WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. job openings surged to a record high in March while hiring lagged, further evidence that a shortage of workers was hampering job growth.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, jumped 597,000 to 8.1 million on the last day of March, the highest since the series began in December 2000, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, on Tuesday.

Hiring increased to 6 million in March from 5.8 million in the prior month.

The government reported last week that job growth slowed sharply in April, likely curbed by shortages of workers and raw materials as rapidly improving public health and massive fiscal stimulus fueled an economic boom. (Reporting By Lucia Mutikani Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)