Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 09-0149
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, February 10, 2009
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: DECEMBER 2008
On the last business day of December, there were 2.7 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 1.9
percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today. The job openings rate in December was the
lowest point so far in the 8-year-old series. The hires rate was
essentially unchanged in December at 2.9 percent and remains low. The
total separations rate jumped to 3.7 percent, due to rising layoffs
and discharges. 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Beginning with the release of January 2009 data on March 10, 2009, |
| BLS will implement improvements to the methodology used to generate |
| estimates of hires, separations, and job openings from the Job |
| Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program. These changes |
| are designed to improve the measurement of hires, separations, and |
| openings and to more closely align the hires and separations |
| estimates with monthly employment change as measured by the BLS |
| Current Employment Statistics (establishment) survey. All JOLTS |
| historical series will be revised to incorporate the new methods and |
| also will be released on March 10. See the JOLTS web page |
| (http://www.bls.gov/jlt/) for a more complete description of these |
| changes. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
- 2 -
Job Openings
Although job openings were essentially unchanged from November to
December, the number of job openings has trended downward for 18
months. At 2.7 million in December, monthly openings were down 1.4
million, or 35 percent, since the starting point of the downward trend
in July 2007. The job openings rate was 1.9 percent in December, a
new series low. The job openings rate changed significantly in
December in two industries—retail trade and education and health
services—in which the rate fell. The rate did not change
significantly in December in any of the regions. (See table 1.)
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|3,974 |2,855 |2,692 |4,717 |3,738 |3,918 |4,408 |4,422 |4,991
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).|3,526 |2,481 |2,325 |4,314 |3,360 |3,399 |4,107 |4,159 |4,730
Construction...| 140 | 57 | 44 | 335 | 243 | 248 | 331 | 466 | 511
Manufacturing..| 305 | 145 | 136 | 350 | 213 | 199 | 325 | 382 | 518
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 667 | 562 | 474 | 970 | 800 | 800 | 981 | 948 | 951
Retail trade..| 358 | 386 | 305 | 693 | 560 | 544 | 686 | 629 | 607
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 706 | 489 | 499 | 851 | 735 | 748 | 814 | 801 | 969
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 698 | 604 | 553 | 460 | 458 | 456 | 417 | 417 | 458
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 574 | 260 | 255 | 880 | 621 | 584 | 803 | 688 | 732
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 514 | 224 | 225 | 713 | 530 | 500 | 697 | 598 | 585
Government(4)....| 446 | 370 | 362 | 390 | 292 | 297 | 295 | 254 | 246
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 398 | 350 | 338 | 326 | 256 | 273 | 256 | 226 | 229
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........| 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.7
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).| 3.0 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.2
Construction...| 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 6.7 | 7.5
Manufacturing..| 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 4.0
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 2.4 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7
Retail trade..| 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.1
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.6
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.4
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 4.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 6.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.4
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 4.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 5.1
Government(4)....| 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
4 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
- 3 -
Over the 12 months ending in December, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) did not rise significantly in any industry or
region. The rate was essentially unchanged in six industries:
natural resources and mining; retail trade; information; finance and
insurance; real estate and rental and leasing; and other services. In
the remaining 12 industries and at the total nonfarm and total private
level, the job openings rate fell significantly over the year. Three
of the four regions experienced a significant decline in the job
openings rate over the year: Midwest, South, and West. (See table
5.)
Hires
Hires were essentially unchanged in December at 3.9 million but
remain low, down 900,000, or 19 percent, from a year ago. The hires
rate was 2.9 percent in December. No industry or region experienced a
significant change in the hires rate in December. (See table 2.)
Over the 12 months ending in December, the hires rate did not
increase significantly in any industry or region. The rate decreased
over the past 12 months for total nonfarm and total private and in
several industries, including durable goods manufacturing; nondurable
goods manufacturing; retail trade; arts, entertainment, and
recreation; accommodation and food services; federal government; and
state and local government. In three of the four regions, the hires
rate dropped significantly over the past 12 months: Northeast, South,
and West. (See table 6.)
Separations
The total separations, or turnover, rate was higher in December
than in November and higher than a year ago. The quits rate can serve
as a barometer of workers’ willingness or ability to change jobs.
Although the quits rate was essentially unchanged in December at 1.5
percent, it remains at a low level last occurring in August 2003.
