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Economic News Release
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JOLTS JLT Program Links

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release


Technical information:      (202) 691-5870        USDL 09-0361
                   http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
                                        	  For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:              (202) 691-5902        Tuesday, April 7, 2009


      (NOTE:  This release was reissued on Wednesday, April 8,
      2009, to correct text references to the most recent high
      points for job openings and hires, and for the most
      recent low point for the proportion of total separations
      attributable to layoffs and discharges.  Also, a
      rounding error in a text statement concerning the
      proportion of total separations attributable to quits in
      February 2009 was corrected.)


            JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER:  FEBRUARY 2009

     On the last business day of February, there were 3.0 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.2
percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today.  The job openings rate and the hires rate (3.3
percent) were little changed in February, with both remaining low.
The total separations rate (3.6 percent) was also essentially
unchanged in February.  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
     Job openings were essentially unchanged from January to February,
although the number of job openings has trended downward since mid-
2007.  At 3.0 million in February, monthly openings were down 1.8
million, or 38 percent, since the most recent high in June 2007.  The
job openings rate changed significantly in February only in
manufacturing, where it edged up.  (See table 1.)

                             - 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.
                   | 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                     Levels (in thousands)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|4,248 |2,920 |3,006 |5,035 |4,460 |4,360 |5,088 |4,949 |4,825
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|3,813 |2,461 |2,614 |4,694 |4,141 |4,068 |4,789 |4,686 |4,554
  Construction.....|  136 |   55 |   26 |  375 |  381 |  366 |  410 |  524 |  454
  Manufacturing....|  278 |  115 |  140 |  325 |  237 |  249 |  372 |  476 |  420
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  722 |  488 |  495 |1,031 |  949 |  812 |1,060 |1,049 |  918
   Retail trade....|  378 |  362 |  355 |  708 |  587 |  556 |  731 |  645 |  571
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  766 |  501 |  471 |  851 |  762 |  760 |  924 |  866 |  947
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  806 |  636 |  625 |  581 |  539 |  536 |  534 |  494 |  505
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  558 |  272 |  282 |  927 |  743 |  696 |  932 |  763 |  726
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|   64 |   27 |   20 |  140 |  105 |   85 |  147 |  117 |   93
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  487 |  242 |  266 |  787 |  627 |  605 |  788 |  650 |  628
 Government(3).....|  446 |  417 |  392 |  335 |  306 |  270 |  293 |  277 |  254
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  397 |  328 |  329 |  292 |  261 |  252 |  258 |  267 |  239
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Rates (percent)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|  3.0 |  2.1 |  2.2 |  3.7 |  3.3 |  3.3 |  3.7 |  3.7 |  3.6
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|  3.2 |  2.2 |  2.3 |  4.1 |  3.7 |  3.7 |  4.1 |  4.2 |  4.1
  Construction.....|  1.8 |  0.8 |  0.4 |  5.0 |  5.7 |  5.5 |  5.5 |  7.8 |  6.9
  Manufacturing....|  2.0 |  0.9 |  1.1 |  2.4 |  1.9 |  2.0 |  2.7 |  3.8 |  3.4
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  2.6 |  1.9 |  1.9 |  3.9 |  3.7 |  3.2 |  4.0 |  4.1 |  3.6
   Retail trade....|  2.4 |  2.4 |  2.3 |  4.6 |  3.9 |  3.7 |  4.7 |  4.3 |  3.8
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  4.1 |  2.8 |  2.7 |  4.7 |  4.4 |  4.5 |  5.1 |  5.0 |  5.6
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  4.1 |  3.2 |  3.2 |  3.1 |  2.8 |  2.8 |  2.9 |  2.6 |  2.6
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  4.0 |  2.0 |  2.1 |  6.9 |  5.6 |  5.3 |  6.9 |  5.7 |  5.5
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|  3.1 |  1.4 |  1.0 |  7.0 |  5.4 |  4.4 |  7.4 |  6.0 |  4.8
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  4.1 |  2.1 |  2.3 |  6.8 |  5.5 |  5.4 |  6.8 |  5.7 |  5.6
 Government(3).....|  2.0 |  1.8 |  1.7 |  1.5 |  1.4 |  1.2 |  1.3 |  1.2 |  1.1
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  2.0 |  1.6 |  1.6 |  1.5 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  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 February, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged in the Northeast region
and in six industries:  retail trade; information; finance and
insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; educational services;
and other services.  In the remaining 11 industries and at the total
nonfarm and total private level, the job openings rate fell
significantly over the year.  Three of the four regions experienced a
significant decline in the job openings rate over the year:  Midwest,
South, and West.  The job openings rate rose significantly over the
year only in the federal government.  (See table 5.)

