Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 09-0245
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, March 10, 2009
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JANUARY 2009
On the last business day of January, there were 3.0 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.2
percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today. The job openings rate fell in January, while
the hires rate (3.3 percent) and the total separations rate (3.6
percent) were essentially unchanged. 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. This release
also includes annual estimates for hires and separations. The annual
rate for hires, total separations, and quits decreased in 2008 while
the annual layoffs and discharges rate increased.
---------------------------------------------------------------
| Revisions to the JOLTS data |
| The job openings, hires, and separations data in this |
| release have been revised to incorporate annual updates to |
| the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and |
| the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) seasonal |
| adjustment factors. See page 4 for more information. |
| |
| Also with this release, BLS is implementing improvements |
| to the methodology used to generate estimates of hires, |
| separations, and job openings from the JOLTS program. These |
| changes are designed to improve the measurements, and more |
| closely align the hires and separations estimates with |
| monthly payroll employment change as measured by the BLS |
| Current Employment Statistics survey. All JOLTS historical |
| series have been revised to incorporate the new methods. See |
| the JOLTS web page (http://www.bls.gov/jlt/) for a detailed |
|description of these changes. |
---------------------------------------------------------------
- 2 -
From January 2008 to January 2009, the rates for job openings,
hires, and quits all fell significantly for both the total nonfarm and
total private sectors. The rates for layoffs and discharges and other
separations moved the other direction, rising significantly over the
year. (See tables 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.)
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan.
| 2008 | 2008 | 2009p| 2008 | 2008 | 2009p| 2008 | 2008 | 2009p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|4,332 |3,224 |2,991 |4,995 |4,508 |4,399 |4,920 |4,958 |4,906
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..|3,873 |2,861 |2,525 |4,657 |4,214 |4,090 |4,625 |4,673 |4,631
Construction.....| 131 | 66 | 43 | 368 | 366 | 384 | 418 | 452 | 515
Manufacturing....| 302 | 188 | 123 | 349 | 252 | 232 | 371 | 419 | 429
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 734 | 495 | 479 |1,030 | 891 | 919 |1,050 |1,041 |1,046
Retail trade....| 367 | 337 | 366 | 714 | 595 | 589 | 725 | 664 | 656
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 759 | 562 | 523 | 897 | 786 | 764 | 918 | 898 | 856
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 740 | 685 | 684 | 562 | 528 | 534 | 515 | 498 | 485
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 596 | 315 | 280 | 880 | 711 | 721 | 894 | 755 | 743
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 54 | 40 | 28 | 136 | 111 | 115 | 136 | 106 | 119
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 539 | 274 | 250 | 747 | 605 | 612 | 758 | 647 | 627
Government(3).....| 406 | 345 | 406 | 324 | 271 | 295 | 307 | 278 | 282
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 372 | 312 | 311 | 290 | 253 | 263 | 260 | 251 | 269
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........| 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..| 3.2 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.1
Construction.....| 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 7.6
Manufacturing....| 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.4
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.1
Retail trade....| 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 4.0 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.0
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.5
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 4.2 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 5.6
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 2.6 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 6.1
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 4.5 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 5.5
Government(3).....| 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.2
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors.
- 3 -
Job Openings
The job openings rate fell to a new series low of 2.2 percent in
January, continuing a 16-month downward trend. At 3.0 million in
January, monthly openings were down 1.6 million, or 35 percent, since
the starting point of the downward trend in September 2007. (See
table 1.)
Over the 12 months ending in January, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged in five industries:
mining and logging; retail trade; information; educational services;
and other services. In the remaining 12 industries, at the total
nonfarm and total private level, and in all four regions, the job
openings rate fell significantly over the year. The job openings rate
rose significantly over the year only in the federal government. (See
table 5.)
Hires
Although the hires rate of 3.3 percent was unchanged from
December to January, the rate has trended downward over the last 15
months. At 4.4 million in January, monthly hires were down 928,000,
or 17 percent, since the starting point of the downward trend in
October 2007. (See table 2.)
Over the 12 months ending in January, the hires rate did not
increase significantly in any industry or region. The rate decreased
for total nonfarm and total private and in several industries,
including mining and logging; durable goods manufacturing; retail
trade; accommodation and food services; and state and local
government. Regionally, the hires rate fell over the year in the
South and West and was essentially unchanged in the Midwest and
Northeast. (See table 6.)
