The Labor Department reports Wednesday that January saw nearly five million more job openings than available workers, this is the latest indication of an historically difficult employment situation.

The number of vacant homes actually fell a little after a significant upward adjustment to December’s figures, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed.

This still meant that job postings for August were 4.75million higher than what was counted as unemployment.

It was greater than the FactSet estimated 10.9 million.

The slight decrease in open positions was accompanied by a decline in quits (or workers quitting their job). With quits dropping to 4.25 million (a 3.4% drop) and their lowest level since October, this was the “Great Resignation” month. From 3% over the past two months, quits rates declined to 2.8%.

Federal Reserve officers monitor the JOLTS reports for any signs of labor shortage. Policymakers believe the economy is close to full employment, with the unemployment rate of 3.8%. The robust job market and 7.5% inflation have set the scene for Fed interest rate hikes this year.

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