The good news is that companies have never had as many jobs to fill as in July. The bad news is, they’re not filling them, and workers aren’t quitting to pursue the openings.

That’s the latest takeaway from the Labor Department’s job openings and labor turnover report released Wednesday.

The number of job openings rose to 5.75 million, the highest level in at least 14 years, the government reported.

The openings came in varied fields, from well paid professional and business services slots to lesser-paid ones in accommodation and food services and the retail trade. The Northeast and the South saw the largest rise.

“The data — in absolute terms, and relative to the level of unemployment and the population — now signal unambiguously that the labor market is unable to supply the people companies need. Usually, that means wages will accelerate, though the evidence for that now is mixed,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Despite the rise in job openings, hiring actually fell to 4.98 million from 5.18 million in June, as did the number of separations, which fell to 4.72 million from 4.91 million.

The quits rate -- a measure of worker confidence -- stayed at 1.9% for the fourth month.

The number of unemployed job seekers to job openings fell to 1.44 in July, from 1.56 in June, also the lowest level since 2000.

The job-openings report is sure to be pored over by Federal Reserve policy makers as they debate whether to hike interest rates this month. They’ll have to contrast the strength of the jobs market with signs of weakness in China and other emerging markets, as well as concerns from U.S. manufacturers and others sensitive to the strength of the U.S. dollar.