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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. (EDT) Wednesday, May 11, 2011       USDL-11-0679

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 – March 2011

There were 3.1 million job openings on the last business day of March,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings
rate (2.3 percent) was unchanged over the month, following a gain in
February. The hires rate (3.1 percent) and the separations rate (2.9
percent) also were unchanged in March. 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 number of job openings in March was 3.1 million, up from 3.0
million in February. (See table 1.) This marks the first time since
November 2008 that job openings have been at or above 3.0 million for
two consecutive months. The job openings level has trended up since
the end of the recession in June 2009 (as designated by the National
Bureau of Economic Research) but remains well below the 4.4 million
openings when the recession began in December 2007.

The number of job openings in March (not seasonally adjusted)
increased from 12 months earlier for total nonfarm, total private,
eight industries, and the Northeast and Midwest regions. The level
decreased over the year for government due to decreases for federal
government. (See table 5.) Over-the-year comparisons for federal
government are impacted, in part, by the large number of temporary
workers employed to conduct the 2010 Census.

                                 - 2 -

Table A.  Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |    Job openings    |       Hires        | Total separations
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
     Industry      | Mar. | Feb. | Mar. | Mar. | Feb. | Mar. | Mar. | Feb. | Mar.
                   | 2010 | 2011 | 2011p| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                     Levels (in thousands)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|2,697 |3,025 |3,124 |4,139 |3,986 |4,043 |3,877 |3,825 |3,836
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|2,248 |2,695 |2,770 |3,763 |3,729 |3,781 |3,561 |3,538 |3,562
  Construction.....|  100 |   55 |   67 |  382 |  369 |  336 |  344 |  324 |  336
  Manufacturing....|  162 |  209 |  228 |  262 |  250 |  262 |  245 |  234 |  242
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  429 |  448 |  471 |  855 |  816 |  802 |  819 |  800 |  796
   Retail trade....|  294 |  232 |  249 |  618 |  547 |  555 |  587 |  549 |  561
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  420 |  606 |  575 |  721 |  791 |  819 |  680 |  760 |  706
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  522 |  553 |  614 |  495 |  468 |  472 |  438 |  441 |  423
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  247 |  378 |  355 |  656 |  632 |  691 |  629 |  582 |  676
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|   28 |   48 |   40 |  115 |  101 |  129 |  115 |   86 |  132
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  219 |  330 |  315 |  542 |  531 |  563 |  514 |  495 |  545
 Government(3).....|  449 |  330 |  354 |  377 |  257 |  262 |  315 |  287 |  274
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  253 |  260 |  278 |  265 |  218 |  227 |  269 |  255 |  244
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Rates (percent)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|  2.0 |  2.3 |  2.3 |  3.2 |  3.1 |  3.1 |  3.0 |  2.9 |  2.9
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|  2.1 |  2.4 |  2.5 |  3.5 |  3.4 |  3.5 |  3.3 |  3.3 |  3.3
  Construction.....|  1.8 |  1.0 |  1.2 |  6.9 |  6.7 |  6.1 |  6.2 |  5.9 |  6.1
  Manufacturing....|  1.4 |  1.8 |  1.9 |  2.3 |  2.1 |  2.2 |  2.1 |  2.0 |  2.1
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  1.7 |  1.8 |  1.9 |  3.5 |  3.3 |  3.2 |  3.3 |  3.2 |  3.2
   Retail trade....|  2.0 |  1.6 |  1.7 |  4.3 |  3.8 |  3.8 |  4.1 |  3.8 |  3.9
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  2.5 |  3.4 |  3.3 |  4.4 |  4.7 |  4.8 |  4.1 |  4.5 |  4.1
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  2.6 |  2.7 |  3.0 |  2.5 |  2.4 |  2.4 |  2.3 |  2.2 |  2.1
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  1.9 |  2.8 |  2.6 |  5.1 |  4.8 |  5.3 |  4.9 |  4.4 |  5.1
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|  1.5 |  2.5 |  2.1 |  6.1 |  5.3 |  6.8 |  6.1 |  4.6 |  6.9
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  1.9 |  2.9 |  2.7 |  4.9 |  4.7 |  5.0 |  4.6 |  4.4 |  4.8
 Government(3).....|  2.0 |  1.5 |  1.6 |  1.7 |  1.2 |  1.2 |  1.4 |  1.3 |  1.2
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  1.4 |  1.1 |  1.2 |  1.4 |  1.3 |  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

Hires
In March, the hires rate remained at 3.1 percent for total nonfarm and
the rate was essentially unchanged for all industries and regions.
(See table 2.) At 4.0 million in March, the number of hires has
increased from 3.6 million in October 2009 (the series trough) but
remains below the 5.0 million hires in December 2007 when the
recession began.