Comparing December 2008 to December 2007, the quits rate was
significantly lower for total nonfarm and total private and in many
industries, including durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods
manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; real estate and rental
and leasing; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and accommodation
and food services. Regionally, the quits rate fell over the year in
three of the four regions: Midwest, South, and West. The quits rate
did not rise significantly in the past 12 months in any industry or
region. (See tables 4, 7, and 8.)
The other two components of total separations—layoffs and
discharges, and other separations—are not seasonally adjusted.
Layoffs and discharges are up substantially over the past 12 months.
There were 2.8 million layoffs and discharges in December, which is a
58 percent increase from a year earlier. In the past 12 months,
layoffs and discharges increased significantly in most industries, in
all four regions, and for total nonfarm and total private. The
layoffs and discharges rate fell significantly only for the federal
government in the past 12 months. The other separations level was
262,000 in December, which is significantly lower than a year ago.
(See tables 9 and 10.)
The total separations rate is driven by the relative contribution
of its three components (quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations), with quits contributing the largest portion. The
percentage of total separations attributable to quits has varied over
time and has been trending downward from a high of 61 percent in
December 2006. Quits dropped to only 40 percent of total separations
in December 2008, a new series low, as layoffs and discharges
increased substantially. (See tables 3 and 4.)
- 4 -
For More Information
For additional information, please read the Technical Note or
visit the JOLTS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional
information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing
Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for January 2009 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, March 10, 2009.
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| Revisions to the JOLTS Data |
| With the release of January data on March 10, 2009, BLS will |
| revise the job openings, hires, and separations data to |
| incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment |
| Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment |
| factors. Unadjusted data from April 2007 forward and seasonally |
| adjusted data from December 2000 forward are subject to revision. |
| These revisions are in addition to the full series revisions due |
| to methodology changes mentioned in the box note on page one of |
| this release. |
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- 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
Each month, data are collected in a survey of business establishments
for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations. Data collection methods include computer-assisted
telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, 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 up-
date, if necessary, the industry code, location, and ownership classi-
fication of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establish-
ment 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 refer-
ence month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, sala-
ried, and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vaca-
tions 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 contrac-
tors, 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 posi-
tion, 2) work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable
candidate is found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from out-
side the establishment to fill the position. Included are full-time,
part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings. Active re-
cruiting 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, out-
side 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.
- 6 -
Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occur-
ring 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 contrac-
tors, 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 (ex-
cept for retirements, which are reported as other separations). Lay-
offs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the em-
ployer 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 re-
tirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations
due to disability. Separations do not include transfers within the
same location or employees on strike.
The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separa-
tions by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits,
layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed simi-
larly, 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 dis-
charges, 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. Con-
sistent with BLS practices, annual estimates will be 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 busi-
ness 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 mea-
sures 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.
- 7 -
Sample methodology
The JOLTS sample 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
eight million establishments compiled as part of the operations of the
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, or 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. Large firms fall into the sample with virtual certainty.
JOLTS total employment estimates are controlled to the employment esti-
mates 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. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels.
Using JOLTS data
The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are rel-
atively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel en-
rolled 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 sup-
plemental 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 compar-
able with estimates for March 2002 and later.
The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approx-
imately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not
reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal gov-
ernment. The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers
were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS defi-
nitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of
workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reor-
ganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these inter-
governmental transfers would distort the federal government time series.
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, par-
ticularly those associated with general economic expansions and contrac-
tions. 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.
- 8 -
Prior to the January 2007 benchmark release in March 2007, seasonal adjust-
ment of the JOLTS series was conducted using the stable seasonal filter option
since there were not enough data observations available for the standard use
of moving averages as seasonal filters. Although the seasonal adjustment of
the JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data observations than is customary,
the number of observations is now above the minimum required by X-12-ARIMA to
use the normal seasonal filters. Therefore, the standard use of moving aver-
ages as seasonal filter is now in place for JOLTS seasonal adjustment. JOLTS
seasonal adjustment now includes both additive and multiplicative seasonal
adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression with autocorrelated errors)
modeling to improve the seasonal adjustment factors at the beginning and end
of the series and to detect and adjust for outliers in the series.
Reliability of the estimates
JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When
a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance
that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the
particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard
error of the estimate. BLS analysis is generally conducted at the 90-percent
level of confidence. That means that there is a 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 seg-
ment 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.
JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to exactly explain net
changes in nonfarm payroll employment. Some reasons why it is problematic to
compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations, espe-
cially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period for payroll employment
is the pay period including the 12th of the month, while the reference period
for hires and separations is the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can
vary from month to month simply because part-time and on-call workers may not
always work during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Addi-
tionally, research has found that some reporters systematically underreport
separations relative to hires due to a number of factors, including the nature
of their payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be about
2 percent or less over a 12-month period.
Other information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p
Total(4)................................. 3,974 3,492 3,375 3,214 3,001 2,855 2,692 2.8 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.9
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,526 3,046 2,952 2,778 2,585 2,481 2,325 3.0 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.0
Construction........................... 140 94 85 110 64 57 44 1.8 1.3 1.2 1.5 .9 .8 .6
Manufacturing.......................... 305 229 245 213 213 145 136 2.2 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 667 569 572 458 507 562 474 2.4 2.1 2.1 1.7 1.9 2.1 1.8
Retail trade.......................... 358 346 357 260 316 386 305 2.3 2.2 2.3 1.7 2.0 2.5 2.0
Professional and business services..... 706 696 634 567 498 489 499 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.1 2.7 2.7 2.8
Education and health services.......... 698 687 643 617 606 604 553 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1 2.8
Leisure and hospitality(6)............. 574 432 383 443 404 260 255 4.0 3.1 2.7 3.2 2.9 1.9 1.9
Accommodation and food services....... 514 388 316 373 351 224 225 4.2 3.2 2.6 3.1 2.9 1.9 1.9
Government(7)........................... 446 412 423 440 429 370 362 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.6
State and local government............. 398 362 363 387 367 350 338 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7
REGION(8)
Northeast.............................. 644 615 617 590 541 495 545 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.1 1.9 2.1
South.................................. 1,574 1,384 1,317 1,240 1,191 1,128 1,071 3.1 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.1
Midwest................................ 779 638 664 664 629 560 544 2.4 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.7
West................................... 988 847 777 710 639 674 594 3.1 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.0 2.2 1.9
1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.
2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus
job openings.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 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 Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p
Total(4)................................. 4,717 4,026 4,063 4,362 4,155 3,738 3,918 3.4 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.0 2.7 2.9
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 4,314 3,751 3,822 4,090 3,852 3,360 3,399 3.7 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.0 3.0
Construction........................... 335 242 322 288 334 243 248 4.5 3.4 4.5 4.0 4.7 3.5 3.6
Manufacturing.......................... 350 249 251 281 257 213 199 2.5 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9 1.6 1.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 970 858 878 875 837 800 800 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.1
Retail trade.......................... 693 585 619 616 565 560 544 4.5 3.8 4.0 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.6
Professional and business services..... 851 748 701 741 748 735 748 4.7 4.2 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.3
Education and health services.......... 460 474 509 514 512 458 456 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.4 2.4
Leisure and hospitality(6)............. 880 798 728 830 734 621 584 6.4 5.8 5.3 6.1 5.4 4.6 4.3
Accommodation and food services....... 713 683 626 681 602 530 500 6.1 5.9 5.4 5.9 5.2 4.6 4.3
Government(7)........................... 390 321 315 313 322 292 297 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3
State and local government............. 326 300 286 283 278 256 273 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.4
REGION(8)
Northeast.............................. 770 657 679 688 629 530 609 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.4
South.................................. 1,802 1,512 1,549 1,570 1,516 1,396 1,328 3.6 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.8 2.7
Midwest................................ 1,045 934 926 1,020 973 842 875 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.3 3.1 2.7 2.8
West................................... 1,067 979 1,004 1,057 975 887 865 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 2.9 2.8
1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.
