New record for available jobs in the United States

US companies announced a record 10.1 million jobs available in June, in another sign that the economy is quickly recovering from the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Labor Department announced Monday that available jobs rose from 9.5 million in May to 10.1 million in June. Recruitments in June amounted to 6.7 million. The gap between available jobs and hired employees indicates that companies are struggling to find the workforce. The number of layoffs in June reached 1.3 million, a number never seen before.

The US economy recovered at a rapid pace amid a successful vaccination campaign, which allowed businesses to reopen or extend their hours, and which encouraged citizens to leave their homes and go to restaurants, bars and businesses.

The contagious delta variant, though, has cast a shadow over the economy. The average daily coronavirus cases are around 100,000, compared to just 12,000 in June, but still well below the 250,000 cases recorded in January.

The Labor Department reported Friday that the economy created 943,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate fell from 5.9% to 5.4% for the month of June.