Over the 12 months ending in March, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private. Over
the year, the hires rate fell for government and federal government
due, in part, to hiring last year for the 2010 Census. The hires rate
was unchanged for all industries and 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

                                 - 3 -

unchanged at 2.9 percent for total nonfarm in March on a seasonally
adjusted basis. Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm, total private,
and government. (See tables 3 and 7.)

The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. In March, the quits rate was unchanged for
total nonfarm (1.5 percent), total private (1.7 percent), and
government (0.5 percent) and was little changed in every industry and
region. (See table 4.) The 1.9 million quits in March remains well
below the 2.8 million quits in December 2007 when the recession began.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in March increased over
the year for total nonfarm and total private but was little changed
for government. The number of quits increased for durable
manufacturing and decreased for federal government. (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 rate was unchanged in
March for total nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of
layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.6 million in March,
about the same as the series low of 1.5 million in January 2011. (See
table B below.) The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm
had peaked at 2.5 million in February 2009.

The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) was
essentially unchanged over the 12 months ending in March for total
nonfarm and total private but the level decreased in federal
government. The layoffs and discharges level was essentially unchanged
over the year in all industries and regions. (See table 9.)

Table B.  Layoffs and discharges by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                   | Levels (in thousands) |    Rates (percent)
                   |------------------------------------------------
     Industry      |  Mar. |  Feb. |  Mar. |  Mar. |  Feb. |  Mar.
                   |  2010 |  2011 |  2011p|  2010 |  2011 |  2011p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 1,790 | 1,620 | 1,604 |  1.4  |  1.2  |  1.2
 Total private.....| 1,659 | 1,504 | 1,502 |  1.6  |  1.4  |  1.4
 Government........|   131 |   116 |   102 |  0.6  |  0.5  |  0.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------
  p = Preliminary

The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In March,
there were 290,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 247,000 for
total private, and 43,000 for government. Compared to March 2010, the
number of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm,
total private, and government. (See table 10.)

Relative Contributions to Separations
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,
but for the majority of the months since the series began in December
2000, the proportion of quits has exceeded the proportion of layoffs
and discharges. Other separations is historically a very small portion
of total separations; it has rarely been above 10 percent of the
total.

                                 - 4 -

Since the end of the recession, the proportion of layoffs and
discharges has declined, while the proportion of quits has not
returned to pre-recession levels. In March, the proportion of quits
for total nonfarm was 50 percent and the proportion of layoffs and
discharges was 42 percent. The proportion of quits for total private
was 51 percent and the proportion of layoffs and discharges was 42
percent. For government, the proportions were 38 percent quits and 37
percent layoffs and discharges. (See table C below.)

Table C.  Quits and layoffs and discharges as a percentage of total separations, seasonally adjusted
(Levels in thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Quits                      |             Layoffs and discharges
                   | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |      Mar.      |      Feb.      |      Mar.      |      Mar.      |      Feb.      |      Mar.
                   |      2010      |      2011      |      2011p     |      2010      |      2011      |      2011p
     Industry      | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |       |Portion |       |Portion |       |Portion |       |Portion |       |Portion |       |Portion
                   | Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 1,803 |   47%  | 1,910 |   50%  | 1,934 |   50%  | 1,790 |   46%  | 1,620 |   42%  | 1,604 |   42%
 Total private.....| 1,683 |   47%  | 1,793 |   51%  | 1,829 |   51%  | 1,659 |   47%  | 1,504 |   43%  | 1,502 |   42%
 Government........|   120 |   38%  |   117 |   41%  |   105 |   38%  |   131 |   42%  |   116 |   40%  |   102 |   37%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  p = Preliminary

Net Change in Employment
Over the 12 months ending in March, hires (not seasonally adjusted)
totaled nearly 47.6 million and separations (not seasonally adjusted)
totaled 46.4 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.2 million.
These figures include workers who may have been hired and separated
more than once during the year.  Nearly half of the hires and nearly
half of the separations during these 12 months occurred in three
industries: retail trade; professional and business services; and
accommodation and food services. The large share of total hires and
separations accounted for by these three industries reflects the size
of the industries as well as their relatively high hires and
separations rates.

