An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Bureau of Labor Statistics > Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey > Home

Example Cases for JOLTS Survey Participants

Reporting Total Employment
A corporation has a total of 200 employees. All 180 of its factory workers are paid weekly; 40 of them are part-time and the rest are full-time employees. During the month of March, five of the factory workers were on paid vacation the entire month, and three factory workers were on leave without pay for the first three weeks of the month. All 20 supervisors are paid bi-weekly and work full time. One of the supervisors was on paid vacation the entire month of March. How many employees should the corporation report for March?
The 180 factory workers are paid weekly, so the 7-day pay period that included March 12th is the pay period to use when counting total employment for these workers. All full-time and part-time workers are counted. The five workers on paid vacation also are counted. Although those workers did not work, they received pay for the pay period that included March 12th. The three workers who were on leave without pay are not counted because they did not work or receive pay for the pay period that included March 12th.
The 20 supervisors are paid bi-weekly (once every two weeks), so the 14-day pay period that included March 12th is the pay period to use when counting total employment for supervisors. These employees are counted, including the supervisor on vacation, as specified on the JOLTS data reporting form.
[180 factory workers - 3 on leave without pay = 177] + [20 supervisors] = 197 total
The corporation's Total Employment for the pay period that included March 12th was 197.
Reporting Job Openings
On the last business day of May, a law firm had three paralegal positions available, and the firm had placed an ad in the local newspaper to fill the jobs. In addition, one of the secretaries has given notice but will work until July. The firm has begun looking for a replacement secretary, but the new hire will not start until after the current secretary has left. How many Job Openings should the law firm report for May?
JOLTS collects the count of job openings on the last business day of the month to get a snapshot of the need for employees at a point in time. The law firm has a total of three job openings on the last business day of May. Following the criteria for reporting job openings listed on the JOLTS data reporting form, the firm is actively recruiting for the three paralegal positions, and work could start within 30 days, so they are counted. The office is actively recruiting for the secretarial position, but even if a qualified candidate is found, he or she cannot begin work until after the current secretary has left. Because work cannot begin within 30 days for the secretarial position, it is not counted in job openings.
The law firm had 3 Job Openings on the last business day of May.
Reporting Hires
A construction company hired 30 construction workers on April 1st for a short-term project that will be completed in June. One manager accepted an offer of employment on April 22nd but will not start work until May. How many Hires should the construction company report for April?
The 30 seasonal construction workers hired April 1st are counted as hires since they were hired and began work in April. They also are counted in total employment for April if they worked during the pay period that included April 12th. The one manager who accepted an offer of employment with the company during April is not counted as a hire or included in employment because he will not begin work until May.
The construction company had 30 Hires in April.
Reporting Quits
Six salespeople quit work at an insurance company on the following dates: October 3rd, 9th, 10th, 23rd, 26th, and 30th, and a supervisor quit on October 20th. Two independent contractors also quit in October. How many Quits should the insurance company report for October?
All salespeople and the supervisor who quit are counted as quits because the actions took place during October. In addition, if they worked during or received pay for the pay period that included October 12th, they should be included in employment for October. However, the two independent contractors are not counted in quits or employment since they are not employees of the insurance company.
[6 salespeople + 1 supervisor = 7 total]
The insurance company had 7 Quits in October.
Reporting Layoffs and Discharges
An auto repair shop owner fired one worker on January 3rd and another on January 28th. The shop also laid off three workers on January 29th and is not expecting to recall them to work until March. How many Layoffs and Discharges should the auto repair shop report for January?
Both workers who were fired are counted in layoffs and discharges because the actions took place during the month of January. The three workers who were laid off also are counted in layoffs and discharges because the action took place in January and is expected to last more than seven days. In addition, all five employees should be counted in total employment for January if they worked during or received pay for the pay period that included January 12th.
The auto repair shop had 5 Layoffs & Discharges in January.
Reporting Other Separations
One manager retired from a grocery store on July 28th. Another manager transferred from the dairy division to the meat division within the same store on July 16th. How many Other Separations should the grocery store report for July?
The retirement is counted in other separations, as specified on the JOLTS data reporting form. However, the transfer is not counted because it occurred within the same grocery store. Both employees should be counted in total employment for July if they worked during or received pay for the pay period that included July 12th.
The grocery store had 1 Other Separation in July.

Last Modified Date: August 04, 2003