2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, 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 Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p
Total(4)................................. 4,408 4,359 4,398 4,042 4,299 4,422 4,991 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.7
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 4,107 4,128 4,149 3,792 4,034 4,159 4,730 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.5 3.7 4.2
Construction........................... 331 473 400 403 418 466 511 4.4 6.6 5.6 5.7 5.9 6.7 7.5
Manufacturing.......................... 325 324 325 335 424 382 518 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 3.2 2.9 4.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 981 1,013 933 916 945 948 951 3.7 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7
Retail trade.......................... 686 692 642 581 634 629 607 4.4 4.5 4.2 3.8 4.2 4.2 4.1
Professional and business services..... 814 694 851 696 771 801 969 4.5 3.9 4.8 3.9 4.4 4.6 5.6
Education and health services.......... 417 464 424 378 427 417 458 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.4
Leisure and hospitality(6)............. 803 741 754 714 671 688 732 5.9 5.4 5.5 5.2 4.9 5.1 5.4
Accommodation and food services....... 697 629 652 634 559 598 585 6.0 5.4 5.6 5.5 4.8 5.2 5.1
Government(7)........................... 295 244 257 251 264 254 246 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1
State and local government............. 256 222 231 233 234 226 229 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.2
REGION(8)
Northeast.............................. 635 745 705 600 607 677 842 2.5 2.9 2.7 2.3 2.4 2.7 3.3
South.................................. 1,712 1,629 1,633 1,456 1,564 1,670 1,741 3.4 3.3 3.3 2.9 3.2 3.4 3.6
Midwest................................ 980 912 893 956 1,003 981 1,052 3.1 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.4
West................................... 1,117 1,099 1,142 1,017 1,123 1,131 1,237 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.7 4.1
1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, 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 Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p
Total(4)................................. 2,494 2,314 2,252 2,144 2,135 1,965 2,000 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 2,358 2,209 2,134 2,032 2,020 1,868 1,883 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7
Construction........................... 119 157 150 118 108 97 105 1.6 2.2 2.1 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.5
Manufacturing.......................... 182 134 143 141 156 128 107 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.0 .8
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 590 545 485 494 488 457 473 2.2 2.1 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8
Retail trade.......................... 445 405 355 351 340 325 346 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.3
Professional and business services..... 367 363 352 317 373 319 314 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 2.1 1.8 1.8
Education and health services.......... 258 268 234 234 259 227 237 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.2
Leisure and hospitality(6)............. 561 499 482 485 450 421 410 4.1 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.0
Accommodation and food services....... 513 452 445 423 416 391 384 4.4 3.9 3.8 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.3
Government(7)........................... 137 111 121 120 116 108 119 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5
State and local government............. 120 104 113 121 107 100 112 .6 .5 .6 .6 .5 .5 .6
REGION(8)
Northeast.............................. 312 341 306 279 286 267 289 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1
South.................................. 1,008 930 912 821 837 805 769 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6
Midwest................................ 521 504 513 531 524 443 439 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.4
West................................... 632 541 518 492 493 449 487 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.5 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.
4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 3,529 2,608 2,361 2.5 1.9 1.7
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,120 2,260 2,031 2.6 1.9 1.8
Natural resources and mining.................. 13 10 13 1.8 1.3 1.6
Construction.................................. 102 45 31 1.4 .6 .5
Manufacturing................................. 274 128 119 1.9 1.0 .9
Durable goods................................ 152 70 62 1.7 .8 .8
Nondurable goods............................. 122 58 57 2.4 1.2 1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 563 514 357 2.0 1.9 1.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 152 69 67 2.4 1.1 1.1
Retail trade................................. 285 383 232 1.7 2.4 1.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 125 62 57 2.4 1.2 1.1
Information................................... 68 65 42 2.2 2.1 1.4
Financial activities.......................... 198 141 179 2.3 1.7 2.2
Finance and insurance........................ 155 103 140 2.5 1.7 2.3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 43 37 39 2.0 1.8 1.8
Professional and business services............ 653 443 453 3.5 2.4 2.5
Education and health services................. 670 577 520 3.4 2.9 2.6
Educational services......................... 57 52 40 1.8 1.6 1.2
Health care and social assistance............ 613 525 480 3.8 3.2 2.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 465 226 201 3.4 1.7 1.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 44 28 21 2.3 1.5 1.1