Separations
Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs
and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations
(including retirements). The total separations, or turnover, rate
(seasonally adjusted) remained essentially unchanged in January at 3.6
percent. The total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) was
also essentially unchanged over the 12 months ending in January since
quits fell while layoffs and discharges rose. (See tables 3, 7, 8 and
9.)
The quits rate can serve as a barometer of workers’ willingness
or ability to change jobs. Although the quits rate was essentially
unchanged in January at 1.5 percent, the rate was at the lowest point
in the 8-year series. Quits have been trending downward since
December 2006, declining by 1.2 million, or 37 percent, in that time.
Comparing January 2009 to January 2008, the quits rate was
significantly lower for total nonfarm and total private, in most
industries, and in all four regions. The rate was essentially
unchanged in mining and logging; transportation, warehousing, and
utilities; information; and other services. The rate did not rise
significantly in the past 12 months in any industry or region. (See
tables 4 and 8.)
Beginning with this release, the layoffs and discharges component
of total separations is seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm,
total private, and government levels. Seasonally adjusted layoffs and
discharges in January were 2.5 million for total nonfarm, 2.4 million
for total private, and 131,000 for government, corresponding to
layoffs and discharges rates of 1.9 percent, 2.1 percent, and 0.6
percent, respectively. Over the 12 months ending in January, the
layoffs and discharges rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose for total
nonfarm and total private, in all four regions, and in many
industries, including construction; durable goods manufacturing;
nondurable goods manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation,
warehousing, and utilities; information; finance and insurance; real
estate and rental and leasing; professional and business services;
other services; and state and local government. The rate fell
significantly over the year only in the federal government. In the
remaining six industries, the rate was essentially unchanged. (See
table 9 for not seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges.
- 4 -
Seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges are not presented in a
table but are available through the JOLTS web site.)
The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted.
Comparing January 2008 to January 2009, the number of other
separations increased significantly for total nonfarm (to 505,000) and
total private (435,000) and decreased significantly for government
(70,000). (See table 10.)
Net Change in Employment
In the 12 months ending in January, hires totaled 55.9 million
and separations totaled 59.4 million, yielding a net employment loss
over the year of 3.5 million. The loss resulted from total
separations remaining level over the year, while hires trended sharply
downward.
Annual Levels and Rates
This release contains the 2008 annual rates and levels for hires,
total separations, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations. Note that annual figures for job openings are not
calculated because job openings are measured on a stock, or point-in-
time, basis rather than on a flow basis over a specified time period.
The annual figures and additional tables are published with the
release of January data each year. (See the Technical Note for
additional information on these measures.)
Calculating annual levels and rates allows additional comparisons
across years. For the second year in a row, annual levels for hires,
total separations, quits, and other separations fell in 2008, while
annual levels for layoffs and discharges rose. In 2008, annual hires
fell to 56.5 million (41.2 percent of employment), annual total
separations fell to 59.3 million (43.3 percent of employment), annual
quits declined steeply to 31.0 million (22.6 percent of employment),
and annual other separations decreased to 4.0 million (2.9 percent of
employment). Annual layoffs and discharges rose to 24.4 million (17.8
percent of employment) in 2008. (See tables 11 through 20.)
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 February 2009 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, April 7.
Revisions to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Data
In accordance with annual practice, the Job Openings and Labor
Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data have been revised to reflect annual
updates to the Current Employment Statistics (CES), or establishment
survey, employment estimates. The JOLTS employment levels are ratio-
adjusted to the CES employment levels, and the resulting ratios are
applied to all JOLTS data elements. This annual benchmark process
resulted in revisions to all not seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series
from April 2007 forward, the time period since the last benchmark was
established. Additionally, the seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series
have been recalculated from December 2000 forward to reflect updated
seasonal adjustment factors.
- 5 -
Also with this release, BLS is implementing 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 payroll employment change as
measured by the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey. All JOLTS
historical series have been revised to incorporate the new methods.
Tables summarizing the effects of the above revisions for
December 2000 through December 2008 can be found on the JOLTS
homepage. The revised data for the year 2008 incorporate the effect
of applying the new benchmark level and the methodology improvements.
