For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, November 7, 2017	USDL-17-1480

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 – SEPTEMBER 2017

The number of job openings was little changed at 6.1 million on the last business day of September, the 
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were also little 
changed at 5.3 million and 5.2 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate and the layoffs 
and discharges rate were little changed at 2.2 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. This release includes 
estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by 
industry and by four geographic regions.

Job Openings

On the last business day of September, there were 6.1 million job openings, little changed from August. 
Job openings have been at or near record high levels since June. The job openings rate was 4.0 percent 
in September. The number of job openings was little changed for total private and for government. Job 
openings increased in professional and business services (+156,000), other services (+52,000), state and 
local government education (+36,000), and federal government (+15,000). Job openings decreased in 
accommodation and food services (-111,000) and information (-28,000). The number of job openings 
was little changed in all four regions. (See table 1.)

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
|                                        Hurricane Irma                                            |
|Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida during September, the reference month for the preliminary |
|estimates in this release. All possible efforts were made to contact and collect data from survey |
|respondents in the hurricane-affected areas. A review of the data indicated that Hurricane Irma   |
|had no discernible effect on the JOLTS estimates for September. For more information, see         |
|www.bls.gov/jlt/jolts-harvey-irma.htm.                                                            |
|__________________________________________________________________________________________________|

Hires

The number of hires was little changed at 5.3 million in September. The hires rate was 3.6 percent. The 
number of hires was little changed for total private and for government. The number of hires was little 
changed in all industries and regions. (See table 2.)

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is 
referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, 
the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and 
discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations includes separations 
due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm.

The number of total separations was little changed at 5.2 million in September. The total separations 
rate was 3.6 percent. The number of total separations was little changed for total private and for 
government. Total separations decreased in other services (-73,000) and wholesale trade (-37,000). The 
number of total separations was little changed in all four regions. (See table 3.)

The number of quits was little changed at 3.2 million in September. The quits rate was 2.2 percent. The 
number of quits was little changed for total private and for government. Quits rose in professional and 
business services (+82,000) and state and local government, excluding education (+10,000). Quits fell in 
other services (-45,000) and real estate and rental and leasing (-16,000). In the regions, the number of 
quits increased in the Midwest. (See table 4.)

There were 1.7 million layoffs and discharges in September, little changed from August. The layoffs 
and discharges rate was 1.2 percent in September. The number of layoffs and discharges was little 
changed for total private and for government. The layoffs and discharges level decreased in wholesale 
trade (-30,000) and mining and logging (-7,000). The number of layoffs and discharges was little 
changed in all four regions. (See table 5.)

The number of other separations edged down in September to 355,000. Other separations edged down 
for total private and was little changed for government. Other separations increased in state and local 
government education (+6,000). Other separations decreased in other services (-18,000), 
accommodation and food services (-13,000), and educational services (-5,000). The number of other 
separations decreased in the South region. (See table 6.)

Net Change in Employment

Large numbers of hires and separations occur every month throughout the business cycle. Net 
employment change results from the relationship between hires and separations. When the number of 
hires exceeds the number of separations, employment rises, even if the hires level is steady or declining. 
Conversely, when the number of hires is less than the number of separations, employment declines, even 
if the hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in September, hires totaled 63.9 million 
and separations totaled 62.1 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.8 million. These totals 
include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for October 2017 are scheduled to be 
released on Monday, December 11, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. (EST).

Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Category	Job openings			Hires			Total separations
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
LEVELS BY INDUSTRY (in thousands)
Total	5,666	6,090	6,093	5,179	5,420	5,273	4,942	5,273	5,240
Total private	5,133	5,584	5,563	4,811	5,079	4,922	4,599	4,932	4,898
Mining and logging(1)	18	25	24	29	36	30	26	27	23
Construction(1)	237	230	196	317	370	377	293	337	363
Manufacturing	326	435	425	277	359	333	278	301	323
Durable goods(1)	197	248	255	162	211	194	165	172	185
Nondurable goods(1)	129	187	170	114	148	139	113	128	137
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,005	1,116	1,084	1,099	1,029	1,027	1,038	1,020	980
Wholesale trade(1)	169	207	222	139	149	140	113	157	120
Retail trade	633	643	616	758	684	688	722	676	673
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities(1)	202	266	246	202	196	199	203	187	187
Information(1)	87	122	94	79	79	73	82	83	88
Financial activities	339	341	339	177	213	194	166	212	189
Finance and insurance	260	267	280	117	135	127	110	131	128
Real estate and rental and leasing(1)	79	74	59	60	78	66	55	81	60
Professional and business services	1,125	1,037	1,193	1,112	1,123	1,119	1,035	1,059	1,117
Education and health services	1,086	1,191	1,172	616	662	651	558	633	619
Educational services(1)	108	104	98	90	98	89	65	77	77
Health care and social assistance	978	1,087	1,074	526	564	562	493	556	542
Leisure and hospitality	724	859	757	921	989	947	935	998	1,007
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	75	80	90	118	160	140	149	164	154
Accommodation and food services	650	778	667	802	830	807	786	834	853
Other services(1)	185	228	280	185	219	171	187	263	190
Government	533	506	530	368	340	351	343	341	342
Federal(1)	102	66	81	41	36	36	38	37	38
State and local	432	440	449	327	305	315	306	304	305
State and local education	144	146	182	162	144	142	142	141	136
State and local, excluding education(1)	288	294	267	165	160	173	163	162	169
RATES BY INDUSTRY (percent)
Total	3.8	4.0	4.0	3.6	3.7	3.6	3.4	3.6	3.6
Total private	4.0	4.3	4.3	3.9	4.1	4.0	3.8	4.0	3.9
Mining and logging(1)	2.6	3.4	3.3	4.4	5.0	4.2	4.0	3.7	3.1
Construction(1)	3.4	3.2	2.8	4.7	5.4	5.5	4.4	4.9	5.3
Manufacturing	2.6	3.4	3.3	2.2	2.9	2.7	2.3	2.4	2.6
Durable goods(1)	2.5	3.1	3.2	2.1	2.7	2.5	2.1	2.2	2.4
Nondurable goods(1)	2.7	3.8	3.5	2.5	3.2	3.0	2.4	2.7	2.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.5	3.9	3.8	4.0	3.8	3.7	3.8	3.7	3.6
Wholesale trade(1)	2.8	3.4	3.6	2.4	2.5	2.4	1.9	2.7	2.0
Retail trade	3.8	3.9	3.7	4.8	4.3	4.4	4.5	4.3	4.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities(1)	3.5	4.5	4.2	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.3	3.3
Information(1)	3.0	4.3	3.3	2.8	2.9	2.7	3.0	3.0	3.2
Financial activities	3.9	3.9	3.8	2.1	2.5	2.3	2.0	2.5	2.2
Finance and insurance	4.1	4.1	4.3	1.9	2.2	2.0	1.8	2.1	2.0
Real estate and rental and leasing(1)	3.5	3.3	2.6	2.8	3.5	3.0	2.6	3.7	2.7
Professional and business services	5.3	4.7	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.1	5.1	5.4
Education and health services	4.6	4.9	4.8	2.7	2.9	2.8	2.5	2.7	2.7
Educational services(1)	2.9	2.8	2.6	2.5	2.7	2.4	1.8	2.1	2.1
Health care and social assistance	4.9	5.3	5.2	2.7	2.9	2.9	2.6	2.8	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	4.4	5.1	4.6	5.9	6.2	6.0	6.0	6.2	6.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	3.2	3.4	3.8	5.3	7.0	6.2	6.7	7.2	6.8
Accommodation and food services	4.6	5.4	4.7	6.0	6.0	5.9	5.8	6.1	6.3
Other services(1)	3.1	3.8	4.6	3.2	3.8	3.0	3.3	4.6	3.3
Government	2.3	2.2	2.3	1.6	1.5	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.5
Federal(1)	3.5	2.3	2.8	1.5	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3
State and local	2.2	2.2	2.2	1.7	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6	1.6
State and local education	1.4	1.4	1.7	1.6	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.3
State and local, excluding education(1)	3.1	3.1	2.8	1.8	1.8	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.8
Footnotes (1) No regular seasonal movements could be identified in the job openings series, therefore, the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data are identical. (p) Preliminary

Technical Note


This news release presents statistics from the Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects
and compiles JOLTS data monthly from a sample of nonfarm
establishments. A more detailed discussion of JOLTS concepts and
methodology is available online at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch18.pdf.

Coverage and collection

The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments, as well
as federal, state, and local government entities in the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Data are collected for total employment, job
openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and
total separations.

Concepts

Industry classification.  The industry classifications in this release
are in accordance with the 2012 version of the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS).

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.  Job openings information is collected 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 whether or not the
employer found a suitable candidate, 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.  The hires level is 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.  The separations level is the total number of employment
terminations occurring at any time during the reference month, and is
reported by type of separation—quits, layoffs and discharges, and
other separations. (Some respondents are only able to report total
separations.) The quits count includes voluntary separations by
employees (except for retirements, which are reported as other
separations). The layoffs and discharges count is comprised of
involuntary separations initiated by the employer and includes 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. The other separations count includes retirements, transfers
to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. The
separations count does 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.

Annual estimates.  Annual levels for hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of
the 12 published monthly levels. Annual rates 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.
Consistent with BLS practice, annual estimates are published only for
not seasonally adjusted data and are released with the January news
release each year. 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.

Sample and estimation methodology

The JOLTS survey design is a stratified random sample of 16,000
nonfarm business and government establishments. The sample is
stratified by ownership, region, industry sector, and establishment
size class. The establishments are drawn from a universe of over 9.1
million establishments compiled by the Quarterly Census of Employment
and Wages (QCEW) program which includes all employers subject to state
unemployment insurance laws and federal agencies subject to the
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees program.

JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked, or ratio adjusted,
monthly to the strike-adjusted employment estimates of the 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. To
compensate for the inability to capture data from these
establishments, BLS has developed a birth/death model that uses birth
and death activity from previous years. The estimates of job openings,
hires, and separations produced by the birth/death model are added to
the sample-based estimates produced from the survey to arrive at the
estimates for openings, hires, and separations.

