The latest update from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics paints a picture of an increasingly frothy hiring landscape. According to their Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report, job openings hit 11.5 million, the highest reported since the series began in 2000. That's up from the 11.3 million seen at the end of February. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had expected openings to decline to 11 million through the month.

Quits totaled 4.54 million, also a record and indicative that the labor market remains historically tight. The gap between open jobs and available workers hit 5.6 million, another new high.

In March, the number of hires was little changed at 6.7 million. The hires rate was unchanged at 4.5 percent.

“For the economy, this points to another strong jobs report on Friday, and for workers, this means continued strong wage increases, especially for those who change jobs,” said Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Virginia. “The situation likely will continue well into this year given the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool the labor market probably won’t gain traction for months.”

The retail sector led the rise, with an additional 155,000 unfilled jobs. Manufacturers of long-lasting goods reported 50,000 more vacancies.

But job openings decreased by 69,000 in the transportation, warehousing and utilities industry. State and local government education had 43,000 fewer vacancies, while job openings in the federal government decreased by 20,000.

The quits rate is viewed by policymakers and economists as a measure of job market confidence. The higher quits rate suggests wage inflation will likely continue to build up as companies scramble for workers.

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