The number of open jobs rose in October to the second-highest on record, evidence that U.S. employers remain determined to hire, despite ongoing trade disputes and rocky financial markets.

The Labor Department says the number of job openings increased 1.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted 7.1 million. That is not far from the record of 7.3 million reached in August.

The number of people hired also climbed while the ranks of those who quit their jobs fell slightly.

The data underscores that the labor market remains strong and suggests that last Friday's jobs report, which showed a modest drop in the pace of hiring, does not reflect a pessimistic outlook among employers. The economy expanded over the summer and fall at the fastest six-month pace in four years.