____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for April 2011 are
scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).




                                 - 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, web, 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.

                                 - 6 -

  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 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 sepa-

                                 - 7 -

rations 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.

  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.

  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.

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

                                 - 8 -

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.

Reliability of the estimates

  JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error.  When a sample rather than the entire population is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ
from the "true" population values they represent.  The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular
sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard
error of the estimate.  BLS analysis is generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.  That means that there is a 90-
percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a
sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the
"true" population value because of sampling error.  Estimates of
sampling errors are available upon request.

  The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure
to include a 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;
Federal Relay Service: (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              Mar.   Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Mar.  Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.
                                            2010   2010   2010   2010   2011   2011   2011p  2010  2010  2010  2010  2011  2011  2011p

Total.................................     2,697  2,905  2,966  2,921  2,741  3,025  3,124    2.0   2.2   2.2   2.2   2.1   2.3   2.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  2,248  2,560  2,639  2,500  2,418  2,695  2,770    2.1   2.3   2.4   2.3   2.2   2.4   2.5
  Construction...........................    100     69     94     44     60     55     67    1.8   1.2   1.7    .8   1.1   1.0   1.2
  Manufacturing..........................    162    193    213    184    207    209    228    1.4   1.6   1.8   1.6   1.7   1.8   1.9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    429    445    430    463    470    448    471    1.7   1.8   1.7   1.8   1.9   1.8   1.9
   Retail trade..........................    294    272    248    268    263    232    249    2.0   1.8   1.7   1.8   1.8   1.6   1.7
  Professional and business services.....    420    575    647    609    459    606    575    2.5   3.3   3.7   3.5   2.6   3.4   3.3
  Education and health services..........    522    569    528    510    482    553    614    2.6   2.8   2.6   2.5   2.4   2.7   3.0
  Leisure and hospitality................    247    274    253    270    301    378    355    1.9   2.1   1.9   2.0   2.3   2.8   2.6
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     28     27     30     41     39     48     40    1.5   1.4   1.5   2.1   2.0   2.5   2.1
   Accommodation and food services.......    219    247    224    229    262    330    315    1.9   2.2   2.0   2.0   2.3   2.9   2.7
 Government(6).........................      449    345    327    421    323    330    354    2.0   1.5   1.4   1.9   1.4   1.5   1.6
  State and local government.............    253    272    244    319    259    260    278    1.3   1.4   1.2   1.6   1.3   1.3   1.4


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast...........................       534    605    603    548    492    594    664    2.1   2.4   2.4   2.2   1.9   2.3   2.6
  South...............................       945  1,084  1,053  1,023    960  1,082  1,069    2.0   2.2   2.2   2.1   2.0   2.2   2.2
  Midwest.............................       540    584    634    617    513    630    656    1.8   1.9   2.1   2.0   1.7   2.1   2.2
  West................................       664    740    769    829    573    715    739    2.3   2.5   2.6   2.8   2.0   2.4   2.5


  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              Mar.   Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Mar.  Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.
                                            2010   2010   2010   2010   2011   2011   2011p  2010  2010  2010  2010  2011  2011  2011p

Total.................................     4,139  3,865  3,943  3,905  3,769  3,986  4,043    3.2   3.0   3.0   3.0   2.9   3.1   3.1

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,763  3,580  3,668  3,631  3,494  3,729  3,781    3.5   3.3   3.4   3.4   3.2   3.4   3.5
  Construction...........................    382    331    324    356    254    369    336    6.9   6.0   5.9   6.5   4.6   6.7   6.1
  Manufacturing..........................    262    259    272    264    246    250    262    2.3   2.2   2.4   2.3   2.1   2.1   2.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    855    777    799    756    783    816    802    3.5   3.1   3.2   3.1   3.2   3.3   3.2
   Retail trade..........................    618    545    548    476    536    547    555    4.3   3.8   3.8   3.3   3.7   3.8   3.8
  Professional and business services.....    721    730    761    780    810    791    819    4.4   4.4   4.5   4.6   4.8   4.7   4.8
  Education and health services..........    495    465    491    465    437    468    472    2.5   2.4   2.5   2.4   2.2   2.4   2.4
  Leisure and hospitality................    656    596    590    596    588    632    691    5.1   4.6   4.5   4.6   4.5   4.8   5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    115     87     94     98     84    101    129    6.1   4.6   5.0   5.2   4.5   5.3   6.8
   Accommodation and food services.......    542    508    496    498    504    531    563    4.9   4.5   4.4   4.5   4.5   4.7   5.0
 Government(6).........................      377    285    275    274    275    257    262    1.7   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2
  State and local government.............    265    250    243    242    242    218    227    1.4   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.3   1.1   1.2


