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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Mid-Atlantic > News Release
News Release Information

24-390-PHI
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:

Pennsylvania Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2023

Pennsylvania had 388,000 job openings in December 2023, compared to 381,000 openings in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the job openings rate in Pennsylvania was 5.9 percent in December and 5.8 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 5.4 percent in December, unchanged from November. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Pennsylvania was 0.6 in December. The ratio has been less than 1.0 in Pennsylvania since July 2021.  Nationwide, 32 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in December that were lower than the national measure of 0.7 unemployed persons per job opening; 10 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 8 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, December 2023, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 0.7)

In December, Pennsylvania had 182,000 hires and 162,000 separations, compared to 196,000 hires and 190,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires have averaged 194,000 per month and separations have averaged 186,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

Among the December separations in Pennsylvania, 111,000 were quits and 43,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 126,000 quits and 46,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 119,000 per month, ranging from 100,000 to 129,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 56,000 per month, ranging from 43,000 to 92,000.

The State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for January 2024 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:

  • A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
  • The job could start within 30 days.
  • The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.

  • Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
  • Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
  • Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Job openings and labor turnover for Pennsylvania, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate December 2022 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023(p) Change from November 2023 to December 2023(p)

Openings

 457 380 390 381 388 7

Hires

 179 220 193 196 182 -14

Total separations

 203 177 234 190 162 -28

Quits

 125 121 129 126 111 -15

Layoffs & discharges

 64 46 92 46 43 -3

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Pennsylvania, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2022 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023(p) Change from November 2023 to December 2023(p)

Openings(1)

 7.0 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.9 0.1

Hires(2)

 2.9 3.6 3.1 3.2 2.9 -0.3

Total separations(3)

 3.3 2.9 3.8 3.1 2.6 -0.5

Quits(3)

 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0 1.8 -0.2

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.1 0.7 1.5 0.7 0.7 0.0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) 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.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

Table 3. Job openings and labor turnover rates for the United States, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2022 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023(p) Change from November 2023 to December 2023(p)

Openings(1)

 6.8 5.6 5.3 5.4 5.4 0.0

Hires(2)

 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.6 0.1

Total separations(3)

 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.4 0.0

Quits(3)

 2.6 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) 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.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024