In February, the job openings climbed to a 14-year high, and indicated that companies are optimistic about the prospects for sales and the economy on the heels of a recent setback.

The Labor Department report, on Tuesday, showed that the number of openings waiting to be filled have climbed by 168,000 to 5.13 million, the most since January 2001. Since November 2013, the dismissals have dropped to the lowest level.

February's more employment opportunities, led by construction companies, retailers and restaurants, have indicated that the labor market probably will keep on improving after a slowdown in March hiring. Decline in the number of Americans who have quit their jobs has showed that faster wage growth may yet take time to develop.

Costerg, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York, who projected 5.07 million openings, said, "Firms are indicating they're happy to hire. They're looking through the current softness and seeing some bright times ahead. It bodes well for future payrolls growth".

Two days after the gains, the stocks fell, due to the decline in the consumer and utility shares. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index showed a drop of 0.2% to 2,076.33 at the close in New York.

In February, around 2.69 million people left their jobs voluntarily, down from 2.78 million in January, which was the highest since April 2008. The quit rate fell to 1.9% from 2%, which was the reading in December 2007, at the beginning of the recession.

According to the report, keeping the hiring rate at 3.5%, the number of people hired declined to 4.92 million from 4.99 million. The gauge calculated the number of hires during the month divided by the number, working or receiving pay during that period.

The Labor Department, on Friday, reported that in March, the payrolls climbed by 126,000 to add to a 264,000 gain a month earlier, which was less as compared to the figure reported initially.