                             - 3 -

Hires
     Hires, at 4.4 million in February, were essentially unchanged
from January.  However, monthly hires were down 1,274,000, or 23
percent, since the most recent high in July 2006.  The hires rate was
3.3 percent in February.  No industry experienced a significant change
in the hires rate in February.  Regionally, the rate rose
significantly in the Northeast and fell significantly in the Midwest.
(See table 2.)
     
     Over the 12 months ending in February, the hires rate did not
increase significantly in any industry or region.  The rate decreased
significantly over the year for total nonfarm, total private, and
several industries, including retail trade; finance and insurance;
arts, entertainment, and recreation; accommodation and food services;
federal government; and state and local government.  In three of the
four regions, the hires rate dropped significantly over the past 12
months:  Midwest, South, and West.  (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
(seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged in February at 3.6
percent.  The total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) was
also essentially unchanged over the 12 months ending in February
because quits fell while layoffs and discharges rose.  (See tables 3,
7, 8 and 9.)
     
     The quits rate can serve as a barometer of workers’ willingness
or ability to change jobs.  The rate remained at 1.5 percent in
February—the lowest point in the 8-year series.  Quits have been
trending downward since December 2006, declining by 1.2 million, or 37
percent.  Comparing February 2009 to February 2008, the quits rate was
significantly lower for total nonfarm, total private, and most
industries.  The rate was essentially unchanged in information;
educational services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and other
services.  The rate did not rise significantly in the past 12 months
in any industry.  Regionally, the quits rate fell significantly in
three of the four regions—Northeast, South, and West.  The rate was
essentially unchanged in the Midwest region.  (See tables 4 and 8.)
     
     The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels.  Seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges in
February were 2.5 million for total nonfarm, 2.3 million for total
private, and 106,000 for government, corresponding to layoffs and
discharges rates of 1.8 percent, 2.1 percent, and 0.5 percent,
respectively.  Over the 12 months ending in February, the layoffs and
discharges rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose significantly for total
nonfarm, total private, and many industries, including mining and
logging; construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods
manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation, warehousing, and
utilities; finance and insurance; real estate and rental and leasing;
and professional and business services.  In the remaining industries,
the rate was essentially unchanged.  Regionally, the layoffs and
discharges rate rose in the Midwest, South, and West and was little
changed in the Northeast.  (See table 9 for not seasonally adjusted
layoffs and discharges.  Seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges
are not presented in a table but are available through the JOLTS web
site.)
     
     The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted.
Comparing February 2008 to February 2009, the number of other
separations was little changed for total nonfarm (280,000), total
private (251,000), and government (29,000).  (See table 10.)
     
                             - 4 -
     
     The total separations rate is driven by the relative contribution
of its three components—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations.  The percentage of total separations attributable to the
individual components has varied over time. The proportion of quits
has been trending downward from a high of 62 percent in January 2006
to a series low of 41 percent in February 2009.  The proportion of
layoffs and discharges has increased, climbing from the most recent
low of 33 percent in August 2006 to 51 percent in February 2009.  (See
tables 3 and 4.)

Net Change in Employment
     In the 12 months ending in February, hires totaled 55.3 million
and separations totaled 59.2 million, yielding a net employment loss
over the year of 3.9 million.  The loss resulted from total
separations remaining level over the year, while hires trended sharply
downward.

For More Information
     For additional information, please read the Technical Note
attached to this release, visit the JOLTS Web site at
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/, send e-mail to Joltsinfo@bls.gov, or call
(202) 691-5870.
     