Seasonal adjustment

BLS uses X-13 ARIMA to seasonally adjust several JOLTS series
utilizing moving averages as seasonal filters. 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 current month data. JOLTS seasonal adjustment includes both
additive and multiplicative models and REGARIMA (regression with auto-
correlated 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

The JOLTS measures for hires minus separations can be used to derive a
measure of net employment change. This change should be comparable to
the net employment change from the much larger CES survey. However,
definitional differences as well as sampling and nonsampling 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.

This 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
change and the CES net employment change is calculated. Next, the
JOLTS implied employment change is adjusted to equal the CES net
employment change through a proportional adjustment. This procedure
adjusts the two components (hires, separations) proportionally to
their contribution to the total churn (hires plus separations). 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.

Reliability of the estimates

JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error.
When a sample is surveyed rather than the entire population, 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. Sampling error estimates are available at 
www.bls.gov/jlt/jolts_median_standard_errors.htm.

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 and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	5,666	5,702	6,116	6,140	6,090	6,093	3.8	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0
INDUSTRY
Total private	5,133	5,171	5,545	5,625	5,584	5,563	4.0	4.0	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.3
Mining and logging(3)	18	15	22	24	25	24	2.6	2.1	3.0	3.2	3.4	3.3
Construction(3)	237	163	212	237	230	196	3.4	2.3	3.0	3.3	3.2	2.8
Manufacturing	326	350	419	414	435	425	2.6	2.7	3.3	3.2	3.4	3.3
Durable goods(3)	197	201	232	207	248	255	2.5	2.5	2.9	2.6	3.1	3.2
Nondurable goods(3)	129	149	187	207	187	170	2.7	3.1	3.9	4.2	3.8	3.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,005	999	1,027	1,074	1,116	1,084	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.8	3.9	3.8
Wholesale trade(3)	169	185	229	230	207	222	2.8	3.0	3.7	3.7	3.4	3.6
Retail trade	633	666	615	618	643	616	3.8	4.0	3.7	3.8	3.9	3.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities(3)	202	149	183	226	266	246	3.5	2.6	3.1	3.9	4.5	4.2
Information(3)	87	88	102	93	122	94	3.0	3.1	3.6	3.3	4.3	3.3
Financial activities	339	349	353	362	341	339	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.9	3.8
Finance and insurance	260	266	285	279	267	280	4.1	4.1	4.4	4.3	4.1	4.3
Real estate and rental and leasing(3)	79	83	68	83	74	59	3.5	3.7	3.0	3.6	3.3	2.6
Professional and business services	1,125	1,029	1,171	1,088	1,037	1,193	5.3	4.7	5.4	5.0	4.7	5.4
Education and health services	1,086	1,109	1,203	1,164	1,191	1,172	4.6	4.6	5.0	4.8	4.9	4.8
Educational services(3)	108	99	92	144	104	98	2.9	2.7	2.5	3.8	2.8	2.6
Health care and social assistance	978	1,010	1,111	1,020	1,087	1,074	4.9	4.9	5.4	5.0	5.3	5.2
Leisure and hospitality	724	798	819	839	859	757	4.4	4.8	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	75	58	90	84	80	90	3.2	2.5	3.8	3.6	3.4	3.8
Accommodation and food services	650	740	729	755	778	667	4.6	5.2	5.1	5.2	5.4	4.7
Other services(3)	185	270	218	330	228	280	3.1	4.5	3.7	5.4	3.8	4.6
Government	533	531	571	515	506	530	2.3	2.3	2.5	2.3	2.2	2.3
Federal(3)	102	118	101	83	66	81	3.5	4.0	3.5	2.9	2.3	2.8
State and local	432	414	471	432	440	449	2.2	2.1	2.4	2.2	2.2	2.2
State and local education	144	145	154	155	146	182	1.4	1.4	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.7
State and local, excluding education(3)	288	269	317	277	294	267	3.1	2.9	3.4	2.9	3.1	2.8
REGION(4)
Northeast	1,018	1,057	1,059	1,119	1,102	1,082	3.7	3.8	3.8	4.0	3.9	3.8
South	2,071	2,062	2,234	2,243	2,125	2,158	3.8	3.7	4.0	4.0	3.8	3.9
Midwest	1,248	1,296	1,467	1,378	1,520	1,538	3.7	3.8	4.3	4.1	4.4	4.5
West	1,330	1,288	1,356	1,400	1,343	1,315	3.9	3.7	3.9	4.0	3.9	3.8
Footnotes (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) No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted series. (4) 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 and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	5,179	5,459	5,432	5,521	5,420	5,273	3.6	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.7	3.6
INDUSTRY
Total private	4,811	5,126	5,102	5,175	5,079	4,922	3.9	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.1	4.0
Mining and logging	29	38	33	35	36	30	4.4	5.4	4.6	5.0	5.0	4.2
Construction	317	368	345	354	370	377	4.7	5.3	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.5
Manufacturing	277	329	324	353	359	333	2.2	2.7	2.6	2.8	2.9	2.7
Durable goods	162	183	190	205	211	194	2.1	2.4	2.5	2.6	2.7	2.5
Nondurable goods	114	146	134	148	148	139	2.5	3.1	2.9	3.2	3.2	3.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,099	1,055	1,057	1,023	1,029	1,027	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.7	3.8	3.7
Wholesale trade	139	126	134	145	149	140	2.4	2.1	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.4
Retail trade	758	731	726	687	684	688	4.8	4.6	4.6	4.3	4.3	4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	202	198	196	192	196	199	3.6	3.5	3.5	3.4	3.5	3.5
Information	79	73	68	77	79	73	2.8	2.7	2.5	2.8	2.9	2.7
Financial activities	177	220	205	206	213	194	2.1	2.6	2.4	2.4	2.5	2.3
Finance and insurance	117	145	132	137	135	127	1.9	2.3	2.1	2.2	2.2	2.0
Real estate and rental and leasing	60	75	74	69	78	66	2.8	3.4	3.4	3.1	3.5	3.0
Professional and business services	1,112	1,168	1,191	1,200	1,123	1,119	5.5	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.4	5.4
Education and health services	616	670	644	669	662	651	2.7	2.9	2.8	2.9	2.9	2.8
Educational services	90	101	76	88	98	89	2.5	2.8	2.1	2.4	2.7	2.4
Health care and social assistance	526	569	567	581	564	562	2.7	2.9	2.9	3.0	2.9	2.9
Leisure and hospitality	921	955	1,018	1,021	989	947	5.9	6.0	6.4	6.4	6.2	6.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	118	144	167	171	160	140	5.3	6.4	7.4	7.5	7.0	6.2
Accommodation and food services	802	811	851	850	830	807	6.0	5.9	6.2	6.2	6.0	5.9
Other services	185	250	218	235	219	171	3.2	4.3	3.8	4.1	3.8	3.0
Government	368	332	330	346	340	351	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.6	1.5	1.6
