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Economic News Release
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Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release

                                   
For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, February 9, 2010     USDL-10-0169

Technical information:   (202) 691-5870  •  JoltsInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/jlt
Media contact:           (202) 691-5902  •  PressOffice@bls.gov


            Job Openings and Labor Turnover – December 2009


There were 2.5 million job openings on the last business day of
December 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
job openings rate was little changed over the month at 1.9 percent.
The job openings rate has held relatively steady since March 2009. The
hires rate (3.1 percent) and the separations rate (3.2 percent) were
essentially unchanged in December. This release includes estimates of
the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the
total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region.




Job Openings

The job openings rate was little changed in December at 1.9 percent.
The rate has been 1.8 percent or 1.9 percent since March 2009. In
December, the job openings rate increased in state and local
government and decreased in the Midwest. (See table 1.)

                          - 2 - 

Table A.  Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |    Job openings    |       Hires        | Total separations
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
     Industry      | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec.
                   | 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                     Levels (in thousands)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|3,224 |2,434 |2,497 |4,508 |4,125 |4,073 |4,958 |4,274 |4,238
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|2,861 |2,088 |2,151 |4,214 |3,852 |3,816 |4,673 |3,993 |3,944
  Construction.....|   66 |   75 |   53 |  366 |  324 |  358 |  452 |  361 |  436
  Manufacturing....|  188 |  154 |  175 |  252 |  252 |  237 |  419 |  299 |  298
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  495 |  329 |  361 |  891 |  839 |  871 |1,041 |  863 |  917
   Retail trade....|  337 |  197 |  246 |  595 |  539 |  548 |  664 |  544 |  571
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  562 |  431 |  415 |  786 |  808 |  661 |  898 |  763 |  620
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  685 |  543 |  550 |  528 |  517 |  524 |  498 |  488 |  510
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  315 |  229 |  234 |  711 |  703 |  684 |  755 |  752 |  704
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|   40 |   24 |   22 |  111 |  119 |   89 |  106 |  117 |  104
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  274 |  207 |  213 |  605 |  590 |  588 |  647 |  622 |  595
 Government(3).....|  345 |  341 |  343 |  271 |  278 |  262 |  278 |  280 |  297
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  312 |  258 |  294 |  253 |  248 |  244 |  251 |  240 |  255
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Rates (percent)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|  2.3 |  1.8 |  1.9 |  3.3 |  3.1 |  3.1 |  3.7 |  3.3 |  3.2
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|  2.5 |  1.9 |  1.9 |  3.7 |  3.6 |  3.5 |  4.1 |  3.7 |  3.6
  Construction.....|  0.9 |  1.2 |  0.9 |  5.3 |  5.4 |  6.1 |  6.6 |  6.1 |  7.4
  Manufacturing....|  1.4 |  1.3 |  1.5 |  2.0 |  2.2 |  2.0 |  3.2 |  2.6 |  2.6
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  1.9 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  3.4 |  3.4 |  3.5 |  4.0 |  3.5 |  3.7
   Retail trade....|  2.2 |  1.3 |  1.7 |  4.0 |  3.7 |  3.7 |  4.4 |  3.7 |  3.9
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  3.1 |  2.5 |  2.4 |  4.5 |  4.8 |  3.9 |  5.2 |  4.5 |  3.7
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  3.5 |  2.7 |  2.7 |  2.8 |  2.7 |  2.7 |  2.6 |  2.5 |  2.6
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  2.3 |  1.7 |  1.8 |  5.3 |  5.4 |  5.2 |  5.7 |  5.7 |  5.4
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|  2.0 |  1.2 |  1.1 |  5.7 |  6.2 |  4.7 |  5.4 |  6.2 |  5.5
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  2.4 |  1.8 |  1.9 |  5.3 |  5.3 |  5.2 |  5.7 |  5.5 |  5.3
 Government(3).....|  1.5 |  1.5 |  1.5 |  1.2 |  1.2 |  1.2 |  1.2 |  1.2 |  1.3
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  1.6 |  1.3 |  1.5 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.2 |  1.3 |  1.2 |  1.3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
  2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
  3 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.


Over the 12 months ending in December, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) decreased for total nonfarm and total private and
was unchanged in government. The job openings rate also decreased over
that period in educational services and health care and social
assistance and in the South and Midwest. (See table 5.)

