Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 04-645 http://www.bls.gov/jlt/ For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Media contact: 691-5902 Thursday, April 15, 2004 JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: FEBRUARY 2004 New monthly data on job openings and labor turnover were announced today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. For the first time, these data are seasonally adjusted, allowing analysis of over-the-month change. There were 2.9 million job openings, 4.1 mil- lion hires, and 4.0 million separations in February 2004, about the same as in January. These series include estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector with breakouts by industry and geographic region. Job Openings On the last business day of February 2004, there were 2.9 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate (the number of job openings on the last business day of the month divided by employment plus job openings) was 2.2 percent. Over the month, the job openings rate showed little or no change overall and for the major industries. (See table 1.) The job openings rate has been relatively unchanged since October 2001, ranging from 2.0 percent to 2.4 percent. Hires and Separations The hires rate (the number of hires during the month divided by employ- ment) was little changed in February at 3.1 percent. (See table 2.) Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month. The hires rate has ranged from 3.0 percent to 3.2 percent since August 2002. The hires rate decreased in professional and business services in February, while all other major in- dustries showed little or no change over the month. The total separations, or turnover, rate (the number of separations during the month divided by employment) was 3.1 percent in February 2004 and has been essentially unchanged since early 2002. (See table 3.) Separations are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. The major industries showed little or no change in their total separations rates over the month. ------------------------------------------------------------- | The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data | | in this release reflect the annual revisions to JOLTS esti- | | mates that incorporate the most recent employment universe | | counts. Historical JOLTS estimates from December 2000 for- | | ward were subject to revision. See the note on page 4 for | | more information on the JOLTS program. | ------------------------------------------------------------- - 2 - Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Job openings | Hires | Total separations |-------------------------------------------------------------- Industry | Feb. | Jan. | Feb. | Feb. | Jan. | Feb. | Feb. | Jan. | Feb. | 2003 | 2004 | 2004p| 2003 | 2004 | 2004p| 2003 | 2004 | 2004p -------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------- | Levels (in thousands) |-------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1/...........|2,786 |2,868 |2,907 |3,991 |4,106 |4,064 |4,081 |3,968 |4,019 Total private 1/.|2,416 |2,518 |2,539 |3,680 |3,800 |3,733 |3,829 |3,716 |3,756 Construction...| 86 | 106 | 104 | 354 | 358 | 385 | 349 | 436 | 391 Manufacturing..| 182 | 233 | 224 | 321 | 349 | 346 | 404 | 323 | 349 Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | | portation, and| | | | | | | | | utilities.....| 482 | 430 | 444 | 880 | 957 | 913 | 924 | 936 | 904 Professional | | | | | | | | | and business | | | | | | | | | services......| 471 | 501 | 481 | 623 | 708 | 537 | 606 | 572 | 581 Education and | | | | | | | | | health ser- | | | | | | | | | vices.........| 570 | 549 | 540 | 435 | 416 | 439 | 363 | 389 | 384 Leisure and | | | | | | | | | hospitality...| 305 | 368 | 387 | 666 | 715 | 752 | 750 | 709 | 721 Government.......| 373 | 350 | 365 | 315 | 295 | 333 | 259 | 258 | 268 |-------------------------------------------------------------- | Rates (percent) |-------------------------------------------------------------- Total 1/...........| 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.1 Total private 1/.| 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 Construction...| 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 6.4 | 5.8 Manufacturing..| 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.4 Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | | portation, and| | | | | | | | | utilities.....| 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 Professional | | | | | | | | | and business | | | | | | | | | services......| 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.6 Education and | | | | | | | | | health ser- | | | | | | | | | vices.........| 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 Leisure and | | | | | | | | | hospitality...| 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 5.5 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.9 Government.......| 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including retirements). The quits rate, which can serve as a barometer of workers' ability to change jobs, was essentially unchanged in February at 1.7 per- cent and has shown little movement since 2001. (See table 4.) Profes- sional and business services showed an increase in the quits rate over the month, while other major industries showed little or no change. The other two components of total separations, layoffs and discharges (1.0 per- cent) and other separations (0.2 percent), are not seasonally adjusted. (See tables 9 and 10.) Hires and separations help show dynamic flows in the labor market. Over the last 12 months, hires have averaged 4.1 million per month and separations have averaged 3.9 million per month. (See the note on page 4 and the Tech- nical Note for additional information on these measures.) The trade, trans- portation, and utilities; professional