New government data show American employers have made progress filling their record number of job openings, as hiring climbed in May while the number of vacant positions in the labor market dipped to just shy of 5.7 million.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly JOLTS report – an acronym for Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary – on Tuesday showed vacancies in May dropped off from the nearly 6 million positions up for grabs in April, which was the highest level on government record. Vacancies are now as low as they've been since January.

Hiring, meanwhile, surged north of 5.4 million to the highest level the economy has seen since December 2015. A whopping 429,000 more hires were made in May than was the case a month prior. Considerable upticks in professional and business services and educational services bolstered May's recruiting totals, as the sectors brought on 121,000 and 25,000 more workers than they did the month prior, respectively.

The number of workers who quit their jobs, meanwhile, eclipsed 3.2 million for a post-recession high. Quits are typically viewed as a sign of confidence among analysts that workers feel good about their options for an alternative means of employment.

But layoffs were also up in May at nearly 1.7 million, tying March for the second-worst month for discharges so far this year. That's still a respectable level at this point in the economic recovery, but layoff upticks were seen across a variety of sectors like financial activities, information, wholesale trade and education and health services.

Still, a report published Thursday by Challenger, Gray & Christmas research and outplacement company indicated the pace of layoff announcements so far this year has been "significantly slower compared to the first half of last year." That report estimated layoff announcements in the first six months of 2017 were down 28 percent over the year.

"In a tight labor market, it’s no surprise companies are holding on to their existing workforces. Companies are also waiting to see how proposed regulations from the Trump administration may impact business going forward," company CEO John Challenger said in a statement accompanying the report.

Significant downticks in layoff announcements from the chemicals, computer, energy, financial and industrial goods sectors have helped keep layoff announcements low throughout the first six months of the year, though retail layoffs have still climbed nearly 43 percent in 2017.

Retail's payroll declines have been well documented in recent months as traditional department stores struggle and online shopping outfits continue to eat up market share. But there have been at least some signs that the drop's steepness may be flattening. Tuesday's JOLTS report showed hiring tick up to 718,000 – the third-best performance of the year so far – while job openings climbed to 638,000. That makes May the best month for retail job openings so far this year and the fourth-best month since the recession ended back in 2009.