Hires

The hires rate was unchanged in December, remaining at 3.1 percent for
the fifth consecutive month. The rate hovered between 3.0 percent and
3.2 percent since February 2009. After falling from the most recent
peak of 5.6 million hires in July 2006, the hires level reached a low
point in June 2009 of 3.9 million. In December 2009, the hires level
was 4.1 million. The hires rate decreased in professional and business
services and was essentially unchanged for all four regions. (See
table 2.)

                          - 3 - 

Over the 12 months ending in December, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and
government.  The hires rate increased for transportation, warehousing,
and utilities and was essentially unchanged in all four regions. (See
table 6.)

Separations

Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and
discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including
retirements). The total separations, or turnover, rate was little
changed in December and remained low at 3.2 percent. The total
separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) decreased over the 12
months ending in December for total nonfarm and total private while
the rate for government was little changed. (See tables 3 and 7.)

The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. The quits rate decreased for total nonfarm and
total private and was unchanged for government in December. The quits
rate was essentially unchanged in all industries and all four regions.
After falling from the most recent peak of 3.2 million in December
2006, the number of quits has held steady at 1.8 million or 1.9
million since February 2009. (See table 4.)

Over the 12 months ending in December, the quits rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm and government
and decreased for total private.  The quits rate decreased in retail
trade. The quits rate was essentially unchanged in all four regions.
(See table 8.)

The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels. The layoffs and discharges levels for total
nonfarm, total private, and government were little changed in December
at 2.1 million, 2.0 million, and 117,000 respectively. The
corresponding layoffs and discharges rates were 1.6 percent, 1.8
percent, and 0.5 percent. The number of layoffs and discharges at the
total nonfarm level peaked at 2.6 million in January 2009; the most
recent trough was 1.6 million in January 2006. (See table B below.)

The layoffs and discharges rate (not seasonally adjusted) was little
changed over the 12 months ending in December for total nonfarm and
government and decreased for total private. The layoffs and discharges
rate fell in durable goods; wholesale trade; and professional and
business services.  The rate rose in transportation, warehousing, and
utilities as well as federal government. The layoffs and discharges
rate remained essentially unchanged in all four regions. (See table
9.)


Table B.  Layoffs and discharges by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                   | Levels (in thousands) |        Rates
                   |------------------------------------------------
     Industry      |  Dec. |  Nov. |  Dec. |  Dec. |  Nov. |  Dec.
                   |  2008 |  2009 |  2009p|  2008 |  2009 |  2009p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 2,360 | 2,011 | 2,079 |  1.7  |  1.5  |  1.6
 Total private.....| 2,241 | 1,895 | 1,953 |  2.0  |  1.7  |  1.8
 Government....... |    98 |   112 |   117 |  0.4  |  0.5  |  0.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------
  p = preliminary.


The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In December,
there were 289,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 236,000 for
total private, and 53,000 for government. Compared to 

                          - 4 - 

December 2008, the number of other separations was little changed for
total nonfarm and total private, and rose for government. (See table 10.)

The total separations level is influenced by the relative contribution
of its three components—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations. The percentage of total separations at the total nonfarm
level attributable to the individual components has varied over time.
The proportion of quits had exceeded the proportion of layoffs and
discharges every month from the beginning of the series from December
2000 until November 2008 when layoffs and discharges became the larger
contributor to total separations. The proportion of separations due to
quits fell to a series low of 38 percent in April 2009 and is now 42
percent in December 2009. The proportion of separations due to layoffs
and discharges rose to a series high of 55 percent in July 2009 and is
now 49 percent in December 2009. (See tables 3 and 4, and table B
above.)

Net Change in Employment

Over the 12 months ending in December, hires totaled 49.4 million and
separations totaled 53.6 million, yielding a net employment loss of
4.2 million.
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for January 2010
are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.
(EST).

________________________________________________________________________
|                     Revisions to the JOLTS Data                      |
|                                                                      |
|    With the release of January data on March 9, 2010, BLS will       |
|revise the job openings, hires, and separations data to incorporate   |
|the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment    |
|estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.  Unadjusted data |
|from April 2008 forward and seasonally adjusted data from December    |
|2000 forward are subject to revision.                                 |
|______________________________________________________________________|


                         - 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

  In a monthly survey of business establishments, data are
collected 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, e-mail, 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 2007 version of the North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  In order to
ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce
Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the
industry code, location, and ownership classification of all
establishments on a 3-year cycle.  Changes in establishment
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 received 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 temporary help
agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the
establishment 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 position, 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 newspapers 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.

