US job openings in September fell 25.9% on a year-over-year to almost 2.5m, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number of hires fell 11% in September to around 4m from 4.5m in the same month last year.

The number of people leaving jobs fell 11.2% in September to around 4.3m from almost 4.9m in September 2008.  These figures include involuntary losses of jobs as well as voluntary departures from jobs.

However, there was some good news for recruiters after a survey by CareerBuilder.com found that more than 7% of hiring managers intend to use a staffing firm to fill a temporary position in the fourth quarter. This is up from 6% in the third quarter.

And just over 10% of hiring managers plan to use a staffing firm to search for permanent employees, up from 9% in the third quarter.