           ---------------------------------------------     
     
     The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for March 2009 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, May 12.





                         - 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              Feb.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2008   2008   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  4,248  3,346  3,390  3,311  3,224  2,920  3,006    3.0   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.3   2.1   2.2

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,813  2,913  2,964  2,928  2,861  2,461  2,614    3.2   2.5   2.5   2.5   2.5   2.2   2.3
  Construction...........................    136    152     79     76     66     55     26    1.8   2.1   1.1   1.1    .9    .8    .4
  Manufacturing..........................    278    236    230    203    188    115    140    2.0   1.7   1.7   1.5   1.4    .9   1.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    722    525    564    624    495    488    495    2.6   2.0   2.1   2.3   1.9   1.9   1.9
   Retail trade..........................    378    297    363    410    337    362    355    2.4   1.9   2.3   2.6   2.2   2.4   2.3
  Professional and business services.....    766    608    603    505    562    501    471    4.1   3.3   3.3   2.8   3.1   2.8   2.7
  Education and health services..........    806    624    646    697    685    636    625    4.1   3.2   3.3   3.5   3.5   3.2   3.2
  Leisure and hospitality................    558    427    417    302    315    272    282    4.0   3.1   3.0   2.2   2.3   2.0   2.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     64     44     47     35     40     27     20    3.1   2.2   2.4   1.8   2.0   1.4   1.0
   Accommodation and food services.......    487    374    370    284    274    242    266    4.1   3.2   3.1   2.4   2.4   2.1   2.3
 Government(6)...........................    446    431    427    378    345    417    392    2.0   1.9   1.9   1.6   1.5   1.8   1.7
  State and local government.............    397    352    344    337    312    328    329    2.0   1.7   1.7   1.7   1.6   1.6   1.6


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    680    644    636    582    633    560    596    2.6   2.5   2.4   2.2   2.4   2.2   2.3
  South..................................  1,649  1,269  1,314  1,267  1,245  1,109  1,128    3.2   2.5   2.6   2.5   2.5   2.2   2.3
  Midwest................................    847    674    698    644    607    587    608    2.6   2.1   2.2   2.0   1.9   1.9   2.0
  West...................................  1,055    785    734    767    689    655    615    3.3   2.5   2.3   2.5   2.2   2.1   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.
  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              Feb.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2008   2008   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  5,035  4,505  4,486  4,226  4,508  4,460  4,360    3.7   3.3   3.3   3.1   3.3   3.3   3.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,694  4,263  4,160  3,928  4,214  4,141  4,068    4.1   3.7   3.7   3.5   3.7   3.7   3.7
  Construction...........................    375    365    380    340    366    381    366    5.0   5.1   5.4   4.9   5.3   5.7   5.5
  Manufacturing..........................    325    305    290    257    252    237    249    2.4   2.3   2.2   2.0   2.0   1.9   2.0
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)  1,031    959    933    852    891    949    812    3.9   3.7   3.6   3.3   3.4   3.7   3.2
   Retail trade..........................    708    649    624    576    595    587    556    4.6   4.2   4.1   3.8   4.0   3.9   3.7
  Professional and business services.....    851    787    788    783    786    762    760    4.7   4.5   4.5   4.5   4.5   4.4   4.5
  Education and health services..........    581    506    544    528    528    539    536    3.1   2.7   2.9   2.8   2.8   2.8   2.8
  Leisure and hospitality................    927    814    769    706    711    743    696    6.9   6.1   5.7   5.3   5.3   5.6   5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    140    117    119     92    111    105     85    7.0   6.0   6.1   4.7   5.7   5.4   4.4
   Accommodation and food services.......    787    708    651    620    605    627    605    6.8   6.2   5.7   5.4   5.3   5.5   5.4
 Government(6)...........................    335    278    318    281    271    306    270    1.5   1.2   1.4   1.2   1.2   1.4   1.2
  State and local government.............    292    259    275    251    253    261    252    1.5   1.3   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    807    742    759    661    726    753    878    3.1   2.9   3.0   2.6   2.9   3.0   3.5
  South..................................  1,909  1,643  1,652  1,572  1,659  1,663  1,579    3.8   3.3   3.4   3.2   3.4   3.4   3.3
  Midwest................................  1,081  1,038  1,051    934  1,009  1,003    875    3.4   3.3   3.4   3.0   3.3   3.3   2.9
  West...................................  1,216  1,088  1,043  1,043  1,053  1,002  1,000    3.9   3.6   3.4   3.4   3.5   3.3   3.3