and business services; and leisure and hospitality industries typically report the largest share of hires and sepa- rations. For More Information For additional information, please see the Technical Note or the JOLTS Web site at www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870. ______________________________ The report on Job Openings and Labor Turnover in March 2004 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, May 11, 2004. - 3 - Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey The Bureau of Labor Statistics initiated the publication of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data with a news release in July 2002 that presented data from December 2000 through May 2002. Since that time, data have been updated monthly on the BLS Web site. With the release of January 2004 estimates, the Bureau introduced new seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series and initiated several changes in the publication of JOLTS estimates. Each month, the Bureau will issue a news release with seasonally adjusted estimates and an analysis of significant over-the-month changes. The monthly JOLTS news release will contain both the current month's preliminary estimates and the previous month’s final estimates. Background JOLTS collects monthly job openings and labor turnover data from a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm business establishments, including fac- tories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local gov- ernments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The data collected monthly from each cooperating establishment are employment for the pay period that includes the 12th of the month; job openings on the last business day of the month; and hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations for the entire month. The measure of job openings is a one-day snapshot at the end of the month, while the hires and separations measures represent flows of workers into and out of jobs over the course of the full calendar month. In responding to the survey, employers are asked to report only those job openings for which: 1) a specific position exists, 2) work could start within 30 days, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from outside of the establishment to fill the position. Hires are any additions to the pay- roll, and separations are any separations from the payroll, including quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations (retirements or transfers to other locations). For hires and separations, firms are asked to exclude em- ployees returning from or going on strike; employees of temporary help agen- cies, leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants; and employees changing jobs within the establishment. Data on employees of temporary help agencies, leasing companies, outside contractors, and consultants are report- ed by employers in those industries. Not seasonally adjusted data on job openings, hires, total separations, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations levels and rates are available for the total nonfarm sector; for the total private sector and 16 private industry divisions based on the North American Industry Classifica- tion System (NAICS); and government, with breakouts for the federal govern- ment and for state and local government combined. Levels and rates also are published for four geographic regions: the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. Seasonally adjusted job openings, hires, total separations, and quits levels and rates are available for the nation, selected industry sectors, and the four geographic regions. (See the Technical Note for additional informa- tion on seasonal adjustment methodology.) - 4 - Uses of the Data As the monthly JOLTS time series grow longer, their value will increase in assessing, over the course of the business cycle, the ease or difficulty that employers have in hiring workers and the extent of any mismatch be- tween the unused supply of available workers and the unmet demand for labor by employers. Of particular interest will be the study of the complex re- lationship between job openings and unemployment. While these two measures are expected to move in opposite directions over the course of the business cycle, their relative levels and movements will depend on the efficiency of the labor market in matching workers and jobs. Together with the job openings rate, trends in hires and separations estimates may broadly identify which aggregate industries face the tight- est labor markets. Quits rates may provide clues about workers’ views of the labor market or their success in finding better jobs. In addition, businesses will be able to compare their own turnover rate with the nation- al, regional, and major industry division rates. Hires and separations cannot completely explain net changes in payroll employment. Research shows that some reporters systematically underreport separations relative to hires due to a number of factors, including the nature of their payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be about 2 percent or less over a 12-month period. Other reasons why it is problematic to compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations, especially over short-term periods, are: 1) the reference period for payroll employment is the pay period including the 12th of the month, while the reference period for hires and separations is the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can vary from month to month simply because part-time and on-call workers may not always work during the pay period in- cluding the 12th of the month. - 5 - Technical Note The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Collection Each month, data are collected in a survey of business establishments