  Hires.  Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll
occurring at any time during the reference month, including both
new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent,
short-term and seasonal employees, 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 (except for retirements, which are reported as other
separations).  Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations
initiated by the employer 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 retirements, 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, dividing the number by employment and
multiplying by 100.

  Annual estimates.  Annual estimates of rates and levels

                         - 6 -

of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total
separations are released with the January news release each year.

   The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of
the 12 published monthly levels.  The annual rate estimates are
computed by dividing the annual level by the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and multiplying
that quotient by 100.  This figure will be approximately equal to
the sum of the 12 monthly rates.  Note that both the JOLTS and CES
annual levels are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual
estimates are calculated.  Consistent with BLS practices, annual
estimates are published only for not seasonally adjusted data.

  Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job
openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last
business day of each month.  Only jobs still open on the last day
of the month are counted.  For the same reason job openings cannot
be cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job openings
cannot be created by summing the monthly estimates.  Hires and
separations are flow measures and are cumulated over the month with
a total reported for the month.  Therefore, the annual figures can
be created by summing the monthly estimates.

Special Collection Procedures

  An implied measure of employment change can be derived from the
JOLTS data by subtracting separations from hires for a given
month.  Aggregating these monthly changes historically produced
employment levels that overstated employment change as measured by
CES at the total nonfarm level.  Research into this problem showed
that a significant amount of the divergence between the CES
employment levels and the derived JOLTS employment levels was
traceable to the Employment Services industry and to the State
Government Education industry.  In the former industry, businesses
have a difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary
help workers.  In the latter industry, employers have difficulty
reporting hires and separations of student workers.  BLS now
devotes additional resources to the collection, editing, and review
of data for these industries.  BLS analysts more closely examine
reported data that do not provide a consistent picture over time,
and re-contact the respondents as necessary.  Analysts work with
the respondents to adjust their reporting practices as possible.
Units that cannot be reconciled but are clearly incorrect on a
consistent basis are not used, they are replaced by imputed values
using standard techniques.

Sample and estimation methodology

  The JOLTS survey 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 9.1 million establishments compiled as part of the
operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (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. The JOLTS sample is constructed from
individual panels of sample units drawn on an annual basis. The
full annual sample consists of one certainty panel composed of only
large units selected with virtual certainty based on their size and
24 non-certainty panels.  Each month a new non-certainty panel is
rolled into collection, and the oldest non-certainty panel is
rolled out.  This means that at any given time the JOLTS sample is
constructed from panels from three different annual sampling
frames.  The entire sample of old plus new panels is post-
stratified and re-weighted annually to represent the most recent
sampling frame.  Additionally, the out-of-business establishments
are removed from the old panels.  The annual sample is supplemented
with a quarterly sample of birth establishments (i.e., new
establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger
establishments in the JOLTS sample.

  JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked monthly 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.

  JOLTS Business Birth/Death Model

  As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only be as
current as its sampling frame.  The time lag from the birth of an
establishment until its appearance on the sampling frame is
approximately one year.  In addition, many of these new units may
fail within the first year.  Since these universe units cannot be
reflected on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS sample
cannot capture job openings, hires, and separations from these
units during their early existence.  BLS has developed a model to
estimate birth/death activity for current months by examining the
birth/death activity from previous years on the QCEW and projecting
forward to the present using an econometric technique known as X-12
ARIMA modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical JOLTS
data to estimate the amount of “churn” (hires and separations) that
exists in establishments of various sizes.  The model then combines
the estimated churn with the projected employment change to
estimate the number of hires and separations taking place in these
units that cannot be measured through sampling.

                         - 7 -

  The model-based estimate of total separations is distributed to
the three components – quits; layoffs and discharges; and other
separations - in proportion to their contribution to the sample-
based estimate of total separations.  Additionally, job openings
for the modeled units are estimated by computing the ratio of
openings to hires in the collected data and applying that ratio to
the modeled hires.  The estimates of job openings, hires, and
separations produced by the birth/death model are then added to the
sample-based estimates produced from the survey to arrive at the
estimates for openings, hires, and separations.

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 adjustment 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.