Federal	41	29	28	38	36	36	1.5	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.3	1.3
State and local	327	303	302	308	305	315	1.7	1.6	1.5	1.6	1.6	1.6
State and local education	162	146	141	149	144	142	1.6	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4
State and local, excluding education	165	157	160	159	160	173	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.9
REGION(3)
Northeast	841	1,017	902	894	801	802	3.1	3.8	3.3	3.3	3.0	3.0
South	2,021	2,109	2,118	2,105	2,167	2,099	3.8	4.0	4.0	3.9	4.1	3.9
Midwest	1,145	1,167	1,256	1,305	1,207	1,214	3.6	3.6	3.9	4.0	3.7	3.7
West	1,171	1,165	1,157	1,216	1,245	1,158	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.7	3.5
Footnotes (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) 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 3. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	4,942	5,245	5,309	5,362	5,273	5,240	3.4	3.6	3.6	3.7	3.6	3.6
INDUSTRY
Total private	4,599	4,914	4,997	5,012	4,932	4,898	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.0	4.0	3.9
Mining and logging	26	31	25	29	27	23	4.0	4.3	3.5	4.0	3.7	3.1
Construction	293	341	340	367	337	363	4.4	5.0	4.9	5.3	4.9	5.3
Manufacturing	278	325	315	320	301	323	2.3	2.6	2.5	2.6	2.4	2.6
Durable goods	165	171	182	181	172	185	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.3	2.2	2.4
Nondurable goods	113	153	133	139	128	137	2.4	3.3	2.9	3.0	2.7	2.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,038	1,051	1,063	1,015	1,020	980	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.6
Wholesale trade	113	116	131	150	157	120	1.9	2.0	2.2	2.5	2.7	2.0
Retail trade	722	747	737	682	676	673	4.5	4.7	4.7	4.3	4.3	4.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	203	187	196	184	187	187	3.6	3.3	3.5	3.3	3.3	3.3
Information	82	79	67	87	83	88	3.0	2.9	2.4	3.2	3.0	3.2
Financial activities	166	213	200	200	212	189	2.0	2.5	2.4	2.4	2.5	2.2
Finance and insurance	110	132	130	125	131	128	1.8	2.1	2.1	2.0	2.1	2.0
Real estate and rental and leasing	55	81	70	75	81	60	2.6	3.7	3.2	3.4	3.7	2.7
Professional and business services	1,035	1,116	1,182	1,127	1,059	1,117	5.1	5.4	5.7	5.4	5.1	5.4
Education and health services	558	625	619	616	633	619	2.5	2.7	2.7	2.7	2.7	2.7
Educational services	65	92	93	79	77	77	1.8	2.5	2.6	2.2	2.1	2.1
Health care and social assistance	493	532	526	537	556	542	2.6	2.7	2.7	2.7	2.8	2.8
Leisure and hospitality	935	942	980	991	998	1,007	6.0	5.9	6.1	6.2	6.2	6.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	149	137	170	188	164	154	6.7	6.1	7.5	8.3	7.2	6.8
Accommodation and food services	786	804	809	803	834	853	5.8	5.9	5.9	5.9	6.1	6.3
Other services	187	192	206	260	263	190	3.3	3.3	3.6	4.5	4.6	3.3
Government	343	331	312	351	341	342	1.5	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.5	1.5
Federal	38	26	31	41	37	38	1.3	0.9	1.1	1.4	1.3	1.3
State and local	306	305	282	310	304	305	1.6	1.6	1.4	1.6	1.6	1.6
State and local education	142	139	131	156	141	136	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.5	1.4	1.3
State and local, excluding education	163	166	150	154	162	169	1.8	1.8	1.6	1.7	1.8	1.8
REGION(3)
Northeast	788	839	865	886	872	868	2.9	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.2	3.2
South	1,912	2,190	2,164	2,173	2,007	1,992	3.6	4.1	4.1	4.1	3.8	3.7
Midwest	1,067	1,096	1,143	1,195	1,180	1,201	3.3	3.4	3.5	3.7	3.6	3.7
West	1,175	1,119	1,138	1,108	1,213	1,179	3.6	3.4	3.4	3.3	3.6	3.5
Footnotes (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) 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 4. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	3,076	3,206	3,130	3,194	3,093	3,182	2.1	2.2	2.1	2.2	2.1	2.2
INDUSTRY
Total private	2,902	3,035	2,966	3,023	2,929	3,015	2.4	2.5	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4
Mining and logging	14	14	15	18	11	15	2.1	2.0	2.1	2.5	1.5	2.0
Construction	122	142	135	141	140	154	1.8	2.1	2.0	2.0	2.0	2.2
Manufacturing	150	202	197	191	185	194	1.2	1.6	1.6	1.5	1.5	1.6
Durable goods	84	104	108	109	98	112	1.1	1.3	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.4
Nondurable goods	66	98	90	82	86	82	1.4	2.1	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.7
Trade, transportation, and utilities	661	675	641	662	639	621	2.4	2.5	2.3	2.4	2.3	2.3
Wholesale trade	68	72	74	91	85	83	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.5	1.4	1.4
Retail trade	470	498	462	456	456	439	3.0	3.1	2.9	2.9	2.9	2.8
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	123	104	105	115	98	99	2.2	1.9	1.9	2.1	1.7	1.7
Information	49	31	37	58	46	51	1.8	1.2	1.4	2.1	1.7	1.9
Financial activities	87	131	105	116	118	112	1.0	1.6	1.2	1.4	1.4	1.3
Finance and insurance	60	80	61	75	73	84	1.0	1.3	1.0	1.2	1.2	1.3
Real estate and rental and leasing(3)	27	52	44	41	45	29	1.3	2.4	2.0	1.9	2.0	1.3
Professional and business services	631	616	634	615	590	672	3.1	3.0	3.1	3.0	2.8	3.2
Education and health services	402	421	422	391	395	411	1.8	1.8	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.8
Educational services	42	45	49	42	47	45	1.2	1.2	1.4	1.2	1.3	1.2
Health care and social assistance	360	376	373	349	349	366	1.9	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.8	1.9
Leisure and hospitality	680	690	648	666	639	663	4.3	4.3	4.1	4.2	4.0	4.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	75	67	63	66	60	50	3.4	3.0	2.8	2.9	2.7	2.2
Accommodation and food services	605	623	585	601	579	613	4.5	4.6	4.3	4.4	4.2	4.5
Other services(3)	106	112	132	165	166	121	1.9	2.0	2.3	2.9	2.9	2.1
Government	174	172	164	171	164	167	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.7
Federal	14	11	14	14	15	15	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
State and local	160	160	151	157	149	152	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
State and local education	76	78	76	81	75	69	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7	0.7
State and local, excluding education	84	83	75	75	73	83	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9
REGION(4)
Northeast	422	472	458	445	447	441	1.6	1.7	1.7	1.6	1.6	1.6
South	1,234	1,311	1,281	1,372	1,205	1,250	2.3	2.5	2.4	2.6	2.3	2.3
Midwest	675	691	661	700	688	779	2.1	2.1	2.0	2.1	2.1	2.4
West	746	733	730	677	752	712	2.3	2.2	2.2	2.0	2.2	2.1
Footnotes (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) No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted series. (4) 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 5. Layoffs and discharges levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	1,516	1,673	1,806	1,789	1,781	1,703	1.0	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.2