The December 2008 revisions also reflect the routine incorporation of
additional sample receipts into the final December estimates. Table B
through table G present revised total nonfarm data. Table B (job
openings), table C (hires), table D (total separations), and table E
(quits) present revised data on a seasonally adjusted basis,
incorporating the new seasonal adjustment factors as well as the new
benchmark level and the methodology improvements. Table F (layoffs
and discharges) presents revisions on a not seasonally adjusted basis
since layoffs and discharges are released on a seasonally adjusted
basis for the first time this year. Table G (other separations)
presents revisions on a not seasonally adjusted basis since this
series is not seasonally adjusted. Note that the revised estimates
are generally higher than the previously published estimates. This is
primarily due to the addition of a birth/death model for JOLTS. For
more information on this and other methodology changes, see the
technical note included in this release, or see the JOLTS homepage.
LABSTAT, the BLS public database on the Internet, contains all
revised historical seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted
JOLTS data. The data can be accessed through the JOLTS homepage.
Further information on the revisions released today may be obtained by
contacting the JOLTS program.
- 6 -
Technical Note
The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business
establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Collection
In a monthly survey of business establishments, data are
collected for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs
and discharges, and other separations. Data collection methods
include computer-assisted telephone interviewing, touchtone data
entry, fax, e-mail, and mail.
Coverage
The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such
as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and
local government entities in the 50 states and the District of
Columbia.
Concepts
Industry classification. The industry classifications in this
release are in accordance with the 2007 version of the North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In order to
ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce
Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the
industry code, location, and ownership classification of all
establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment
characteristics resulting from the verification process are always
introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for
the first month of the year.
Employment. Employment includes persons on the payroll who
worked or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th
day of the reference month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-
term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are included, as are
employees on paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or
partners of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or
persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire pay
period, are not counted as employed. Employees of temporary help
agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the
establishment where they are working.
Job openings. Establishments submit job openings information for
the last business day of the reference month. A job opening
requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work
available for that position, 2) work could start within 30 days
regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the
employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to
fill the position. Included are full-time, part-time, permanent,
short-term, and seasonal openings. Active recruiting means that
the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising
in newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted signs,
accepting applications, or using other similar methods.
Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions,
demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded are
jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for
which employees have been hired but have not yet reported for work,
and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help agencies,
employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job
openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying
that quotient by 100.
Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll
occurring at any time during the reference month, including both
new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent,
short-term and seasonal employees, employees recalled to the
location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or
intermittent employees who returned to work after having been
formally separated, and transfers from other locations. The hires
count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting
site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help
agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or
consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of
hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
Separations. Separations are the total number of terminations of
employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and
are reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations. Quits are voluntary separations by
employees (except for retirements, which are reported as other
separations). Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations
initiated by the employer and include layoffs with no intent to
rehire; formal layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7
days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings;
firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or
short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees.
Other separations include retirements, transfers to other
locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations
do not include transfers within the same location or employees on
strike.
The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of
separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are
computed similarly, dividing the number by employment and
multiplying by 100.
Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and levels
- 7 -
of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total
separations are released with the January news release each year.
The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of
the 12 published monthly levels. The annual rate estimates are
computed by dividing the annual level by the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and multiplying
that quotient by 100. This figure will be approximately equal to
the sum of the 12 monthly rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES
annual levels are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual
estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, annual
estimates are published only for not seasonally adjusted data.
Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job
openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last
business day of each month. Only jobs still open on the last day
of the month are counted. For the same reason job openings cannot
be cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job openings
cannot be created by summing the monthly estimates. Hires and
separations are flow measures and are cumulated over the month with
a total reported for the month. Therefore, the annual figures can
be created by summing the monthly estimates.
Special Collection Procedures
An implied measure of employment change can be derived from the
JOLTS data by subtracting separations from hires for a given
month. Aggregating these monthly changes historically produced
employment levels that overstated employment change as measured by
CES at the total nonfarm level. Research into this problem showed
that a significant amount of the divergence between the CES
employment levels and the derived JOLTS employment levels was
traceable to the Employment Services industry and to the State
Government Education industry. In the former industry, businesses
have a difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary
help workers. In the latter industry, employers have difficulty
reporting hires and separations of student workers. BLS now
devotes additional resources to the collection, editing, and review
of data for these industries. BLS analysts more closely examine
reported data that do not provide a consistent picture over time,
and re-contact the respondents as necessary. Analysts work with
the respondents to adjust their reporting practices as possible.
Units that cannot be reconciled but are clearly incorrect on a
consistent basis are not used, they are replaced by imputed values
using standard techniques.
Sample and estimation methodology
The JOLTS survey design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm
business establishments, including factories, offices, and stores,
as well as federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states
and the District of Columbia. The establishments are drawn from a
universe of over 9.1 million establishments compiled as part of the
operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW),
program. This program includes all employers subject to state
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).