Alignment procedure

  JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable to the CES net
employment change.  However, definitional differences as well as
sampling and non-sampling errors between the two surveys
historically caused JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit
the divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS hires and
separations series, BLS implemented the Monthly Alignment Method.
The Monthly Alignment Method applies the CES employment trends to
the seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment trend (hires minus
separations) forcing them to be approximately the same, while
preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data.  First, the two
series are seasonally adjusted and the difference between the JOLTS
implied employment trend and the CES net employment change is
calculated. Next, the JOLTS implied employment trend is adjusted to
equal the CES net employment change through a proportional
adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure adjusts the two
components (hires, separations) proportionally to their
contribution to the total churn (hires plus separations).  For
example, if hires are 40 percent of the churn for a given month,
they will receive 40 percent of the needed adjustment and
separations will receive 60 percent of the needed adjustment. The
adjusted hires and separations are converted back to not seasonally
adjusted data by reversing the application of the original seasonal
factors.  After the monthly alignment method has been used to
adjust the level estimates, rate estimates are computed from the
adjusted levels.  The Monthly Alignment procedure assures a close
match of the JOLTS implied employment trend with the CES trend. The
CES series is considered a highly accurate measure of net
employment change owing to its very large sample size and annual
benchmarking to universe counts of employment from the QCEW
program.

Using JOLTS data

  The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are
relatively 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 supplemental 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 comparable to estimates for March 2002 and
later.

  The federal government reorganization that involved transferring
approximately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland
Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations
estimates for the federal government.  The Office of Personnel
Management's record shows these transfers were completed in March
2003.  The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires
and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers
between establishments.  The Department of Homeland Security
reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of
these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal
government time series.

  JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in seasonal
adjustment.  JOLTS seasonal adjustment includes both additive and
multiplicative seasonal adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression
with autocorrelated errors) modeling to improve the seasonal
adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the series and to
detect and adjust for outliers in the series.

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

                         - 8 -

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 segment 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.

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              Dec.   July   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Dec.  July  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.
                                            2008   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total....................................  3,224  2,408  2,423  2,586  2,571  2,434  2,497    2.3   1.8   1.8   1.9   1.9   1.8   1.9

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  2,861  2,090  2,128  2,298  2,206  2,088  2,151    2.5   1.9   1.9   2.1   2.0   1.9   1.9
  Construction...........................     66     47     65     70     69     75     53     .9    .8   1.1   1.2   1.1   1.2    .9
  Manufacturing..........................    188    110    122    132    139    154    175    1.4    .9   1.0   1.1   1.2   1.3   1.5
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    495    393    422    407    373    329    361    1.9   1.5   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.3   1.4
   Retail trade..........................    337    260    273    271    247    197    246    2.2   1.7   1.8   1.8   1.7   1.3   1.7
  Professional and business services.....    562    431    438    501    480    431    415    3.1   2.5   2.6   2.9   2.8   2.5   2.4
  Education and health services..........    685    553    520    546    524    543    550    3.5   2.8   2.6   2.7   2.6   2.7   2.7
  Leisure and hospitality................    315    256    238    311    258    229    234    2.3   1.9   1.8   2.3   1.9   1.7   1.8
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     40     17     22     23     17     24     22    2.0    .9   1.1   1.2    .9   1.2   1.1
   Accommodation and food services.......    274    237    216    286    242    207    213    2.4   2.1   1.9   2.5   2.1   1.8   1.9
 Government(6)...........................    345    314    300    296    376    341    343    1.5   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.6   1.5   1.5
  State and local government.............    312    266    269    240    286    258    294    1.6   1.3   1.4   1.2   1.4   1.3   1.5


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    633    508    513    539    503    493    522    2.4   2.0   2.0   2.1   2.0   2.0   2.1
  South..................................  1,245    870    911    930    897    838    914    2.5   1.8   1.9   1.9   1.9   1.7   1.9
  Midwest................................    607    509    476    556    550    542    452    1.9   1.7   1.6   1.8   1.8   1.8   1.5
  West...................................    689    517    533    575    609    571    613    2.2   1.7   1.8   1.9   2.0   1.9   2.0


  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 and because not all series are shown.
  4 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 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.
  p = preliminary.