INDUSTRY
Total private	1,407	1,577	1,713	1,667	1,667	1,597	1.1	1.3	1.4	1.3	1.3	1.3
Mining and logging(3)	8	13	7	8	13	6	1.2	1.9	1.0	1.2	1.9	0.9
Construction	153	187	194	215	187	199	2.3	2.7	2.8	3.1	2.7	2.9
Manufacturing	101	103	95	109	96	104	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8
Durable goods	61	59	61	60	63	59	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Nondurable goods	40	44	34	50	33	45	0.9	1.0	0.7	1.1	0.7	1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	292	283	317	275	320	282	1.1	1.0	1.2	1.0	1.2	1.0
Wholesale trade(3)	32	36	32	48	64	34	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.8	1.1	0.6
Retail trade	201	184	208	171	178	177	1.3	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.1	1.1
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	59	63	77	56	78	71	1.1	1.1	1.4	1.0	1.4	1.3
Information	22	33	25	22	30	30	0.8	1.2	0.9	0.8	1.1	1.1
Financial activities	54	51	63	62	60	50	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.6
Finance and insurance	30	25	42	31	28	23	0.5	0.4	0.7	0.5	0.4	0.4
Real estate and rental and leasing	24	26	22	31	31	27	1.1	1.2	1.0	1.4	1.4	1.2
Professional and business services	353	440	488	436	395	388	1.7	2.1	2.4	2.1	1.9	1.9
Education and health services	118	168	153	170	179	163	0.5	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.8	0.7
Educational services	17	40	34	29	23	29	0.5	1.1	0.9	0.8	0.6	0.8
Health care and social assistance	101	129	119	141	156	133	0.5	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.7
Leisure and hospitality	231	222	309	289	314	311	1.5	1.4	1.9	1.8	2.0	2.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	70	67	106	119	99	99	3.2	3.0	4.7	5.2	4.4	4.4
Accommodation and food services	160	155	203	170	215	211	1.2	1.1	1.5	1.2	1.6	1.6
Other services	75	76	62	81	74	64	1.3	1.3	1.1	1.4	1.3	1.1
Government	109	97	93	122	114	105	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5
Federal	12	9	8	17	13	11	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.5	0.4
State and local	97	88	85	105	101	94	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5
State and local education	44	37	33	51	41	36	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.3
State and local, excluding education	53	51	52	54	60	58	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.6
REGION(4)
Northeast	299	303	345	360	360	360	1.1	1.1	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3
South	541	751	730	676	654	633	1.0	1.4	1.4	1.3	1.2	1.2
Midwest	329	321	408	421	409	338	1.0	1.0	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.0
West	347	298	322	333	358	371	1.0	0.9	1.0	1.0	1.1	1.1
Footnotes (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) No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted series. (4) 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 6. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)						Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	May 2017	June 2017	July 2017	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	351	365	373	379	398	355	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private	291	303	318	321	335	286	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2
Mining and logging	5	3	3	2	2	1	0.7	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.2
Construction(3)	18	13	12	11	10	9	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
Manufacturing	27	19	23	20	20	25	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Durable goods	20	8	13	12	11	14	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2
Nondurable goods(3)	7	11	10	8	9	11	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	85	93	105	78	60	78	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.3
Wholesale trade	13	8	25	10	8	3	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.1
Retail trade	51	65	67	55	41	57	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities(3)	21	20	14	13	11	17	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3
Information(3)	11	15	5	7	7	7	0.4	0.5	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2
Financial activities	25	30	32	23	35	26	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.3
Finance and insurance	21	27	27	19	30	21	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.3
Real estate and rental and leasing(3)	4	3	4	3	5	5	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2
Professional and business services	50	60	60	75	74	56	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3
Education and health services	38	36	44	55	59	45	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Educational services(3)	6	8	10	9	8	3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.1
Health care and social assistance(3)	32	28	34	47	51	42	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Leisure and hospitality	24	29	22	36	45	33	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation(3)	3	3	2	4	4	5	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2
Accommodation and food services(3)	21	26	21	33	41	28	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2
Other services(3)	6	4	12	13	23	5	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.1
Government	60	63	55	58	63	70	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3
Federal	12	6	8	9	10	11	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4
State and local	48	57	46	49	53	59	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3
State and local education	22	24	23	24	24	30	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3
State and local, excluding education	26	33	23	24	29	28	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
REGION(4)
Northeast	68	65	61	81	66	67	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2
South	138	128	154	126	148	108	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2
Midwest	63	84	73	74	83	84	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3
West	82	88	85	98	102	96	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Footnotes (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) No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted series. (4) 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
NOTE: Levels are rounded to the nearest thousand and rates are rounded to the nearest tenth. Levels and rates may round down to zero.