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast...........................       727    690    701    680    633    646    720    2.9   2.8   2.8   2.7   2.5   2.6   2.9
  South...............................     1,556  1,449  1,572  1,513  1,412  1,466  1,539    3.3   3.1   3.3   3.2   3.0   3.1   3.2
  Midwest.............................       929    880    879    878    920    901    829    3.2   3.0   3.0   3.0   3.1   3.0   2.8
  West................................       913    839    883    806    939    862    830    3.2   2.9   3.1   2.8   3.3   3.0   2.9


  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              Mar.   Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Mar.  Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.
                                            2010   2010   2010   2010   2011   2011   2011p  2010  2010  2010  2010  2011  2011  2011p

Total.................................     3,877  3,702  3,869  3,836  3,612  3,825  3,836    3.0   2.8   3.0   2.9   2.8   2.9   2.9

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,561  3,436  3,568  3,539  3,337  3,538  3,562    3.3   3.2   3.3   3.3   3.1   3.3   3.3
  Construction...........................    344    323    342    393    281    324    336    6.2   5.9   6.2   7.2   5.1   5.9   6.1
  Manufacturing..........................    245    266    265    252    184    234    242    2.1   2.3   2.3   2.2   1.6   2.0   2.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    819    741    773    718    769    800    796    3.3   3.0   3.1   2.9   3.1   3.2   3.2
   Retail trade..........................    587    527    541    470    527    549    561    4.1   3.6   3.7   3.3   3.6   3.8   3.9
  Professional and business services.....    680    709    687    735    756    760    706    4.1   4.2   4.1   4.3   4.5   4.5   4.1
  Education and health services..........    438    408    460    450    394    441    423    2.3   2.1   2.3   2.3   2.0   2.2   2.1
  Leisure and hospitality................    629    613    595    583    596    582    676    4.9   4.7   4.6   4.5   4.6   4.4   5.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    115    106     99     98     92     86    132    6.1   5.6   5.2   5.2   4.9   4.6   6.9
   Accommodation and food services.......    514    507    497    485    505    495    545    4.6   4.5   4.4   4.3   4.5   4.4   4.8
 Government(6).........................      315    265    300    297    275    287    274    1.4   1.2   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.3   1.2
  State and local government.............    269    220    263    269    245    255    244    1.4   1.1   1.4   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.3


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast...........................       777    678    715    598    569    703    664    3.1   2.7   2.9   2.4   2.3   2.8   2.7
  South...............................     1,413  1,290  1,407  1,476  1,499  1,451  1,529    3.0   2.7   3.0   3.1   3.2   3.1   3.2
  Midwest.............................       890    822    890    841    912    830    894    3.0   2.8   3.0   2.8   3.1   2.8   3.0
  West................................       924    782    829    759    817    857    866    3.2   2.7   2.9   2.7   2.9   3.0   3.0


  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              Mar.   Oct.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Mar.  Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.
                                            2010   2010   2010   2010   2011   2011   2011p  2010  2010  2010  2010  2011  2011  2011p

Total.................................     1,803  1,755  1,756  1,838  1,679  1,910  1,934    1.4   1.4   1.3   1.4   1.3   1.5   1.5