for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Data collection methods include computer-assisted telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, and mail. Coverage The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Concepts Industry classification. The industry classifications in this release are in accordance with the 2002 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Employment Security Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the industry code, location, and ownership clas- sification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establish- ment characteristics resulting from the verification process are always introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the first month of the year. Employment. Employment includes persons on the payroll who worked or re- ceived pay for the pay period that includes the 12th day of the reference month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or partners of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire pay period, are not counted as employed. Employees of tempo- rary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the establish- ment where they are working. Job openings. Establishments submit job openings information for the last business day of the reference month. A job opening requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work available for that posi- tion, 2) work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to fill the position. Included are full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings. Active recruiting means that the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising in news- papers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted signs, accepting applications, or using other similar methods. Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions, demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded are jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for which employees have been hired but have not yet reported for work, and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100. - 6 - Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occurring at any time during the reference month, including both new and rehired em- ployees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal em- ployees, employees recalled to the location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated, and transfers from other locations. The hires count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. Separations. Separations are the total number of terminations of employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and are reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits are voluntary separations by employees (ex- cept for retirements, which are reported as other separations). Lay- offs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the em- ployer and include layoffs with no intent to rehire, formal layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7 days, discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings, firings or other discharges for cause, terminations of permanent or short-term employees, and terminations of seasonal employees. Other separations include re- tirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations do not include transfers within the same location or employees on strike. The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed similarly, divid- ing the number by employment and multiplying by 100. Sample methodology The JOLTS sample design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm business establishments, including factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The establishments are drawn from a universe of over eight million establishments compiled as part of the operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, or QCEW, program. This program includes all employers subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE). The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry sector, and size class. Large firms fall into the sample with virtual certainty. JOLTS total employment estimates are controlled to the employment estimates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data elements. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels. - 7 - Using JOLTS data The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are rel- atively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel enrolled each month. A full complement of panels for the original data series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 2002. The supple- mental panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not completely enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until those points are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates from earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units were reporting data at that time. In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and separations data were revised to address possible underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be compar- able with estimates for March 2002 and later. The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approx- imately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal gov- ernment. The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS defi- nitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reorgan- ization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these intergovern- mental transfers would distort the federal government time series. Seasonal adjustment BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year. Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes in the level of the series, particularly those associated with general economic expansions and contractions. A concurrent seasonal adjust- ment methodology is used in which new seasonal adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all relevant data, up to and including the data for the current month. Data users should note that seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data observations than is customary. The historical data, therefore, may be subject to larger than normal revisions. Since the seasonal patterns in economic data series typically emerge over time, the standard use of moving averages as seasonal filters to capture these effects requires longer series than are currently available. As a result, the stable seasonal filter option is used in the seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS data. When calculating seasonal factors, this filter takes an average for each cal- endar month after detrending the series. The stable seasonal filter assumes that the seasonal factors are fixed; a necessary assumption until sufficient data are available. When the stable seasonal filter is no longer needed, other program features also may be introduced, such as outlier adjustment and extended diagnostic testing. Additionally, it is expected that more series, such as layoffs and discharges and additional industries, may be seasonally adjusted when more data are available. - 8 - Reliability of the estimates JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. BLS analysis is generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. That means that there is a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value because of sampling error. Estimates of sampling errors are available upon request. The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to include a seg- ment of the population, the inability to obtain data from all units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, errors made in the collection or processing of the data, and errors from the employment benchmark data used in estimation. JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to exactly ex- plain net changes in nonfarm payroll employment. Some reasons why it is problematic to compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations, especially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period for payroll employment is the pay period including the 12th of the month, while the reference period for hires and separations is the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can vary from month to month simply because part- time and on-call workers may not always work during the pay period that in- cludes the 12th of the month. Additionally, research has found that some reporters systematically underreport separations relative to hires due to a number of factors, including the nature of their payroll systems and prac- tices. The shortfall appears to be about 2 percent or less over a 12-month period. Other information Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p Total(4)............................... 2,786 2,755 2,823 2,952 3,062 2,868 2,907 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.2 INDUSTRY Total private(4)...................... 2,416 2,399 2,479 2,593 2,719 2,518 2,539 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.3 Construction......................... 86 58 78 89 110 106 104 1.3 .9 1.1 1.3 1.6 1.5 1.5 Manufacturing........................ 182 183 199 221 234 233 224 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5 Trade, transportation, and utilities. 482 484 451 513 520 430 444 1.9 1.9 1.8 2.0 2.0 1.7 1.7 Professional and business services... 471 467 488 499 594 501 481 2.9 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.5 3.0 2.9 Education and health services........ 570 499 545 551 520 549 540 3.3 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.2 3.1 Leisure and hospitality.............. 305 348 367 364 399 368 387 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.1 Government............................ 373 364 346 358 351 350 365 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 REGION Northeast............................ 503 488 499 526 541 476 489 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.9 South................................ 1,046 1,039 1,092 1,154 1,204 1,132 1,098 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.3 Midwest.............................. 620 581 628 655 666 679 692 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2 West................................. 625 657 636 621 649 586 642 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.0 2.2 1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month. 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Table 2. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p Total(4)............................... 3,991 4,061 4,108 4,135 4,216 4,106 4,064 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 INDUSTRY Total private(4)...................... 3,680 3,787 3,815 3,843 3,923 3,800 3,733 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.4 Construction......................... 354 405 391 397 404 358 385 5.3 6.0 5.8 5.9 6.0 5.3 5.7 Manufacturing........................ 321 336 335 345 340 349 346 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 Trade, transportation, and utilities. 880 859 880 875 913 957 913 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.6 Professional and business services... 623 606 590 613 650 708 537 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 4.0 4.4 3.3 Education and health services........ 435 439 433 436 427 416 439 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.6 Leisure and hospitality.............. 666 732 729 776 753 715 752 5.5 6.0 6.0 6.4 6.2 5.9 6.2 Government............................ 315 290 269 302 300 295 333 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5 REGION Northeast............................ 