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Annual average rate of job openings 5.7 percent in 2023, compared to 6.8 percent in 2022
March 18, 2024
In 2023, the annual average job openings level was 9.4 million, a decrease of 1.8 million from 2022. The annual average job openings rate—that is, job openings as a percent of total employment plus job openings—was 5.7 percent in 2023, compared to 6.8 percent in 2022. In 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate was 4.5 percent.
Annual average rates for selected job openings and labor turnover measures, 2001–23
Year
Job openings rate
Hires rate
Total separations rate
Quits rate
Layoffs and discharges rate
Other separations rate
2001
3.2
3.9
4.1
2.2
1.6
0.3
2002
2.6
3.7
3.7
2.0
1.5
0.3
2003
2.4
3.6
3.6
1.8
1.6
0.3
2004
2.7
3.8
3.7
1.9
1.5
0.3
2005
3.0
4.0
3.8
2.1
1.5
0.2
2006
3.3
4.0
3.8
2.2
1.4
0.3
2007
3.3
3.9
3.8
2.1
1.4
0.3
2008
2.7
3.4
3.6
1.8
1.5
0.2
2009
1.9
3.0
3.3
1.3
1.7
0.2
2010
2.2
3.2
3.1
1.4
1.4
0.2
2011
2.5
3.3
3.1
1.5
1.4
0.2
2012
2.8
3.3
3.2
1.6
1.4
0.3
2013
2.9
3.4
3.2
1.7
1.3
0.3
2014
3.3
3.5
3.4
1.8
1.3
0.3
2015
3.8
3.7
3.5
2.0
1.3
0.3
2016
3.9
3.7
3.6
2.1
1.2
0.3
2017
4.0
3.7
3.6
2.1
1.2
0.2
2018
4.6
3.8
3.7
2.3
1.2
0.2
2019
4.5
3.9
3.8
2.3
1.2
0.2
2020
4.3
4.3
4.7
2.1
2.4
0.2
2021
6.4
4.3
3.9
2.7
1.0
0.2
2022
6.8
4.2
3.9
2.8
1.0
0.2
2023
5.7
3.8
3.6
2.4
1.1
0.2
The annual hires level was 71.0 million in 2023, a decrease of 5.8 million from 2022. The annual average hires rate, which is the number of hires as a percent of total employment, was 3.8 percent in 2023, down from 4.2 percent in 2022. The rate was 3.9 percent in 2019.
Annual total separations decreased by 4.2 million to 68.1 million in 2023. The annual average total separations rate was 3.6 percent, compared to 3.9 percent in 2022 and 3.8 percent in 2019.
Among the components of annual total separations in 2023, quits decreased by 6.1 million to 44.4 million and accounted for 65.2 percent of total separations. Layoffs and separations increased by 2.1 million to 19.8 million. Other separations, such as those due to retirement, death, disability, and transfer to other locations of the same firm, decreased by 176,000 over the year to 3.9 million.
The annual average quits rate, which can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs, was 2.4 percent in 2023. This compares to 2.8 percent in the prior year and 2.3 percent in 2019. The annual average layoffs and discharges rate was 1.1 percent in 2023 and 1.0 percent in 2022. The rate for other separations was 0.2 percent in 2023 and 2022. In 2019, the annual average rates were 1.2 percent for layoffs and discharges and 0.2 percent for other separations.
United States Department of Labor