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  1,683  1,654  1,653  1,731  1,572  1,793  1,829    1.6   1.5   1.5   1.6   1.5   1.7   1.7
  Construction...........................     78     77     56     81     56     62     74    1.4   1.4   1.0   1.5   1.0   1.1   1.3
  Manufacturing..........................     89     95    103    107     83     94    111     .8    .8    .9    .9    .7    .8    .9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    398    376    388    373    338    442    429    1.6   1.5   1.6   1.5   1.4   1.8   1.7
   Retail trade..........................    295    291    292    274    240    317    331    2.0   2.0   2.0   1.9   1.7   2.2   2.3
  Professional and business services.....    299    342    317    335    361    396    372    1.8   2.0   1.9   2.0   2.1   2.3   2.2
  Education and health services..........    241    228    248    244    206    241    248    1.2   1.2   1.3   1.2   1.0   1.2   1.2
  Leisure and hospitality................    365    357    335    368    352    353    396    2.8   2.7   2.6   2.8   2.7   2.7   3.0
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     32     43     37     41     28     37     48    1.7   2.2   2.0   2.2   1.5   1.9   2.6
   Accommodation and food services.......    332    314    297    327    324    317    348    3.0   2.8   2.7   2.9   2.9   2.8   3.1
 Government(6).........................      120    101    102    107    107    117    105     .5    .5    .5    .5    .5    .5    .5
  State and local government.............    103     89     91     98    100    108     96     .5    .5    .5    .5    .5    .6    .5


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast...........................       311    266    248    251    214    335    309    1.3   1.1   1.0   1.0    .9   1.3   1.2
  South...............................       714    679    702    761    656    779    799    1.5   1.4   1.5   1.6   1.4   1.6   1.7
  Midwest.............................       399    415    403    411    368    455    454    1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.2   1.5   1.5
  West................................       403    377    367    343    366    447    460    1.4   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.3   1.6   1.6


  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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................  2,687    2,954    3,159           2.0      2.2      2.4

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,222    2,641    2,792           2.1      2.4      2.5
  Mining and Logging............................     10       24       32           1.5      3.2      4.1
  Construction..................................    100       52       70           1.9      1.0      1.3
  Manufacturing.................................    154      203      222           1.3      1.7      1.9
   Durable goods................................     97      133      151           1.4      1.8      2.1
   Nondurable goods.............................     57       70       71           1.3      1.6      1.6
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    440      422      501           1.8      1.7      2.0
   Wholesale trade..............................     88      121      133           1.6      2.2      2.4
   Retail trade.................................    294      199      256           2.0      1.4      1.8
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     58      103      112           1.2      2.1      2.3
  Information...................................     64       83      102           2.3      3.0      3.7
  Financial activities..........................    151      193      208           1.9      2.5      2.7
   Finance and insurance........................    135      157      166           2.3      2.7      2.9
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     17       36       41            .9      1.9      2.1
  Professional and business services............    389      611      534           2.3      3.5      3.1
  Education and health services.................    511      557      609           2.5      2.7      3.0
   Educational services.........................     72       66       56           2.1      1.9      1.7
   Health care and social assistance............    439      492      553           2.6      2.9      3.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    263      368      390           2.0      2.9      3.0
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     29       46       42           1.7      2.7      2.4
   Accommodation and food services.............     233      321      348           2.1      2.9      3.1
  Other services................................    139      130      125           2.6      2.4      2.3

 Government.....................................    465      313      367           2.0      1.4      1.6
  Federal.......................................    226       69       95           7.2      2.4      3.2
  State and local...............................    239      244      272           1.2      1.2      1.4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    502      548      627           2.0      2.2      2.5
  South.........................................    962    1,077    1,093           2.0      2.3      2.3
  Midwest.......................................    560      611      693           1.9      2.0      2.3
  West..........................................    664      719      745           2.3      2.5      2.5


  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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................  4,005    3,337    4,002           3.1      2.6      3.1

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,716    3,161    3,815           3.5      3.0      3.6
  Mining and Logging............................     22       18       26           3.4      2.5      3.5
  Construction..................................    419      302      379           8.0      6.0      7.3
  Manufacturing.................................    257      225      262           2.3      2.0      2.3
   Durable goods................................    141      137      148           2.0      1.9      2.1
   Nondurable goods.............................    116       88      114           2.6      2.0      2.6
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    876      638      839           3.6      2.6      3.4
   Wholesale trade..............................    128      123      122           2.4      2.3      2.2
   Retail trade.................................    641      409      596           4.5      2.9      4.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    107      106      121           2.3      2.2      2.6
  Information...................................     48       44       51           1.8      1.6      1.9
  Financial activities..........................    126      116      142           1.7      1.5      1.9
   Finance and insurance........................     87       74       88           1.5      1.3      1.5
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     39       41       54           2.1      2.2      2.8
  Professional and business services............    697      716      801           4.3      4.3      4.7
  Education and health services.................    428      407      415           2.2      2.0      2.1
   Educational services.........................     56       67       45           1.7      2.0      1.3
   Health care and social assistance............    372      341      370           2.3      2.1      2.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    683      535      752           5.4      4.3      5.9
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    107       64      125           6.1      3.8      7.2
   Accommodation and food services.............     576      471      627           5.3      4.3      5.7
  Other services................................    159      159      148           3.0      2.9      2.7