652 705 695 717 792 722 686 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.2 2.9 2.7 South................................ 1,495 1,524 1,500 1,508 1,517 1,585 1,588 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.5 Midwest.............................. 892 885 905 925 897 921 937 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 West................................. 957 973 969 924 992 883 857 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.5 3.1 3.0 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 3. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p Total(4)............................... 4,081 3,845 3,859 3,797 4,022 3,968 4,019 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.1 INDUSTRY Total private(4)...................... 3,829 3,588 3,612 3,543 3,723 3,716 3,756 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 Construction......................... 349 408 365 372 391 436 391 5.2 6.0 5.4 5.5 5.8 6.4 5.8 Manufacturing........................ 404 340 332 330 343 323 349 2.7 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.4 Trade, transportation, and utilities. 924 821 854 856 968 936 904 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.8 3.7 3.6 Professional and business services... 606 524 523 542 575 572 581 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.6 Education and health services........ 363 399 377 372 330 389 384 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.3 Leisure and hospitality.............. 750 657 725 678 723 709 721 6.2 5.4 6.0 5.6 5.9 5.8 5.9 Government............................ 259 259 257 259 269 258 268 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 REGION Northeast............................ 670 660 615 622 687 712 676 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.7 South................................ 1,557 1,468 1,465 1,438 1,518 1,505 1,469 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 Midwest.............................. 897 832 859 881 901 903 935 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 West................................. 954 878 877 858 898 896 930 3.4 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.3 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 4. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2003 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004p Total(4)............................... 2,121 2,072 2,129 2,104 2,131 2,118 2,166 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 INDUSTRY Total private(4)...................... 2,005 1,949 1,995 1,999 2,010 2,002 2,036 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.9 Construction......................... 123 151 139 158 171 148 129 1.8 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.2 1.9 Manufacturing........................ 161 142 162 166 178 165 165 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 Trade, transportation, and utilities. 494 473 482 491 534 530 499 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.1 2.0 Professional and business services... 318 276 266 261 256 261 310 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.9 Education and health services........ 223 252 230 225 212 237 227 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 Leisure and hospitality.............. 456 392 515 463 462 428 450 3.8 3.2 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.5 3.7 Government............................ 114 123 135 100 119 116 126 .5 .6 .6 .5 .6 .5 .6 REGION Northeast............................ 325 295 288 301 315 288 311 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 South................................ 827 811 840 869 894 852 852 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 Midwest.............................. 468 462 464 466 465 513 463 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.5 West................................. 502 504 552 464 436 475 534 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.9 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 5. Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 2,714 2,700 2,811 2.1 2.1 2.1 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 2,384 2,374 2,482 2.2 2.2 2.3 Natural resources and mining.................. 5 7 5 .9 1.3 .9 Construction.................................. 75 85 92 1.2 1.3 1.4 Manufacturing................................. 187 224 228 1.3 1.6 1.6 Durable goods................................ 119 138 150 1.3 1.5 1.7 Nondurable goods............................. 68 86 78 1.2 1.6 1.4 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 461 385 406 1.8 1.5 1.6 Wholesale trade.............................. 84 85 75 1.5 1.5 1.3 Retail trade................................. 281 235 259 1.9 1.6 1.7 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 95 65 72 2.0 1.4 1.5 Information................................... 62 69 78 1.9 2.1 2.4 Financial activities.......................... 160 165 169 2.0 2.0 2.1 Finance and insurance........................ 121 137 142 2.0 2.3 2.3 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 39 28 27 1.9 1.4 1.3 Professional and business services............ 491 474 487 3.0 2.9 3.0 Education and health services................. 552 534 527 3.2 3.1 3.0 Educational services......................... 38 34 41 1.3 1.3 1.4 Health care and social assistance............ 514 500 486 3.6 3.5 3.4 Leisure and hospitality....................... 277 324 360 2.3 2.7 3.0 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 27 50 47 1.6 3.1 2.9 Accommodations and food services............. 249 274 313 2.4 2.7 3.0 Other services................................ 116 107 130 2.1 2.0 2.4 Government..................................... 330 326 329 1.5 1.5 1.5 Federal....................................... 29 41 50 1.0 1.5 1.8 State and local............................... 