About 50.5 million people quit their jobs in 2022, besting the prior record set in 2021, according to the federal JOLTS report. 

The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index slipped to 107.1 this month from 109.0 in December. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index at 109.0. The survey places more emphasis on the labor market, which remains tight.

The numbers: Private payrolls rose by 106,000 in January, according to the payroll services firm ADP on Wednesday.  That is a significant drop from the revised 253,000 jobs added in December.

Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had forecast a gain of 190,000 private sector jobs.

For 18 straight months, employers have posted at least 10 million openings—a level never reached before 2021 in Labor Department data going back to 2000. The number of openings in December means there were about two vacancies for every unemployed American.