 Government.....................................    288      177      187           1.3       .8       .8
  Federal.......................................    108       28       35           3.7      1.0      1.2
  State and local...............................    181      149      153            .9       .8       .8

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    672      500      717           2.7      2.0      2.9
  South.........................................  1,506    1,303    1,576           3.2      2.8      3.4
  Midwest.......................................    950      787      880           3.3      2.7      3.0
  West..........................................    876      747      829           3.1      2.6      2.9


  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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................  3,280    3,110    3,274           2.6      2.4      2.5

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,076    2,941    3,105           2.9      2.8      2.9
  Mining and Logging............................     15       16       11           2.2      2.1      1.5
  Construction..................................    284      279      281           5.5      5.5      5.4
  Manufacturing.................................    218      204      217           1.9      1.8      1.9
   Durable goods................................    117      115      122           1.7      1.6      1.7
   Nondurable goods.............................    101       89       95           2.3      2.0      2.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    705      685      699           2.9      2.8      2.9
   Wholesale trade..............................    121      118       95           2.2      2.2      1.7
   Retail trade.................................    488      464      487           3.4      3.3      3.4
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     96      103      117           2.1      2.2      2.5
  Information...................................     63       42       62           2.3      1.6      2.3
  Financial activities..........................    146      117      137           1.9      1.6      1.8
   Finance and insurance........................    102       76       98           1.8      1.4      1.7
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     45       41       38           2.3      2.2      2.0
  Professional and business services............    656      668      665           4.0      4.0      3.9
  Education and health services.................    381      353      365           1.9      1.8      1.8
   Educational services.........................     44       42       39           1.3      1.3      1.2
   Health care and social assistance............    337      311      326           2.1      1.9      2.0
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    490      424      551           3.9      3.4      4.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     77       42       93           4.4      2.5      5.3
   Accommodation and food services.............     413      382      458           3.8      3.5      4.1
  Other services................................    119      153      119           2.3      2.8      2.2

 Government.....................................    204      169      169            .9       .8       .8
  Federal.......................................     38       23       23           1.3       .8       .8
  State and local...............................    166      146      147            .8       .7       .7

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    621      534      521           2.5      2.2      2.1
  South.........................................  1,206    1,201    1,320           2.6      2.6      2.8
  Midwest.......................................    701      651      707           2.4      2.2      2.4
  West..........................................    752      724      726           2.7      2.6      2.5


  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 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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................  1,568    1,528    1,722           1.2      1.2      1.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,480    1,444    1,646           1.4      1.4      1.5
  Mining and Logging............................      6       10        7            .9      1.4      1.0
  Construction..................................     65       49       71           1.2      1.0      1.4
  Manufacturing.................................     78       75      105            .7       .7       .9
   Durable goods................................     38       41       59            .5       .6       .8
   Nondurable goods.............................     40       34       46            .9       .8      1.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    347      364      382           1.4      1.5      1.6
   Wholesale trade..............................     53       54       39           1.0      1.0       .7
   Retail trade.................................    243      255      282           1.7      1.8      2.0
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     51       55       60           1.1      1.2      1.3
  Information...................................     36       22       26           1.3       .8      1.0
  Financial activities..........................     75       54       90           1.0       .7      1.2
   Finance and insurance........................     58       40       62           1.0       .7      1.1
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     17       14       27            .9       .7      1.4
  Professional and business services............    288      333      347           1.8      2.0      2.1
  Education and health services.................    215      188      228           1.1       .9      1.1
   Educational services.........................     22       20       24            .7       .6       .7
   Health care and social assistance............    194      168      204           1.2      1.0      1.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    297      273      331           2.4      2.2      2.6
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     21       22       31           1.2      1.3      1.8
   Accommodation and food services.............     276      251      300           2.5      2.3      2.7
  Other services................................     72       74       60           1.4      1.4      1.1