300 285 279 1.5 1.5 1.4 REGION Northeast..................................... 469 420 450 1.9 1.7 1.8 South......................................... 1,067 1,110 1,095 2.3 2.4 2.4 Midwest....................................... 573 612 643 1.8 2.0 2.1 West.......................................... 604 558 622 2.1 2.0 2.2 1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month. 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 6. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 3,307 3,491 3,340 2.6 2.7 2.6 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 3,090 3,234 3,109 2.9 3.0 2.9 Natural resources and mining.................. 19 17 18 3.3 3.1 3.2 Construction.................................. 293 281 316 4.7 4.4 5.0 Manufacturing................................. 300 349 324 2.0 2.5 2.3 Durable goods................................ 186 237 213 2.0 2.7 2.4 Nondurable goods............................. 114 112 111 2.0 2.1 2.1 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 654 681 678 2.6 2.7 2.7 Wholesale trade.............................. 96 111 110 1.7 2.0 2.0 Retail trade................................. 483 448 451 3.3 3.0 3.1 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 76 122 117 1.6 2.6 2.5 Information................................... 68 47 65 2.1 1.5 2.1 Financial activities.......................... 147 128 115 1.9 1.6 1.4 Finance and insurance........................ 97 78 75 1.6 1.3 1.3 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 50 49 40 2.5 2.4 2.0 Professional and business services............ 578 659 494 3.7 4.2 3.1 Education and health services................. 367 400 373 2.2 2.4 2.2 Educational services......................... 37 47 49 1.3 1.8 1.7 Health care and social assistance............ 330 353 324 2.4 2.5 2.3 Leisure and hospitality....................... 530 530 604 4.6 4.6 5.2 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 60 64 80 3.7 4.0 5.0 Accommodations and food services............. 471 466 524 4.7 4.6 5.2 Other services................................ 135 143 122 2.5 2.7 2.3 Government..................................... 217 257 232 1.0 1.2 1.1 Federal....................................... 23 34 29 .8 1.3 1.1 State and local............................... 194 223 203 1.0 1.2 1.1 REGION Northeast..................................... 506 572 514 2.0 2.3 2.1 South......................................... 1,307 1,409 1,409 2.9 3.1 3.1 Midwest....................................... 672 743 711 2.2 2.4 2.3 West.......................................... 822 766 706 2.9 2.7 2.5 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent total employment. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 7. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 3,365 4,030 3,335 2.6 3.1 2.6 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 3,187 3,819 3,149 3.0 3.6 2.9 Natural resources and mining.................. 16 16 16 2.8 3.0 2.9 Construction.................................. 340 426 376 5.5 6.7 5.9 Manufacturing................................. 365 325 311 2.5 2.3 2.2 Durable goods................................ 233 193 176 2.6 2.2 2.0 Nondurable goods............................. 131 132 135 2.4 2.4 2.5 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 788 1,126 767 3.2 4.5 3.1 Wholesale trade.............................. 108 121 116 1.9 2.2 2.1 Retail trade................................. 569 866 533 3.9 5.8 3.6 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 110 140 118 2.3 3.0 2.5 Information................................... 68 56 70 2.1 1.8 2.2 Financial activities.......................... 135 138 142 1.7 1.7 1.8 Finance and insurance........................ 82 87 102 1.4 1.5 1.7 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 52 51 40 2.6 2.5 2.0 Professional and business services............ 478 576 465 3.1 3.6 2.9 Education and health services................. 304 398 328 1.8 2.4 1.9 Educational services......................... 23 46 29 .8 1.7 1.0 Health care and social assistance............ 281 352 299 2.0 2.5 2.1 Leisure and hospitality....................... 526 616 512 4.5 5.3 4.4 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 64 70 56 3.9 4.4 3.5 Accommodations and food services............. 463 547 456 4.6 5.4 4.5 Other services................................ 168 143 161 3.1 2.7 3.0 Government..................................... 178 211 186 .8 1.0 .8 Federal....................................... 29 36 34 1.0 1.3 1.2 State and local............................... 149 175 152 .8 .9 .8 REGION Northeast..................................... 516 689 530 2.1 2.8 2.1 South......................................... 1,345 1,482 1,265 3.0 3.3 2.8 Midwest....................................... 720 912 758 2.4 3.0 2.5 West.......................................... 783 948 782 2.8 3.4 2.8 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 8. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 1,765 1,877 1,808 1.4 1.5 1.4 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 1,677 1,780 1,707 1.6 1.7 1.6 Natural resources and mining.................. 6 5 5 1.0 .9 1.0 Construction.................................. 119 113 119 1.9 1.8 1.9 Manufacturing................................. 138 142 140 .9 1.0 1.0 Durable goods................................ 84 83 81 .9 .9 .9 Nondurable goods............................. 55 58 59 1.0 1.1 1.1 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 420 513 417 1.7 2.0 1.7 Wholesale trade.............................. 54 60 49 1.0 1.1 .9 Retail trade................................. 323 406 310 2.2 2.7 2.1 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 42 47 59 .9 1.0 1.2 Information................................... 33 27 42 1.0 .9 1.3 Financial activities.......................... 