  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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  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              Feb.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2008   2008   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  5,088  4,852  4,910  4,863  4,958  4,949  4,825    3.7   3.5   3.6   3.6   3.7   3.7   3.6

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,789  4,553  4,607  4,571  4,673  4,686  4,554    4.1   4.0   4.0   4.0   4.1   4.2   4.1
  Construction...........................    410    412    440    472    452    524    454    5.5   5.8   6.2   6.8   6.6   7.8   6.9
  Manufacturing..........................    372    371    404    384    419    476    420    2.7   2.8   3.1   2.9   3.2   3.8   3.4
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)  1,060  1,046  1,034  1,030  1,041  1,049    918    4.0   4.0   4.0   4.0   4.0   4.1   3.6
   Retail trade..........................    731    684    680    680    664    645    571    4.7   4.5   4.5   4.5   4.4   4.3   3.8
  Professional and business services.....    924    809    906    909    898    866    947    5.1   4.6   5.1   5.2   5.2   5.0   5.6
  Education and health services..........    534    488    507    466    498    494    505    2.9   2.6   2.7   2.4   2.6   2.6   2.6
  Leisure and hospitality................    932    830    794    773    755    763    726    6.9   6.2   5.9   5.8   5.7   5.7   5.5
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    147    115    124     98    106    117     93    7.4   5.9   6.4   5.0   5.4   6.0   4.8
   Accommodation and food services.......    788    714    670    673    647    650    628    6.8   6.2   5.9   5.9   5.7   5.7   5.6
 Government(6)...........................    293    294    294    282    278    277    254    1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.1
  State and local government.............    258    280    265    258    251    267    239    1.3   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.2


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    896    734    743    767    799    813    787    3.5   2.9   2.9   3.0   3.2   3.2   3.1
  South..................................  1,886  1,767  1,782  1,841  1,815  1,898  1,731    3.8   3.6   3.6   3.8   3.7   3.9   3.6
  Midwest................................  1,056  1,116  1,168  1,105  1,088  1,120  1,130    3.4   3.6   3.8   3.6   3.5   3.7   3.7
  West...................................  1,270  1,184  1,209  1,205  1,227  1,180  1,181    4.1   3.9   4.0   4.0   4.0   3.9   3.9


  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 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              Feb.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Feb.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2008   2008   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  2,871  2,454  2,436  2,201  2,114  2,063  2,001    2.1   1.8   1.8   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.5

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  2,717  2,319  2,305  2,076  1,984  1,945  1,885    2.4   2.0   2.0   1.8   1.8   1.7   1.7
  Construction...........................    175    128    107    109     92     85    107    2.3   1.8   1.5   1.6   1.3   1.3   1.6
  Manufacturing..........................    194    147    143    122     87    105     93    1.4   1.1   1.1    .9    .7    .8    .7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    608    580    548    489    518    469    403    2.3   2.2   2.1   1.9   2.0   1.8   1.6
   Retail trade..........................    427    414    377    352    379    360    305    2.8   2.7   2.5   2.3   2.5   2.4   2.0
  Professional and business services.....    485    368    477    349    297    326    340    2.7   2.1   2.7   2.0   1.7   1.9   2.0
  Education and health services..........    312    290    294    251    256    248    246    1.7   1.5   1.5   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3
  Leisure and hospitality................    614    514    516    469    461    443    438    4.5   3.8   3.8   3.5   3.5   3.3   3.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     55     52     39     35     29     31     39    2.7   2.7   2.0   1.8   1.5   1.6   2.0
   Accommodation and food services.......    556    467    476    437    435    412    402    4.8   4.1   4.2   3.8   3.8   3.6   3.6
 Government(6)...........................    151    134    132    122    130    105    110     .7    .6    .6    .5    .6    .5    .5
  State and local government.............    136    133    122    117    121    100    106     .7    .7    .6    .6    .6    .5    .5