 Government.....................................     88       84       75            .4       .4       .3
  Federal.......................................     14        7        7            .5       .3       .2
  State and local...............................     74       77       69            .4       .4       .3

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    267      223      257           1.1       .9      1.0
  South.........................................    629      613      713           1.4      1.3      1.5
  Midwest.......................................    340      337      375           1.2      1.1      1.3
  West..........................................    332      355      377           1.2      1.3      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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................  1,429    1,287    1,263           1.1      1.0      1.0

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,357    1,238    1,212           1.3      1.2      1.1
  Mining and Logging............................      7        4        3           1.1       .5       .4
  Construction..................................    203      224      197           3.9      4.4      3.8
  Manufacturing.................................    120      107       88           1.1       .9       .8
   Durable goods................................     70       59       51           1.0       .8       .7
   Nondurable goods.............................     50       48       37           1.1      1.1       .8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    306      251      252           1.3      1.0      1.0
   Wholesale trade..............................     58       48       42           1.1       .9       .8
   Retail trade.................................    218      171      170           1.5      1.2      1.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     30       32       41            .7       .7       .9
  Information...................................     20       16       34            .8       .6      1.3
  Financial activities..........................     54       46       35            .7       .6       .5
   Finance and insurance........................     31       26       26            .5       .5       .5
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     23       20        9           1.2      1.1       .5
  Professional and business services............    305      285      263           1.9      1.7      1.6
  Education and health services.................    123      111       96            .6       .6       .5
   Educational services.........................     13       19       12            .4       .6       .4
   Health care and social assistance............    109       92       84            .7       .6       .5
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    174      125      197           1.4      1.0      1.5
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     55       18       59           3.1      1.0      3.4
   Accommodation and food services.............     119      108      138           1.1      1.0      1.3
  Other services................................     45       70       45            .9      1.3       .8

 Government.....................................     72       49       51            .3       .2       .2
  Federal.......................................     15        6        7            .5       .2       .2
  State and local...............................     57       43       45            .3       .2       .2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    303      267      222           1.2      1.1       .9
  South.........................................    476      470      503           1.0      1.0      1.1
  Midwest.......................................    322      250      249           1.1       .9       .8
  West..........................................    328      301      288           1.2      1.1      1.0


  1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.
  2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a
percent of total employment.
  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                  Mar.     Feb.     Mar.          Mar.     Feb.     Mar.
                                                   2010     2011     2011p         2010     2011     2011p

Total...........................................    283      295      290           0.2      0.2      0.2

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    239      258      247            .2       .2       .2
  Mining and Logging............................      1        1        1            .2       .2       .1
  Construction..................................     16        5       13            .3       .1       .2
  Manufacturing.................................     20       21       24            .2       .2       .2
   Durable goods................................     10       15       12            .1       .2       .2
   Nondurable goods.............................     11        7       12            .2       .1       .3
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........     52       71       65            .2       .3       .3
   Wholesale trade..............................     10       16       15            .2       .3       .3
   Retail trade.................................     27       38       35            .2       .3       .2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     14       17       16            .3       .4       .3
  Information...................................      7        4        3            .3       .1       .1
  Financial activities..........................     17       18       12            .2       .2       .2
   Finance and insurance........................     12       11       10            .2       .2       .2
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........      5        7        2            .2       .4       .1
  Professional and business services............     62       50       54            .4       .3       .3
  Education and health services.................     43       54       41            .2       .3       .2
   Educational services.........................      9        3        3            .3       .1       .1
   Health care and social assistance............     34       51       38            .2       .3       .2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     19       26       22            .1       .2       .2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      1        2        3            .1       .1       .1
   Accommodation and food services.............      18       23       19            .2       .2       .2
  Other services................................      2        9       13           (4)       .2       .2

 Government.....................................     43       36       43            .2       .2       .2
  Federal.......................................      9       10        9            .3       .3       .3
  State and local...............................     34       26       34            .2       .1       .2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................     51       44       41            .2       .2       .2
  South.........................................    101      119      104            .2       .3       .2
  Midwest.......................................     39       64       83            .1       .2       .3
  West..........................................     92       68       61            .3       .2       .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: May 11, 2011