WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in September after advertising more in August than first estimated.

The Labor Department says job openings dropped by 100,000 to 3.56 million, the fewest in five months. August’s openings were revised up to 3.66 million.

Employers also filled fewer of their available positions in September. However, layoffs fell.

The number of available jobs has jumped about 63 percent since the recession ended more than three years ago. It remains well below the more than 4 million jobs a month advertised before the recession.

The job market remains very competitive. With 12.1 million people unemployed in September, there were 3.4 unemployed people, on average, competing for each open job. In a healthy economy, that ratio is roughly 2 to 1.