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    456    338    347    321    302    278    271    1.8   1.3   1.4   1.3   1.2   1.1   1.1
  South..................................  1,167    971    949    879    847    790    751    2.3   2.0   1.9   1.8   1.7   1.6   1.6
  Midwest................................    563    577    595    491    452    491    493    1.8   1.9   1.9   1.6   1.5   1.6   1.6
  West...................................    709    560    541    510    498    492    499    2.3   1.8   1.8   1.7   1.6   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 of total employment. 
  3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  3,952    3,052    2,701           2.8      2.3      2.0

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,553    2,636    2,351           3.0      2.3      2.1
  Mining and Logging............................     18       20       10           2.4      2.6      1.4
  Construction..................................    130       52       26           1.8       .8       .4
  Manufacturing.................................    277      122      133           2.0      1.0      1.1
   Durable goods................................    150       57       61           1.7       .7       .8
   Nondurable goods.............................    127       65       72           2.5      1.4      1.5
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    644      499      434           2.4      1.9      1.7
   Wholesale trade..............................    202       79      112           3.3      1.4      1.9
   Retail trade.................................    303      344      285           2.0      2.3      1.9
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    138       75       37           2.7      1.5       .8
  Information...................................     76       65       55           2.5      2.2      1.9
  Financial activities..........................    240      247      212           2.9      3.0      2.6
   Finance and insurance........................    188      214      141           3.0      3.5      2.3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     52       33       72           2.4      1.6      3.5
  Professional and business services............    753      566      466           4.1      3.2      2.7
  Education and health services.................    777      666      592           4.0      3.4      3.0
   Educational services.........................     55       70       46           1.7      2.3      1.4
   Health care and social assistance............    722      595      546           4.4      3.6      3.3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    512      260      262           3.8      2.0      2.0
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     67       25       19           3.6      1.4      1.1
   Accommodation and food services.............     445      235      243           3.8      2.1      2.2
  Other services................................    127      140      161           2.3      2.5      2.9

 Government.....................................    399      416      349           1.7      1.8      1.5
  Federal.......................................     42       92       57           1.5      3.2      2.0
  State and local...............................    357      324      292           1.8      1.6      1.4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    615      618      537           2.3      2.4      2.1
  South.........................................  1,558    1,114    1,053           3.1      2.3      2.2
  Midwest.......................................    789      600      568           2.5      2.0      1.9
  West..........................................    990      720      543           3.1      2.4      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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  4,063    4,337    3,382           3.0      3.3      2.6

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,836    4,033    3,206           3.4      3.7      2.9
  Mining and Logging............................     27       28       19           3.7      3.6      2.5
  Construction..................................    296      333      291           4.2      5.3      4.7
  Manufacturing.................................    287      241      222           2.1      1.9      1.8
   Durable goods................................    158      127      119           1.8      1.6      1.6
   Nondurable goods.............................    129      114      102           2.6      2.4      2.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    784      857      608           3.0      3.4      2.4
   Wholesale trade..............................    130      232       94           2.2      4.0      1.6
   Retail trade.................................    522      480      407           3.4      3.2      2.8
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    132      145      108           2.6      3.0      2.2
  Information...................................     55       95       47           1.8      3.3      1.6
  Financial activities..........................    211      248      144           2.6      3.1      1.8
   Finance and insurance........................    134      168       92           2.2      2.9      1.6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     77       80       51           3.6      3.9      2.6
  Professional and business services............    755      826      678           4.3      4.9      4.0
  Education and health services.................    500      560      463           2.7      2.9      2.4
   Educational services.........................     72       65       68           2.3      2.2      2.1
   Health care and social assistance............    428      495      395           2.7      3.1      2.5
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    759      647      562           5.9      5.1      4.4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     95       91       57           5.3      5.3      3.3
   Accommodation and food services.............     664      556      505           5.9      5.1      4.6
  Other services................................    162      198      173           2.9      3.7      3.2

