that these cities were often reliant on a single industry, while larger cities enjoyed a mix of industries and professions that allowed for shifts in employment. NYT

The Wall Street Journal reports that Chicago Fed President Charles Evans says that another rate hike in 2017 is not a given. Evans also said that he is nervous about recent, weak inflation and that if inflation remains low, officials will have to reopen the debate about the path of future rate hikes. WSJ