84 66 90 1.1 .8 1.1 Finance and insurance........................ 47 46 64 .8 .8 1.1 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 37 20 26 1.8 1.0 1.3 Professional and business services............ 237 239 244 1.5 1.5 1.5 Education and health services................. 189 234 192 1.1 1.4 1.1 Educational services......................... 11 20 16 .4 .8 .5 Health care and social assistance............ 178 213 176 1.3 1.5 1.3 Leisure and hospitality....................... 360 347 358 3.1 3.0 3.1 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 37 18 22 2.3 1.1 1.4 Accommodations and food services............. 324 329 336 3.2 3.3 3.3 Other services................................ 93 94 99 1.7 1.8 1.9 Government..................................... 88 97 101 .4 .5 .5 Federal....................................... 16 11 19 .6 .4 .7 State and local............................... 72 86 81 .4 .5 .4 REGION Northeast..................................... 254 231 245 1.0 .9 1.0 South......................................... 715 744 731 1.6 1.6 1.6 Midwest....................................... 373 465 369 1.2 1.5 1.2 West.......................................... 422 436 464 1.5 1.6 1.7 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent total employment. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 1,336 1,796 1,282 1.0 1.4 1.0 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 1,282 1,737 1,236 1.2 1.6 1.2 Natural resources and mining.................. 6 8 8 1.1 1.4 1.4 Construction.................................. 210 282 246 3.4 4.4 3.9 Manufacturing................................. 187 155 148 1.3 1.1 1.0 Durable goods................................ 123 91 80 1.4 1.0 .9 Nondurable goods............................. 63 64 67 1.1 1.2 1.3 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 290 534 299 1.2 2.1 1.2 Wholesale trade.............................. 42 52 57 .8 .9 1.0 Retail trade................................. 199 414 196 1.4 2.8 1.3 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 49 68 46 1.0 1.4 1.0 Information................................... 32 22 23 1.0 .7 .7 Financial activities.......................... 35 50 32 .4 .6 .4 Finance and insurance........................ 24 20 24 .4 .3 .4 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 11 30 8 .5 1.5 .4 Professional and business services............ 212 300 187 1.4 1.9 1.2 Education and health services................. 93 117 103 .6 .7 .6 Educational services......................... 9 21 12 .3 .8 .4 Health care and social assistance............ 84 96 91 .6 .7 .6 Leisure and hospitality....................... 151 231 139 1.3 2.0 1.2 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 26 50 33 1.6 3.1 2.0 Accommodations and food services............. 125 181 106 1.3 1.8 1.1 Other services................................ 65 36 52 1.2 .7 1.0 Government..................................... 54 59 46 .2 .3 .2 Federal....................................... 6 6 7 .2 .2 .3 State and local............................... 48 53 39 .3 .3 .2 REGION Northeast..................................... 215 390 237 .9 1.6 1.0 South......................................... 521 617 434 1.1 1.4 1.0 Midwest....................................... 287 361 342 .9 1.2 1.1 West.......................................... 313 427 269 1.1 1.5 1.0 1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month. 2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a percent of total employment. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1. Table 10. Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. 2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p Total........................................... 264 357 245 0.2 0.3 0.2 INDUSTRY Total private.................................. 228 302 207 .2 .3 .2 Natural resources and mining.................. 4 4 3 .7 .7 .6 Construction.................................. 11 30 11 .2 .5 .2 Manufacturing................................. 40 28 23 .3 .2 .2 Durable goods................................ 27 18 14 .3 .2 .2 Nondurable goods............................. 13 9 9 .2 .2 .2 Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 78 80 51 .3 .3 .2 Wholesale trade.............................. 12 9 11 .2 .2 .2 Retail trade................................. 47 46 27 .3 .3 .2 Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 19 25 13 .4 .5 .3 Information................................... 3 6 4 .1 .2 .1 Financial activities.......................... 17 22 20 .2 .3 .3 Finance and insurance........................ 12 21 14 .2 .4 .2 Real estate and rental and leasing........... 5 1 6 .2 .1 .3 Professional and business services............ 29 36 35 .2 .2 .2 Education and health services................. 22 47 34 .1 .3 .2 Educational services......................... 2 4 1 .1 .1 (3) Health care and social assistance............ 19 43 33 .1 .3 .2 Leisure and hospitality....................... 15 38 15 .1 .3 .1 Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1 1 1 (3) .1 .1 Accommodations and food services............. 14 37 14 .1 .4 .1 Other services................................ 10 12 10 .2 .2 .2 Government..................................... 36 55 39 .2 .3 .2 Federal....................................... 7 18 7 .2 .7 .3 State and local............................... 29 36 32 .2 .2 .2 REGION Northeast..................................... 47 67 48 .2 .3 .2 South......................................... 110 120 100 .2 .3 .2 Midwest....................................... 59 86 48 .2 .3 .2 West.......................................... 48 84 50 .2 .3 .2 1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month. 2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 Data round to zero. p = preliminary. NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.