Table 2.  Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Dec.   July   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Dec.  July  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.
                                            2008   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total....................................  4,508  4,228  4,040  4,061  4,045  4,125  4,073    3.3   3.2   3.1   3.1   3.1   3.1   3.1

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,214  3,930  3,779  3,800  3,730  3,852  3,816    3.7   3.6   3.5   3.5   3.4   3.6   3.5
  Construction...........................    366    355    297    349    332    324    358    5.3   5.8   4.9   5.8   5.6   5.4   6.1
  Manufacturing..........................    252    272    243    270    245    252    237    2.0   2.3   2.1   2.3   2.1   2.2   2.0
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    891    819    818    842    768    839    871    3.4   3.3   3.3   3.4   3.1   3.4   3.5
   Retail trade..........................    595    547    557    535    523    539    548    4.0   3.7   3.8   3.6   3.6   3.7   3.7
  Professional and business services.....    786    686    715    724    735    808    661    4.5   4.1   4.3   4.4   4.4   4.8   3.9
  Education and health services..........    528    522    538    526    522    517    524    2.8   2.7   2.8   2.7   2.7   2.7   2.7
  Leisure and hospitality................    711    716    695    656    677    703    684    5.3   5.4   5.3   5.0   5.2   5.4   5.2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    111    138    107    104    112    119     89    5.7   7.3   5.7   5.5   5.9   6.2   4.7
   Accommodation and food services.......    605    582    591    562    566    590    588    5.3   5.2   5.2   5.0   5.0   5.3   5.2
 Government(6)...........................    271    282    261    266    304    278    262    1.2   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.4   1.2   1.2
  State and local government.............    253    253    233    244    263    248    244    1.3   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.3   1.3   1.2


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    726    714    720    693    769    754    748    2.9   2.9   2.9   2.8   3.1   3.1   3.0
  South..................................  1,659  1,544  1,493  1,502  1,403  1,546  1,516    3.4   3.3   3.2   3.2   3.0   3.3   3.2
  Midwest................................  1,009    885    947    911    915    902    900    3.3   3.0   3.2   3.1   3.1   3.0   3.0
  West...................................  1,053  1,042    884    939    929    935    903    3.5   3.5   3.0   3.2   3.2   3.2   3.1


  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 of total employment. 
  3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
  4 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 3.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Dec.   July   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Dec.  July  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.
                                            2008   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total....................................  4,958  4,430  4,284  4,325  4,223  4,274  4,238    3.7   3.4   3.3   3.3   3.2   3.3   3.2

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,673  4,147  3,976  4,038  3,944  3,993  3,944    4.1   3.8   3.7   3.7   3.6   3.7   3.6
  Construction...........................    452    444    342    421    384    361    436    6.6   7.2   5.6   7.0   6.4   6.1   7.4
  Manufacturing..........................    419    329    313    314    300    299    298    3.2   2.8   2.7   2.7   2.6   2.6   2.6
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)  1,041    874    850    870    840    863    917    4.0   3.5   3.4   3.5   3.4   3.5   3.7
   Retail trade..........................    664    578    567    561    568    544    571    4.4   3.9   3.8   3.8   3.9   3.7   3.9
  Professional and business services.....    898    738    728    740    725    763    620    5.2   4.4   4.4   4.5   4.3   4.5   3.7
  Education and health services..........    498    500    509    502    470    488    510    2.6   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.4   2.5   2.6
  Leisure and hospitality................    755    713    704    697    723    752    704    5.7   5.4   5.3   5.3   5.5   5.7   5.4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    106    121    111    102    129    117    104    5.4   6.4   5.9   5.3   6.8   6.2   5.5
   Accommodation and food services.......    647    594    593    590    590    622    595    5.7   5.3   5.3   5.2   5.3   5.5   5.3
 Government(6)...........................    278    298    293    279    275    280    297    1.2   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.3
  State and local government.............    251    274    271    260    242    240    255    1.3   1.4   1.4   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.3


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    799    716    759    744    739    820    763    3.2   2.9   3.1   3.0   3.0   3.3   3.1
  South..................................  1,815  1,602  1,490  1,521  1,561  1,644  1,493    3.7   3.4   3.1   3.2   3.3   3.5   3.2
  Midwest................................  1,088    958    951    985    920    868    940    3.5   3.2   3.2   3.3   3.1   2.9   3.2
  West...................................  1,227  1,181  1,086  1,036    963    985  1,021    4.0   4.0   3.7   3.5   3.3   3.4   3.5