Accommodation and food services............. 421 198 180 3.5 1.7 1.6
Other services................................ 115 113 116 2.0 2.0 2.1
Government..................................... 409 348 330 1.8 1.5 1.4
Federal....................................... 45 18 23 1.6 .7 .8
State and local............................... 364 329 307 1.8 1.6 1.5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 554 459 476 2.1 1.8 1.8
South......................................... 1,407 1,032 943 2.7 2.0 1.9
Midwest....................................... 683 485 466 2.1 1.5 1.5
West.......................................... 884 633 475 2.8 2.0 1.5
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 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 3,462 3,267 2,674 2.5 2.4 2.0
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,229 3,067 2,499 2.8 2.7 2.2
Natural resources and mining.................. 17 18 15 2.3 2.2 1.8
Construction.................................. 208 184 148 2.8 2.6 2.2
Manufacturing................................. 232 174 129 1.7 1.3 1.0
Durable goods................................ 130 89 70 1.5 1.1 .9
Nondurable goods............................. 101 85 59 2.0 1.7 1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 785 882 645 2.9 3.3 2.4
Wholesale trade.............................. 107 103 99 1.7 1.7 1.7
Retail trade................................. 564 693 444 3.5 4.5 2.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 115 85 102 2.2 1.7 2.0
Information................................... 38 44 40 1.2 1.5 1.4
Financial activities.......................... 145 126 106 1.8 1.6 1.3
Finance and insurance........................ 99 95 73 1.6 1.6 1.2
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 46 32 32 2.2 1.5 1.6
Professional and business services............ 663 674 563 3.6 3.8 3.2
Education and health services................. 335 376 320 1.8 2.0 1.7
Educational services......................... 37 35 25 1.2 1.1 .8
Health care and social assistance............ 298 341 295 1.9 2.1 1.8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 680 509 426 5.1 3.9 3.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 147 65 70 7.9 3.6 3.8
Accommodation and food services............. 532 444 356 4.6 3.9 3.1
Other services................................ 128 81 108 2.3 1.5 2.0
Government..................................... 233 200 175 1.0 .9 .8
Federal....................................... 50 18 21 1.8 .6 .7
State and local............................... 183 182 155 .9 .9 .8
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 575 475 449 2.2 1.9 1.8
South......................................... 1,317 1,252 954 2.6 2.5 1.9
Midwest....................................... 726 729 607 2.3 2.3 2.0
West.......................................... 844 811 665 2.7 2.6 2.2
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 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 4,220 4,131 4,745 3.0 3.0 3.5
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,977 3,960 4,544 3.4 3.5 4.0
Natural resources and mining.................. 26 31 33 3.5 3.8 4.1
Construction.................................. 363 486 573 4.9 6.9 8.6
Manufacturing................................. 280 365 451 2.0 2.8 3.5
Durable goods................................ 149 226 285 1.7 2.7 3.5
Nondurable goods............................. 131 139 166 2.6 2.8 3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 1,093 910 1,067 4.0 3.5 4.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 196 131 184 3.2 2.2 3.1
Retail trade................................. 786 610 684 4.9 4.0 4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 112 169 199 2.2 3.4 4.0
Information................................... 49 60 53 1.6 2.0 1.8
Financial activities.......................... 202 189 144 2.4 2.3 1.8
Finance and insurance........................ 117 113 101 1.9 1.9 1.7
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 85 76 43 4.0 3.7 2.1
Professional and business services............ 797 818 990 4.4 4.6 5.7
Education and health services................. 346 329 395 1.8 1.7 2.0
Educational services......................... 41 37 49 1.3 1.1 1.5
Health care and social assistance............ 304 292 346 1.9 1.8 2.2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 683 657 637 5.1 5.0 4.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 78 101 128 4.2 5.5 7.0
Accommodation and food services............. 605 555 509 5.3 4.9 4.5
Other services................................ 140 117 201 2.5 2.1 3.7
Government..................................... 243 171 201 1.1 .7 .9
Federal....................................... 43 12 23 1.6 .4 .8
State and local............................... 201 158 179 1.0 .8 .9
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 620 619 834 2.4 2.4 3.3
South......................................... 1,557 1,442 1,624 3.1 2.9 3.3
Midwest....................................... 974 1,002 1,106 3.1 3.2 3.6
West.......................................... 1,068 1,068 1,181 3.4 3.5 3.9
1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
3 See footnote 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 2,075 1,683 1,640 1.5 1.2 1.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,977 1,607 1,552 1.7 1.4 1.4
Natural resources and mining.................. 12 11 11 1.6 1.4 1.3
Construction.................................. 93 71 75 1.3 1.0 1.1
Manufacturing................................. 131 102 76 .9 .8 .6
Durable goods................................ 68 58 44 .8 .7 .5
Nondurable goods............................. 62 44 31 1.2 .9 .7
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 541 411 438 2.0 1.6 1.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 73 49 46 1.2 .8 .8
Retail trade................................. 414 304 329 2.6 2.0 2.1