Table 7. Job openings levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	5,676	6,205	6,114	3.8	4.1	4.0
INDUSTRY
Total private	5,150	5,673	5,594	4.0	4.3	4.3
Mining and logging	18	25	24	2.6	3.4	3.2
Construction	237	230	196	3.3	3.1	2.7
Manufacturing	326	435	425	2.6	3.4	3.3
Durable goods	197	248	255	2.5	3.1	3.2
Nondurable goods	129	187	170	2.7	3.8	3.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,103	1,184	1,183	3.9	4.2	4.2
Wholesale trade	169	207	222	2.8	3.4	3.6
Retail trade	731	711	715	4.4	4.3	4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	202	266	246	3.5	4.5	4.2
Information	87	122	94	3.0	4.3	3.4
Financial activities	344	328	345	4.0	3.7	3.9
Finance and insurance	265	253	287	4.1	3.9	4.4
Real estate and rental and leasing	79	74	59	3.5	3.2	2.6
Professional and business services	1,098	1,005	1,192	5.1	4.6	5.4
Education and health services	1,062	1,186	1,150	4.5	4.9	4.7
Educational services	108	104	98	3.0	3.0	2.6
Health care and social assistance	954	1,082	1,052	4.8	5.3	5.1
Leisure and hospitality	691	929	705	4.2	5.3	4.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	60	87	75	2.5	3.3	3.1
Accommodation and food services	631	842	631	4.4	5.6	4.4
Other services	185	228	280	3.1	3.8	4.6
Government	526	532	521	2.3	2.4	2.3
Federal	102	66	81	3.5	2.3	2.8
State and local	424	466	440	2.1	2.5	2.2
State and local education	136	172	173	1.3	1.9	1.7
State and local, excluding education	288	294	267	3.1	3.1	2.8
REGION(3)
Northeast	1,034	1,166	1,095	3.7	4.1	3.9
South	2,065	2,089	2,140	3.8	3.8	3.8
Midwest	1,267	1,563	1,581	3.8	4.6	4.6
West	1,310	1,387	1,299	3.8	4.0	3.7
Footnotes (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) 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 8. Hires levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	5,341	6,041	5,368	3.7	4.1	3.7
INDUSTRY
Total private	4,871	5,444	4,928	4.0	4.3	4.0
Mining and logging	30	37	29	4.4	5.1	4.0
Construction	287	367	343	4.1	5.1	4.8
Manufacturing	289	397	347	2.3	3.2	2.8
Durable goods	165	231	199	2.1	3.0	2.6
Nondurable goods	125	166	148	2.7	3.5	3.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,117	1,055	1,045	4.1	3.9	3.8
Wholesale trade	142	155	144	2.4	2.6	2.4
Retail trade	754	708	682	4.8	4.5	4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	221	192	219	4.0	3.4	3.9
Information	75	81	69	2.7	3.0	2.6
Financial activities	169	219	182	2.0	2.6	2.1
Finance and insurance	111	137	119	1.8	2.2	1.9
Real estate and rental and leasing	58	82	62	2.7	3.7	2.8
Professional and business services	1,067	1,150	1,073	5.2	5.5	5.1
Education and health services	722	858	748	3.2	3.8	3.2
Educational services	167	197	158	4.7	5.9	4.4
Health care and social assistance	555	662	590	2.9	3.4	3.0
Leisure and hospitality	925	1,072	922	5.8	6.4	5.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	112	131	127	4.9	5.1	5.5
Accommodation and food services	813	941	795	6.0	6.7	5.8
Other services	190	206	170	3.3	3.6	3.0
Government	470	597	440	2.1	2.8	2.0
Federal	37	35	34	1.3	1.2	1.2
State and local	432	562	406	2.2	3.1	2.1
State and local education	289	405	251	2.8	4.5	2.4
State and local, excluding education	144	157	155	1.6	1.7	1.7
REGION(3)
Northeast	944	830	887	3.5	3.1	3.3
South	2,018	2,520	2,079	3.8	4.7	3.9
Midwest	1,150	1,332	1,217	3.6	4.1	3.7
West	1,229	1,360	1,185	3.7	4.1	3.5
Footnotes (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) 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 9. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	5,246	6,279	5,611	3.6	4.3	3.8
INDUSTRY
Total private	4,852	5,775	5,205	3.9	4.6	4.2
Mining and logging	29	30	25	4.3	4.1	3.5
Construction	292	374	364	4.2	5.2	5.1
Manufacturing	301	379	352	2.4	3.0	2.8
Durable goods	173	214	200	2.2	2.7	2.6
Nondurable goods	128	164	152	2.7	3.5	3.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,032	1,149	967	3.8	4.2	3.5
Wholesale trade	121	171	130	2.1	2.9	2.2
Retail trade	717	781	665	4.6	4.9	4.2
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	193	197	172	3.5	3.5	3.0
Information	80	93	88	2.9	3.4	3.3
Financial activities	159	256	183	1.9	3.0	2.2
Finance and insurance	106	170	125	1.7	2.7	2.0
Real estate and rental and leasing	53	86	58	2.5	3.8	2.6
Professional and business services	1,005	1,149	1,087	4.9	5.5	5.2