The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry
sector, and size class. The JOLTS sample is constructed from
individual panels of sample units drawn on an annual basis. The
full annual sample consists of one certainty panel composed of only
large units selected with virtual certainty based on their size and
24 non-certainty panels. Each month a new non-certainty panel is
rolled into collection, and the oldest non-certainty panel is
rolled out. This means that at any given time the JOLTS sample is
constructed from panels from three different annual sampling
frames. The entire sample of old plus new panels is post-
stratified and re-weighted annually to represent the most recent
sampling frame. Additionally, the out-of-business establishments
are removed from the old panels. The annual sample is supplemented
with a quarterly sample of birth establishments (i.e., new
establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger
establishments in the JOLTS sample.
JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked monthly to the
employment estimates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the
levels for all other JOLTS data elements.
JOLTS Business Birth/Death Model
As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only be as
current as its sampling frame. The time lag from the birth of an
establishment until its appearance on the sampling frame is
approximately one year. In addition, many of these new units may
fail within the first year. Since these universe units cannot be
reflected on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS sample
cannot capture job openings, hires, and separations from these
units during their early existence. BLS has developed a model to
estimate birth/death activity for current months by examining the
birth/death activity from previous years on the QCEW and projecting
forward to the present using an econometric technique known as X-12
ARIMA modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical JOLTS
data to estimate the amount of “churn” (hires and separations) that
exists in establishments of various sizes. The model then combines
the estimated churn with the projected employment change to
estimate the number of hires and separations taking place in these
units that cannot be measured through sampling.
- 8 -
The model-based estimate of total separations is distributed to
the three components – quits; layoffs and discharges; and other
separations - in proportion to their contribution to the sample-
based estimate of total separations. Additionally, job openings
for the modeled units are estimated by computing the ratio of
openings to hires in the collected data and applying that ratio to
the modeled hires. The estimates of job openings, hires, and
separations produced by the birth/death model are then added to the
sample-based estimates produced from the survey to arrive at the
estimates for openings, hires, and separations.
Seasonal adjustment
BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA
seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal adjustment is the process of
estimating and removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such
as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school
year. Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental
changes in the level of the series, particularly those associated
with general economic expansions and contractions. A concurrent
seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal
adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all relevant
data, up to and including the data for the current month.
Alignment procedure
JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable to the CES net
employment change. However, definitional differences as well as
sampling and non-sampling errors between the two surveys
historically caused JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit
the divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS hires and
separations series, BLS implemented the Monthly Alignment Method.
The Monthly Alignment Method applies the CES employment trends to
the seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment trend (hires minus
separations) forcing them to be approximately the same, while
preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data. First, the two
series are seasonally adjusted and the difference between the JOLTS
implied employment trend and the CES net employment change is
calculated. Next, the JOLTS implied employment trend is adjusted to
equal the CES net employment change through a proportional
adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure adjusts the two
components (hires, separations) proportionally to their
contribution to the total churn (hires plus separations). For
example, if hires are 40 percent of the churn for a given month,
they will receive 40 percent of the needed adjustment and
separations will receive 60 percent of the needed adjustment. The
adjusted hires and separations are converted back to not seasonally
adjusted data by reversing the application of the original seasonal
factors. After the monthly alignment method has been used to
adjust the level estimates, rate estimates are computed from the
adjusted levels. The Monthly Alignment procedure assures a close
match of the JOLTS implied employment trend with the CES trend. The
CES series is considered a highly accurate measure of net
employment change owing to its very large sample size and annual
benchmarking to universe counts of employment from the QCEW
program.
Using JOLTS data
The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are
relatively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one
panel enrolled each month. A full complement of panels for the
original data series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the
survey until January 2002. The supplemental panels of
establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not completely
enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until those points
are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates from
earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units
were reporting data at that time.
In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and
separations data were revised to address possible underreporting.
As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior
to March 2002 may not be comparable to estimates for March 2002 and
later.
The federal government reorganization that involved transferring
approximately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland
Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations
estimates for the federal government. The Office of Personnel
Management's record shows these transfers were completed in March
2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires
and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers
between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security
reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of
these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal
government time series.
JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in seasonal
adjustment. JOLTS seasonal adjustment includes both additive and
multiplicative seasonal adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression
with autocorrelated errors) modeling to improve the seasonal
adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the series and to
detect and adjust for outliers in the series.