  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 and because not all series are shown.
  4 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 4.  Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Dec.   July   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Dec.  July  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.
                                            2008   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total....................................  2,114  1,778  1,779  1,804  1,771  1,919  1,764    1.6   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.5   1.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  1,984  1,673  1,680  1,713  1,663  1,817  1,653    1.8   1.5   1.5   1.6   1.5   1.7   1.5
  Construction...........................     92     68     67     90     68     77     78    1.3   1.1   1.1   1.5   1.1   1.3   1.3
  Manufacturing..........................     87     82     85     94     78     77     76     .7    .7    .7    .8    .7    .7    .7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    518    415    407    445    389    451    397    2.0   1.6   1.6   1.8   1.6   1.8   1.6
   Retail trade..........................    379    295    309    342    292    300    290    2.5   2.0   2.1   2.3   2.0   2.0   2.0
  Professional and business services.....    297    265    269    276    283    294    253    1.7   1.6   1.6   1.7   1.7   1.8   1.5
  Education and health services..........    256    235    249    269    268    262    282    1.3   1.2   1.3   1.4   1.4   1.3   1.4
  Leisure and hospitality................    461    411    413    351    363    413    370    3.5   3.1   3.1   2.7   2.8   3.1   2.8
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     29     38     38     17     37     42     29    1.5   2.0   2.0    .9   2.0   2.2   1.5
   Accommodation and food services.......    435    372    374    339    328    374    340    3.8   3.3   3.3   3.0   2.9   3.3   3.0
 Government(6)...........................    130    107    106     98    103    108    111     .6    .5    .5    .4    .5    .5    .5
  State and local government.............    121    101     97     95     97     99     98     .6    .5    .5    .5    .5    .5    .5


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    302    234    270    297    291    273    274    1.2   1.0   1.1   1.2   1.2   1.1   1.1
  South..................................    847    724    687    701    682    814    720    1.7   1.5   1.5   1.5   1.4   1.7   1.5
  Midwest................................    452    435    374    405    386    406    383    1.5   1.5   1.3   1.4   1.3   1.4   1.3
  West...................................    498    404    460    414    386    438    383    1.6   1.4   1.6   1.4   1.3   1.5   1.3


  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 of total employment. 
  3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
  4 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 5.  Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  2,796    2,215    2,304           2.0      1.6      1.7

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,492    1,895    1,994           2.2      1.7      1.8
  Mining and Logging............................     17        6        6           2.1       .9       .9
  Construction..................................     54       58       40            .8       .9       .7
  Manufacturing.................................    161      138      173           1.2      1.2      1.5
   Durable goods................................     83       66       89           1.0       .9      1.2
   Nondurable goods.............................     78       72       85           1.6      1.5      1.8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    399      296      296           1.5      1.1      1.1
   Wholesale trade..............................     85       60       67           1.4      1.1      1.2
   Retail trade.................................    252      191      191           1.6      1.3      1.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     62       44       38           1.2       .9       .8
  Information...................................     62       42       60           2.1      1.5      2.1
  Financial activities..........................    190      161      148           2.3      2.0      1.9
   Finance and insurance........................    144      129      112           2.4      2.2      1.9
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     46       31       36           2.2      1.6      1.8
  Professional and business services............    522      386      386           2.9      2.2      2.2
  Education and health services.................    651      517      547           3.3      2.6      2.7
   Educational services.........................     68       40       39           2.1      1.2      1.2
   Health care and social assistance............    584      477      508           3.5      2.8      3.0
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    268      190      191           2.0      1.5      1.5
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     27       21       15           1.5      1.2       .9
   Accommodation and food services.............     242      169      176           2.1      1.5      1.6
  Other services................................    168      102      147           3.0      1.9      2.7

 Government.....................................    304      319      310           1.3      1.4      1.3
  Federal.......................................     33       74       42           1.2      2.5      1.5
  State and local...............................    271      245      268           1.3      1.2      1.3

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    560      438      476           2.1      1.7      1.9
  South.........................................  1,131      766      890           2.3      1.6      1.8
  Midwest.......................................    539      472      399           1.7      1.6      1.3
  West..........................................    567      539      538           1.8      1.8      1.8


  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 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 6.  Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  3,124    3,694    2,965           2.3      2.8      2.2