Education and health services	583	769	649	2.6	3.4	2.8
Educational services	70	118	78	2.0	3.5	2.2
Health care and social assistance	513	651	571	2.7	3.3	2.9
Leisure and hospitality	1,156	1,279	1,280	7.3	7.7	8.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	249	246	284	10.8	9.6	12.3
Accommodation and food services	907	1,033	996	6.7	7.3	7.3
Other services	214	297	209	3.8	5.1	3.6
Government	394	504	406	1.8	2.4	1.8
Federal	40	42	40	1.4	1.5	1.4
State and local	353	462	365	1.8	2.5	1.9
State and local education	119	207	113	1.2	2.3	1.1
State and local, excluding education	234	255	253	2.6	2.7	2.8
REGION(3)
Northeast	947	1,099	1,048	3.5	4.1	3.9
South	1,951	2,382	2,032	3.7	4.5	3.8
Midwest	1,123	1,427	1,270	3.5	4.4	3.9
West	1,225	1,371	1,262	3.7	4.1	3.8
Footnotes (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) 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 10. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	3,259	3,859	3,396	2.2	2.6	2.3
INDUSTRY
Total private	3,077	3,607	3,220	2.5	2.9	2.6
Mining and logging	16	15	18	2.4	2.0	2.4
Construction	126	185	163	1.8	2.6	2.3
Manufacturing	163	249	210	1.3	2.0	1.7
Durable goods	91	128	124	1.2	1.6	1.6
Nondurable goods	72	122	86	1.5	2.6	1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	706	783	658	2.6	2.9	2.4
Wholesale trade	73	99	92	1.2	1.7	1.6
Retail trade	504	570	465	3.2	3.6	3.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	128	114	101	2.3	2.0	1.8
Information	49	59	54	1.8	2.1	2.0
Financial activities	86	142	113	1.0	1.7	1.3
Finance and insurance	59	97	85	1.0	1.5	1.4
Real estate and rental and leasing	27	45	29	1.3	2.0	1.3
Professional and business services	614	689	677	3.0	3.3	3.2
Education and health services	421	484	433	1.9	2.1	1.9
Educational services	49	78	51	1.4	2.3	1.4
Health care and social assistance	372	407	382	1.9	2.1	2.0
Leisure and hospitality	790	835	772	5.0	5.0	4.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	105	111	68	4.6	4.3	2.9
Accommodation and food services	685	724	704	5.0	5.1	5.1
Other services	106	166	121	1.9	2.9	2.1
Government	181	252	176	0.8	1.2	0.8
Federal	15	20	16	0.5	0.7	0.6
State and local	166	232	160	0.9	1.3	0.8
State and local education	70	126	63	0.7	1.4	0.6
State and local, excluding education	96	106	97	1.1	1.1	1.1
REGION(3)
Northeast	493	595	517	1.8	2.2	1.9
South	1,274	1,486	1,292	2.4	2.8	2.4
Midwest	717	883	840	2.2	2.7	2.6
West	775	895	747	2.3	2.7	2.2
Footnotes (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) 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 11. Layoffs and discharges levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	1,648	2,001	1,874	1.1	1.4	1.3
INDUSTRY
Total private	1,490	1,817	1,711	1.2	1.4	1.4
Mining and logging	8	13	6	1.2	1.8	0.9
Construction	147	179	192	2.1	2.5	2.7
Manufacturing	114	110	118	0.9	0.9	0.9
Durable goods	65	76	63	0.8	1.0	0.8
Nondurable goods	48	34	55	1.0	0.7	1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	240	298	232	0.9	1.1	0.9
Wholesale trade	32	64	34	0.5	1.1	0.6
Retail trade	164	163	145	1.0	1.0	0.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	43	71	53	0.8	1.3	0.9
Information	20	27	27	0.7	1.0	1.0
Financial activities	48	73	44	0.6	0.9	0.5
Finance and insurance	27	38	19	0.4	0.6	0.3
Real estate and rental and leasing	22	36	25	1.0	1.6	1.1
Professional and business services	344	382	360	1.7	1.8	1.7
Education and health services	124	225	172	0.5	1.0	0.7
Educational services	15	32	24	0.4	1.0	0.7
Health care and social assistance	109	193	147	0.6	1.0	0.8
Leisure and hospitality	342	399	475	2.2	2.4	3.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	141	131	211	6.2	5.1	9.1
Accommodation and food services	201	269	264	1.5	1.9	1.9
Other services	103	108	84	1.8	1.9	1.5
Government	158	184	164	0.7	0.9	0.7
Federal	13	13	12	0.5	0.5	0.4
State and local	145	171	152	0.7	0.9	0.8
State and local education	32	53	26	0.3	0.6	0.3
State and local, excluding education	113	118	126	1.2	1.3	1.4
REGION(3)
Northeast	378	439	455	1.4	1.6	1.7
South	551	737	647	1.0	1.4	1.2
Midwest	348	452	355	1.1	1.4	1.1
West	370	372	419	1.1	1.1	1.2
Footnotes (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) 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 12. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted(1)