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
- 9 -
90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a
sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the
"true" population value because of sampling error. Estimates of
sampling errors are available upon request.
The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure
to include a segment of the population, the inability to obtain
data from all units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by
respondents, errors made in the collection or processing of the
data, and errors from the employment benchmark data used in
estimation.
Other information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; 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 Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p
Total(4)................................. 4,332 3,722 3,346 3,390 3,311 3,224 2,991 3.0 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.2
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,873 3,314 2,913 2,964 2,928 2,861 2,525 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.2
Construction........................... 131 84 152 79 76 66 43 1.7 1.2 2.1 1.1 1.1 .9 .6
Manufacturing.......................... 302 300 236 230 203 188 123 2.1 2.2 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 734 638 525 564 624 495 479 2.7 2.4 2.0 2.1 2.3 1.9 1.8
Retail trade.......................... 367 393 297 363 410 337 366 2.3 2.5 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.4
Professional and business services..... 759 692 608 603 505 562 523 4.0 3.8 3.3 3.3 2.8 3.1 2.9
Education and health services.......... 740 707 624 646 697 685 684 3.8 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.4
Leisure and hospitality................ 596 438 427 417 302 315 280 4.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.2 2.3 2.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 54 56 44 47 35 40 28 2.6 2.8 2.2 2.4 1.8 2.0 1.4
Accommodation and food services....... 539 378 374 370 284 274 250 4.5 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.2
Government(6)........................... 406 421 431 427 378 345 406 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.8
State and local government............. 372 357 352 344 337 312 311 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.5
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 706 707 644 636 582 633 542 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.1
South.................................. 1,687 1,409 1,269 1,314 1,267 1,245 1,161 3.3 2.8 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.3
Midwest................................ 881 794 674 698 644 607 570 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8
West................................... 984 864 785 734 767 689 670 3.1 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.2
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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
7 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the
JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.
Table 2. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p
Total(4)................................. 4,995 4,654 4,505 4,486 4,226 4,508 4,399 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 4,657 4,378 4,263 4,160 3,928 4,214 4,090 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.7
Construction........................... 368 424 365 380 340 366 384 4.9 5.9 5.1 5.4 4.9 5.3 5.7
Manufacturing.......................... 349 285 305 290 257 252 232 2.5 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 1,030 973 959 933 852 891 919 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.6
Retail trade.......................... 714 662 649 624 576 595 589 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.1 3.8 4.0 3.9
Professional and business services..... 897 810 787 788 783 786 764 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.4
Education and health services.......... 562 554 506 544 528 528 534 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8
Leisure and hospitality................ 880 838 814 769 706 711 721 6.5 6.2 6.1 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 136 161 117 119 92 111 115 6.8 8.2 6.0 6.1 4.7 5.7 5.9
Accommodation and food services....... 747 692 708 651 620 605 612 6.5 6.0 6.2 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.4
Government(6)........................... 324 305 278 318 281 271 295 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3
State and local government............. 290 279 259 275 251 253 263 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 794 800 742 759 661 726 733 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.0 2.6 2.9 2.9
South.................................. 1,906 1,714 1,643 1,652 1,572 1,659 1,618 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.3
Midwest................................ 1,092 1,034 1,038 1,051 934 1,009 995 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.2
West................................... 1,158 1,124 1,088 1,043 1,043 1,053 1,011 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4
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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the
JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.
Table 3. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p
Total(4)................................. 4,920 4,888 4,852 4,910 4,863 4,958 4,906 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.6
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 4,625 4,587 4,553 4,607 4,571 4,673 4,631 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1
Construction........................... 418 436 412 440 472 452 515 5.6 6.1 5.8 6.2 6.8 6.6 7.6
Manufacturing.......................... 371 348 371 404 384 419 429 2.7 2.6 2.8 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 1,050 1,031 1,046 1,034 1,030 1,041 1,046 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1
Retail trade.......................... 725 699 684 680 680 664 656 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4
Professional and business services..... 918 871 809 906 909 898 856 5.1 4.9 4.6 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.0
Education and health services.......... 515 505 488 507 466 498 485 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.5
Leisure and hospitality................ 894 857 830 794 773 755 743 6.6 6.4 6.2 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 136 152 115 124 98 106 119 6.8 7.7 5.9 6.4 5.0 5.4 6.1
Accommodation and food services....... 758 708 714 670 673 647 627 6.6 6.2 6.2 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.5
Government(6)........................... 307 290 294 294 282 278 282 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2
State and local government............. 260 268 280 265 258 251 269 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 807 824 734 743 767 799 806 3.1 3.2 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.2
South.................................. 1,840 1,799 1,767 1,782 1,841 1,815 1,882 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.9
Midwest................................ 1,086 1,026 1,116 1,168 1,105 1,088 1,102 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6
West................................... 1,237 1,258 1,184 1,209 1,205 1,227 1,150 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8
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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the
JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.