 Government.....................................    227      304      176           1.0      1.4       .8
  Federal.......................................     28       34       11           1.0      1.2       .4
  State and local...............................    199      270      165           1.0      1.4       .8

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    570      715      626           2.2      2.9      2.5
  South.........................................  1,676    1,708    1,330           3.4      3.6      2.8
  Midwest.......................................    840    1,006      670           2.7      3.3      2.2
  West..........................................    976      909      755           3.2      3.1      2.6


  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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  3,989    6,612    3,747           2.9      5.0      2.8

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,815    6,282    3,601           3.4      5.7      3.3
  Mining and Logging............................     24       45       23           3.2      5.9      3.0
  Construction..................................    347      679      376           5.0     10.8      6.1
  Manufacturing.................................    318      693      359           2.3      5.5      2.9
   Durable goods................................    180      460      233           2.1      5.9      3.0
   Nondurable goods.............................    138      233      126           2.8      4.9      2.7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    890    1,508      749           3.4      5.9      3.0
   Wholesale trade..............................    140      343      133           2.3      5.9      2.3
   Retail trade.................................    630      928      476           4.1      6.2      3.3
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    120      237      140           2.4      4.8      2.9
  Information...................................     46      169       54           1.5      5.8      1.9
  Financial activities..........................    200      476      178           2.4      6.0      2.3
   Finance and insurance........................    130      324      109           2.2      5.5      1.9
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     70      153       69           3.3      7.6      3.4
  Professional and business services............    736      977      781           4.2      5.8      4.7
  Education and health services.................    406      669      389           2.2      3.5      2.0
   Educational services.........................     36       59       43           1.2      2.0      1.3
   Health care and social assistance............    370      610      346           2.4      3.8      2.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    702      819      521           5.4      6.5      4.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     89      109       53           5.0      6.3      3.0
   Accommodation and food services.............     613      710      468           5.5      6.5      4.3
  Other services................................    145      247      172           2.6      4.6      3.2

 Government.....................................    174      330      147            .8      1.5       .6
  Federal.......................................     24       33       12            .9      1.2       .4
  State and local...............................    150      297      135            .7      1.5       .7

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    655    1,122      579           2.6      4.5      2.3
  South.........................................  1,520    2,448    1,362           3.1      5.1      2.9
  Midwest.......................................    824    1,532      887           2.7      5.1      3.0
  West..........................................    990    1,510      919           3.2      5.1      3.1


  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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  2,215    2,382    1,527           1.6      1.8      1.2

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,115    2,265    1,456           1.9      2.1      1.3
  Mining and Logging............................     13       18        6           1.8      2.3       .8
  Construction..................................    130       73       67           1.9      1.2      1.1
  Manufacturing.................................    158      134       75           1.2      1.1       .6
   Durable goods................................     90       72       38           1.0       .9       .5
   Nondurable goods.............................     68       62       37           1.4      1.3       .8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    490      573      320           1.9      2.2      1.3
   Wholesale trade..............................     80       58       35           1.3      1.0       .6
   Retail trade.................................    339      437      238           2.2      2.9      1.6
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     71       78       47           1.4      1.6      1.0
  Information...................................     28       60       24            .9      2.1       .8
  Financial activities..........................    123      139       58           1.5      1.8       .7
   Finance and insurance........................     83       97       40           1.4      1.6       .7
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     40       42       18           1.9      2.1       .9
  Professional and business services............    390      348      282           2.2      2.1      1.7
  Education and health services.................    238      336      186           1.3      1.8      1.0
   Educational services.........................     20       22       23            .6       .7       .7
   Health care and social assistance............    218      314      163           1.4      2.0      1.0
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    460      461      322           3.5      3.6      2.5
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     35       26       22           2.0      1.5      1.3
   Accommodation and food services.............     425      435      300           3.8      4.0      2.7
  Other services................................     85      124      116           1.5      2.3      2.2

 Government.....................................    100      117       71            .4       .5       .3
  Federal.......................................     10        7        2            .4       .3       .1
  State and local...............................     90      110       69            .4       .6       .3