Industry and region	Levels (in thousands)			Rates(2)
	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)	Sept. 2016	Aug. 2017	Sept. 2017(p)
Total	339	419	341	0.2	0.3	0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private	285	351	275	0.2	0.3	0.2
Mining and logging	5	2	1	0.8	0.3	0.2
Construction	18	10	9	0.3	0.1	0.1
Manufacturing	24	20	23	0.2	0.2	0.2
Durable goods	17	11	12	0.2	0.1	0.2
Nondurable goods	7	9	11	0.2	0.2	0.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities	86	68	77	0.3	0.2	0.3
Wholesale trade	16	8	4	0.3	0.1	0.1
Retail trade	50	48	56	0.3	0.3	0.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	21	11	17	0.4	0.2	0.3
Information	11	7	7	0.4	0.3	0.2
Financial activities	25	41	25	0.3	0.5	0.3
Finance and insurance	21	36	20	0.3	0.6	0.3
Real estate and rental and leasing	4	5	5	0.2	0.2	0.2
Professional and business services	47	78	50	0.2	0.4	0.2
Education and health services	38	59	45	0.2	0.3	0.2
Educational services	6	8	3	0.2	0.2	0.1
Health care and social assistance	32	51	42	0.2	0.3	0.2
Leisure and hospitality	24	45	33	0.2	0.3	0.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	3	4	5	0.1	0.2	0.2
Accommodation and food services	21	41	28	0.2	0.3	0.2
Other services	6	23	5	0.1	0.4	0.1
Government	55	68	66	0.2	0.3	0.3
Federal	12	9	12	0.4	0.3	0.4
State and local	43	59	54	0.2	0.3	0.3
State and local education	17	28	24	0.2	0.3	0.2
State and local, excluding education	26	31	29	0.3	0.3	0.3
REGION(3)
Northeast	75	65	74	0.3	0.2	0.3
South	126	159	94	0.2	0.3	0.2
Midwest	59	92	77	0.2	0.3	0.2
West	80	104	96	0.2	0.3	0.3
Footnotes (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) 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
NOTE: Levels are rounded to the nearest thousand and rates are rounded to the nearest tenth. Levels and rates may round down to zero.