U.S. job openings fell in December, a sign that the labor market is cooling but still healthy. Openings fell to 7.6 million, from 8.2 million in November, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. They were down from 8.

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), job openings dropped to 7.6 million in December, down nearly half a million from November's 8.1 million. Attention now turns to the January jobs report due out this Friday as economists figure out how the latest macroeconomic data and the Trump administration's policies fit into their labor market forecasts.

Job openings slid in December while hiring, voluntary quits and layoffs held steady, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

Available jobs in the United States in December dropped their lowest total since September, according to the new Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey released by the Labor Department on Tuesday.

U.S. job openings dropped sharply in December, but low layoffs suggested that the labor market was not abruptly slowing down.