WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job openings jumped to a record high in August, far outpacing a rise in hiring, suggesting that companies could be increasingly having difficulties finding qualified workers.

The Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, report on Tuesday that there were 7.14 million unfilled positions in the economy in August. That was the highest level since the series started in 2000 and compared to 7.08 million vacancies in July.

The job openings rate also rose to an all-time high of 4.6 percent from 4.5 percent in July. Hiring increased to a record high 5.78 million in August from 5.71 million in the prior month. That lifted the hiring rate to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in July.