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    330      332      189           1.3      1.3       .8
  South.........................................    925      913      583           1.9      1.9      1.2
  Midwest.......................................    417      586      363           1.3      1.9      1.2
  West..........................................    543      552      392           1.8      1.9      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 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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  1,483    3,715    1,940           1.1      2.8      1.5

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,448    3,571    1,894           1.3      3.3      1.7
  Mining and Logging............................      9       23       16           1.2      3.1      2.1
  Construction..................................    200      583      299           2.9      9.3      4.9
  Manufacturing.................................    135      513      263           1.0      4.1      2.1
   Durable goods................................     77      351      180            .9      4.5      2.3
   Nondurable goods.............................     58      162       83           1.2      3.4      1.8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    315      814      375           1.2      3.2      1.5
   Wholesale trade..............................     55      254       91            .9      4.4      1.6
   Retail trade.................................    219      430      202           1.4      2.9      1.4
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     41      131       81            .8      2.7      1.7
  Information...................................     15       97       25            .5      3.4       .9
  Financial activities..........................     55      293      108            .7      3.7      1.4
   Finance and insurance........................     32      189       58            .5      3.2      1.0
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     23      104       50           1.1      5.1      2.5
  Professional and business services............    311      564      426           1.8      3.3      2.5
  Education and health services.................    127      236      156            .7      1.2       .8
   Educational services.........................     14       34       17            .5      1.1       .5
   Health care and social assistance............    113      202      139            .7      1.3       .9
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    226      332      171           1.7      2.6      1.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     53       76       31           3.0      4.4      1.8
   Accommodation and food services.............     173      257      140           1.5      2.3      1.3
  Other services................................     53      114       53           1.0      2.1      1.0

 Government.....................................     36      144       47            .2       .6       .2
  Federal.......................................      6       11        5            .2       .4       .2
  State and local...............................     29      133       42            .1       .7       .2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    260      691      318           1.0      2.8      1.3
  South.........................................    504    1,342      689           1.0      2.8      1.4
  Midwest.......................................    335      806      452           1.1      2.7      1.5
  West..........................................    385      877      482           1.3      3.0      1.6


  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                  Feb.     Jan.     Feb.          Feb.     Jan.     Feb.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................    291      514      280           0.2      0.4      0.2

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    252      445      251            .2       .4       .2
  Mining and Logging............................      2        4        1            .2       .6       .1
  Construction..................................     17       23       10            .2       .4       .2
  Manufacturing.................................     25       46       20            .2       .4       .2
   Durable goods................................     14       37       15            .2       .5       .2
   Nondurable goods.............................     12        8        5            .2       .2       .1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........     84      121       55            .3       .5       .2
   Wholesale trade..............................      4       31        7            .1       .5       .1
   Retail trade.................................     72       61       36            .5       .4       .2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...      8       28       11            .2       .6       .2
  Information...................................      3       12        4            .1       .4       .1
  Financial activities..........................     22       44       11            .3       .6       .1
   Finance and insurance........................     15       38       10            .2       .6       .2
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........      7        6        1            .3       .3       .1
  Professional and business services............     35       64       73            .2       .4       .4
  Education and health services.................     40       97       47            .2       .5       .2
   Educational services.........................      2        2        2            .1       .1       .1
   Health care and social assistance............     39       94       44            .2       .6       .3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     16       25       29            .1       .2       .2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      1        7      (4)            .1       .4      (4)
   Accommodation and food services.............      15       18       28            .1       .2       .3
  Other services................................      7        9        2            .1       .2      (4)

 Government.....................................     39       69       29            .2       .3       .1
  Federal.......................................      8       15        5            .3       .6       .2
  State and local...............................     30       54       24            .2       .3       .1

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................     65       99       72            .3       .4       .3
  South.........................................     92      193       91            .2       .4       .2
  Midwest.......................................     72      140       73            .2       .5       .2
  West..........................................     62       82       45            .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 See footnote 7, table 1.
  4 Data round to zero.
  p = preliminary.


Last Modified Date: April 08, 2009