WASHINGTON, Dhu-AlQa'dah 25, 1436, Sep 9, 2015, SPA-- The number of available jobs in the United States jumped sharply in July to the highest level in 15 years, the government said Wednesday, providing evidence that confident employers sought to increase hiring to meet greater demand for their goods and services. The Labor Department reported that job openings soared 8 percent to 5.75 million, the most since records began in 2000. But overall hiring slumped, which suggests that employers are slow to fill the jobs that they have advertised. The significant jump in openings in July typically would indicate greater hiring in the months ahead; however, China’s economy stumbled in August, raising fears among investors of weaker global growth and causing violent swings in the U.S. and international stock markets. That may cause employers to take a cautious approach in coming months toward actually placing people in open positions. At the same time, the sharp increase in available jobs could lead to larger paychecks. As more employers compete to fill available jobs, they may be forced to raise wages to attract candidates from the dwindling number of unemployed. --SPA 18:40 LOCAL TIME 15:40 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w