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,963    3,498    2,815           2.6      3.2      2.6
  Mining and Logging............................     18       20       15           2.3      2.8      2.2
  Construction..................................    222      243      225           3.3      4.0      3.9
  Manufacturing.................................    165      208      152           1.3      1.8      1.3
   Durable goods................................     95      115       82           1.2      1.6      1.2
   Nondurable goods.............................     70       94       70           1.5      2.0      1.5
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    689      945      683           2.6      3.7      2.7
   Wholesale trade..............................    113      126       81           1.9      2.2      1.4
   Retail trade.................................    467      669      432           3.0      4.5      2.8
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    109      151      170           2.2      3.2      3.5
  Information...................................     48       62       63           1.6      2.2      2.2
  Financial activities..........................    141      113      146           1.8      1.5      1.9
   Finance and insurance........................     84       74       79           1.4      1.3      1.4
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     57       40       66           2.7      2.0      3.4
  Professional and business services............    629      776      527           3.6      4.6      3.1
  Education and health services.................    372      425      374           1.9      2.2      1.9
   Educational services.........................     31       47       32           1.0      1.4      1.0
   Health care and social assistance............    341      378      342           2.1      2.3      2.1
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    522      591      499           4.0      4.6      3.9
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     80       93       66           4.5      5.3      3.8
   Accommodation and food services.............     442      498      433           3.9      4.5      3.9
  Other services................................    157      113      131           2.9      2.1      2.5

 Government.....................................    161      196      150            .7       .9       .7
  Federal.......................................     19       22       13            .7       .8       .5
  State and local...............................    141      174      137            .7       .9       .7

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    534      678      550           2.1      2.7      2.2
  South.........................................  1,129    1,394    1,101           2.3      2.9      2.3
  Midwest.......................................    703      781      638           2.3      2.6      2.1
  West..........................................    758      841      677           2.5      2.8      2.3


  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 of total employment. 
  3 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 7.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  4,579    3,686    3,965           3.4      2.8      3.0

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  4,367    3,506    3,732           3.9      3.2      3.4
  Mining and Logging............................     29       17       23           3.7      2.4      3.2
  Construction..................................    465      357      455           6.9      5.9      7.8
  Manufacturing.................................    345      246      247           2.7      2.1      2.1
   Durable goods................................    214      132      127           2.6      1.8      1.8
   Nondurable goods.............................    131      114      119           2.7      2.5      2.6
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........  1,078      750      981           4.1      2.9      3.8
   Wholesale trade..............................    204      117      141           3.5      2.1      2.5
   Retail trade.................................    697      480      610           4.5      3.2      4.0
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    177      153      230           3.5      3.2      4.8
  Information...................................     74       66       73           2.5      2.3      2.6
  Financial activities..........................    166      108      145           2.1      1.4      1.9
   Finance and insurance........................     97       57       71           1.6      1.0      1.2
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     69       51       74           3.3      2.6      3.7
  Professional and business services............  1,019      765      675           5.9      4.5      4.0
  Education and health services.................    387      349      403           2.0      1.8      2.1
   Educational services.........................     48       33       47           1.5      1.0      1.5
   Health care and social assistance............    339      316      355           2.1      1.9      2.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    624      692      582           4.8      5.4      4.5
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     78      129       75           4.4      7.3      4.3
   Accommodation and food services.............     545      564      507           4.9      5.1      4.6
  Other services................................    181      156      149           3.3      2.9      2.8

 Government.....................................    212      180      233            .9       .8      1.0
  Federal.......................................     24       23       38            .9       .8      1.4
  State and local...............................    187      157      195            .9       .8      1.0

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    768      694      734           3.0      2.8      3.0
  South.........................................  1,604    1,363    1,333           3.3      2.9      2.8
  Midwest.......................................  1,103      793      964           3.6      2.6      3.2
  West..........................................  1,104      836      934           3.6      2.8      3.2


  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 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 8.  Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  1,659    1,542    1,401           1.2      1.2      1.1

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,568    1,468    1,319           1.4      1.3      1.2
  Mining and Logging............................      9        4        3           1.2       .6       .5
  Construction..................................     58       56       60            .9       .9      1.0
  Manufacturing.................................     60       55       49            .5       .5       .4
   Durable goods................................     34       27       20            .4       .4       .3
   Nondurable goods.............................     25       28       29            .5       .6       .6
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    448      378      348           1.7      1.5      1.4
   Wholesale trade..............................     53       54       41            .9      1.0       .7
   Retail trade.................................    332      265      260           2.1      1.8      1.7
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     64       59       47           1.3      1.2      1.0
  Information...................................     21       34       25            .7      1.2       .9
  Financial activities..........................     52       50       62            .7       .6       .8
   Finance and insurance........................     42       29       34            .7       .5       .6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     10       21       29            .5      1.1      1.4
  Professional and business services............    274      263      207           1.6      1.6      1.2
  Education and health services.................    193      198      218           1.0      1.0      1.1
   Educational services.........................     14       19       23            .4       .6       .7
   Health care and social assistance............    179      179      195           1.1      1.1      1.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    369      348      294           2.8      2.7      2.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     16       28       18            .9      1.6      1.0
   Accommodation and food services.............     352      320      277           3.1      2.9      2.5
  Other services................................     84       81       51           1.5      1.5      1.0

