Hire rates, separations rates little changed from August to September WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Labor Department said Friday there were 3.9 million job openings on the last business day in September, little changed from August. The hire rate of 3.4 percent and the separations rate of 3.2 percent also were little changed from August to September, the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The number of job openings fell in arts, entertainment and recreation, and changed little in the remaining industries in all four regions, the bureau said. The number of job openings, not seasonally adjusted, increased over the year for total non-farm and total private, and was little changed in government, statistics indicated. The number of hires in September in private and government sectors was 4.6 million, essentially unchanged from August, the bureau said. Total separations -- quits, layoffs and discharges and other separations -- totaled 4.4 million in September, little changed from August, statistics indicated. The quits rate in September was little changed at 1.7 percent, while the layoffs and discharges rate was 1.3 percent in September, both little changed from August, BLS said. In the 12 months ending in September 2013, hires totaled 52.7 million and separations totaled 50.8 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.9 million, the bureau said. The figures include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.