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 54 58 63 1.1 1.2 1.3
Information................................... 28 21 19 .9 .7 .7
Financial activities.......................... 92 77 53 1.1 1.0 .7
Finance and insurance........................ 46 52 44 .8 .9 .7
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 46 25 10 2.1 1.2 .5
Professional and business services............ 310 291 254 1.7 1.6 1.5
Education and health services................. 215 188 198 1.1 1.0 1.0
Educational services......................... 20 14 13 .7 .4 .4
Health care and social assistance............ 195 174 185 1.2 1.1 1.1
Leisure and hospitality....................... 469 375 329 3.5 2.8 2.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 40 20 19 2.1 1.1 1.0
Accommodation and food services............. 429 354 310 3.7 3.1 2.7
Other services................................ 86 60 99 1.6 1.1 1.8
Government..................................... 98 77 87 .4 .3 .4
Federal....................................... 10 3 5 .4 .1 .2
State and local............................... 88 74 82 .4 .4 .4
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 248 238 232 1.0 .9 .9
South......................................... 839 664 624 1.7 1.3 1.3
Midwest....................................... 436 399 357 1.4 1.3 1.1
West.......................................... 552 383 426 1.8 1.2 1.4
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 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 1,802 2,161 2,844 1.3 1.6 2.1
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,713 2,097 2,765 1.5 1.8 2.4
Natural resources and mining.................. 11 19 21 1.4 2.3 2.6
Construction.................................. 246 396 481 3.3 5.6 7.2
Manufacturing................................. 129 242 355 .9 1.8 2.7
Durable goods................................ 69 154 230 .8 1.9 2.8
Nondurable goods............................. 60 88 126 1.2 1.8 2.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 451 423 560 1.7 1.6 2.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 98 75 134 1.6 1.3 2.3
Retail trade................................. 312 259 317 1.9 1.7 2.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 41 89 110 .8 1.8 2.2
Information................................... 15 35 21 .5 1.2 .7
Financial activities.......................... 88 83 81 1.1 1.0 1.0
Finance and insurance........................ 51 34 50 .8 .6 .8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 37 49 31 1.7 2.3 1.5
Professional and business services............ 438 491 696 2.4 2.8 4.0
Education and health services................. 94 100 168 .5 .5 .9
Educational services......................... 19 20 34 .6 .6 1.1
Health care and social assistance............ 76 80 135 .5 .5 .8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 193 259 295 1.4 2.0 2.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 35 77 108 1.9 4.2 5.9
Accommodation and food services............. 157 182 187 1.4 1.6 1.7
Other services................................ 49 50 87 .9 .9 1.6
Government..................................... 89 64 79 .4 .3 .3
Federal....................................... 22 5 12 .8 .2 .4
State and local............................... 67 60 66 .3 .3 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 295 315 540 1.1 1.2 2.1
South......................................... 621 684 911 1.2 1.4 1.9
Midwest....................................... 461 554 691 1.5 1.8 2.2
West.......................................... 426 609 702 1.4 2.0 2.3
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 8, 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 Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p
Total........................................... 342 287 262 0.2 0.2 0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 287 257 226 .2 .2 .2
Natural resources and mining.................. 4 1 1 .5 .1 .2
Construction.................................. 23 19 17 .3 .3 .3
Manufacturing................................. 21 21 20 .1 .2 .2
Durable goods................................ 12 14 12 .1 .2 .1
Nondurable goods............................. 9 7 8 .2 .1 .2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 101 76 68 .4 .3 .3
Wholesale trade.............................. 25 7 5 .4 .1 .1
Retail trade................................. 60 47 37 .4 .3 .2
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 17 22 26 .3 .4 .5
Information................................... 6 5 13 .2 .2 .4
Financial activities.......................... 21 29 10 .3 .4 .1
Finance and insurance........................ 20 26 7 .3 .4 .1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 2 2 3 .1 .1 .1
Professional and business services............ 49 35 40 .3 .2 .2
Education and health services................. 36 41 28 .2 .2 .1
Educational services......................... 2 2 1 .1 .1 (4)
Health care and social assistance............ 34 39 27 .2 .2 .2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 21 23 13 .2 .2 .1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 3 4 1 .2 .2 .1
Accommodation and food services............. 19 19 12 .2 .2 .1
Other services................................ 5 7 15 .1 .1 .3
Government..................................... 56 30 35 .2 .1 .2
Federal....................................... 10 5 5 .4 .2 .2
State and local............................... 45 25 30 .2 .1 .1
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 77 67 62 .3 .3 .2
South......................................... 98 94 88 .2 .2 .2
Midwest....................................... 77 50 59 .2 .2 .2
West.......................................... 90 76 53 .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 8, table 1.
4 Data round to zero.
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