 Government.....................................     91       74       82            .4       .3       .4
  Federal.......................................      5        4       10            .2       .1       .3
  State and local...............................     86       70       73            .4       .3       .4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    230      220      209            .9       .9       .8
  South.........................................    661      635      573           1.3      1.3      1.2
  Midwest.......................................    355      338      303           1.2      1.1      1.0
  West..........................................    412      349      315           1.4      1.2      1.1


  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 of total employment. 
  3 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 9.  Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  2,631    1,912    2,274           1.9      1.4      1.7

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,550    1,839    2,177           2.3      1.7      2.0
  Mining and Logging............................     18       12       18           2.4      1.7      2.6
  Construction..................................    389      292      377           5.8      4.8      6.5
  Manufacturing.................................    269      178      171           2.1      1.5      1.5
   Durable goods................................    169       98       92           2.1      1.4      1.3
   Nondurable goods.............................    100       80       80           2.1      1.7      1.7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    563      330      582           2.1      1.3      2.3
   Wholesale trade..............................    143       58       93           2.4      1.0      1.6
   Retail trade.................................    331      185      318           2.1      1.2      2.1
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     89       87      172           1.8      1.8      3.6
  Information...................................     42       25       41           1.4       .9      1.4
  Financial activities..........................     95       48       70           1.2       .6       .9
   Finance and insurance........................     47       22       28            .8       .4       .5
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     48       26       42           2.3      1.3      2.1
  Professional and business services............    679      433      433           3.9      2.6      2.6
  Education and health services.................    168      130      149            .9       .7       .8
   Educational services.........................     31       12       20           1.0       .4       .6
   Health care and social assistance............    137      118      129            .9       .7       .8
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    238      325      263           1.8      2.5      2.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     60       96       55           3.3      5.4      3.1
   Accommodation and food services.............     178      229      208           1.6      2.1      1.9
  Other services................................     88       66       72           1.6      1.2      1.3

 Government.....................................     82       73       97            .4       .3       .4
  Federal.......................................     14       13       19            .5       .5       .7
  State and local...............................     68       60       78            .3       .3       .4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    466      445      463           1.8      1.8      1.9
  South.........................................    853      619      680           1.7      1.3      1.4
  Midwest.......................................    690      407      600           2.2      1.4      2.0
  West..........................................    623      441      531           2.0      1.5      1.8


  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.
  3 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 10.  Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Dec.     Nov.     Dec.          Dec.     Nov.     Dec.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................    289      232      289           0.2      0.2      0.2

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    250      199      236            .2       .2       .2
  Mining and Logging............................      1        1        1            .2       .1       .1
  Construction..................................     19        9       18            .3       .1       .3
  Manufacturing.................................     16       12       26            .1       .1       .2
   Durable goods................................     10        6       16            .1       .1       .2
   Nondurable goods.............................      6        6       10            .1       .1       .2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........     67       42       51            .3       .2       .2
   Wholesale trade..............................      9        5        8            .1       .1       .1
   Retail trade.................................     34       30       32            .2       .2       .2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     24        7       11            .5       .1       .2
  Information...................................     11        7        8            .4       .2       .3
  Financial activities..........................     19       10       12            .2       .1       .2
   Finance and insurance........................      8        6        9            .1       .1       .2
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     10        4        4            .5       .2       .2
  Professional and business services............     65       69       36            .4       .4       .2
  Education and health services.................     26       20       35            .1       .1       .2
   Educational services.........................      3        2        4            .1       .1       .1
   Health care and social assistance............     23       18       31            .1       .1       .2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     17       19       24            .1       .1       .2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      2        5        2            .1       .3       .1
   Accommodation and food services.............      15       14       22            .1       .1       .2
  Other services................................     10        9       26            .2       .2       .5

 Government.....................................     39       32       53            .2       .1       .2
  Federal.......................................      6        6        9            .2       .2       .3
  State and local...............................     33       27       44            .2       .1       .2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................     71       28       60            .3       .1       .2
  South.........................................     94      110       83            .2       .2       .2
  Midwest.......................................     54       47       59            .2       .2       .2
  West..........................................     71       46       87            .2       .2       .3


  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 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Last Modified Date: February 09, 2010