Table 4. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2009p
Total(4)................................. 2,926 2,453 2,454 2,436 2,201 2,114 2,000 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 2,770 2,322 2,319 2,305 2,076 1,984 1,887 2.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.7
Construction........................... 151 151 128 107 109 92 82 2.0 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.2
Manufacturing.......................... 206 146 147 143 122 87 90 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.1 .9 .7 .7
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 643 541 580 548 489 518 490 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.0 1.9
Retail trade.......................... 474 397 414 377 352 379 366 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.4
Professional and business services..... 443 361 368 477 349 297 287 2.5 2.0 2.1 2.7 2.0 1.7 1.7
Education and health services.......... 319 285 290 294 251 256 244 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3
Leisure and hospitality................ 598 529 514 516 469 461 425 4.4 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 57 45 52 39 35 29 29 2.9 2.3 2.7 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.5
Accommodation and food services....... 531 487 467 476 437 435 389 4.6 4.2 4.1 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.4
Government(6)........................... 151 139 134 132 122 130 109 .7 .6 .6 .6 .5 .6 .5
State and local government............. 134 131 133 122 117 121 103 .7 .7 .7 .6 .6 .6 .5
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 445 337 338 347 321 302 269 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1
South.................................. 1,197 978 971 949 879 847 774 2.4 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6
Midwest................................ 588 567 577 595 491 452 471 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.5
West................................... 678 566 560 541 510 498 470 2.2 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
4 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the
JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.
Table 5. Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 4,466 2,796 3,091 3.2 2.0 2.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,059 2,492 2,686 3.5 2.2 2.4
Mining and Logging............................ 16 17 20 2.2 2.1 2.6
Construction.................................. 117 54 39 1.6 .8 .6
Manufacturing................................. 308 161 127 2.2 1.2 1.0
Durable goods................................ 187 83 64 2.1 1.0 .8
Nondurable goods............................. 122 78 63 2.4 1.6 1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 719 399 465 2.6 1.5 1.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 209 85 50 3.4 1.4 .9
Retail trade................................. 349 252 345 2.2 1.6 2.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 161 62 70 3.1 1.2 1.4
Information................................... 95 62 83 3.1 2.1 2.8
Financial activities.......................... 412 190 222 4.8 2.3 2.7
Finance and insurance........................ 291 144 186 4.6 2.4 3.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 121 46 36 5.4 2.2 1.7
Professional and business services............ 849 522 585 4.6 2.9 3.3
Education and health services................. 777 651 720 4.0 3.3 3.6
Educational services......................... 65 68 75 2.2 2.1 2.4
Health care and social assistance............ 712 584 645 4.4 3.5 3.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 583 268 271 4.3 2.0 2.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 49 27 25 2.7 1.5 1.4
Accommodation and food services............. 534 242 246 4.6 2.1 2.2
Other services................................ 182 168 154 3.2 3.0 2.8
Government..................................... 407 304 405 1.8 1.3 1.8
Federal....................................... 44 33 109 1.6 1.2 3.8
State and local............................... 363 271 295 1.8 1.3 1.5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 786 560 602 3.0 2.1 2.4
South......................................... 1,708 1,131 1,160 3.4 2.3 2.4
Midwest....................................... 904 539 583 2.8 1.7 1.9
West.......................................... 1,068 567 746 3.4 1.8 2.5
1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.
2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a
percent of total employment plus job openings.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 6. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 4,834 3,124 4,221 3.6 2.3 3.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,516 2,963 3,936 4.0 2.6 3.6
Mining and Logging............................ 39 18 29 5.3 2.3 3.7
Construction.................................. 321 222 335 4.6 3.3 5.3
Manufacturing................................. 359 165 237 2.6 1.3 1.9
Durable goods................................ 219 95 120 2.5 1.2 1.5
Nondurable goods............................. 140 70 116 2.8 1.5 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 923 689 823 3.5 2.6 3.2
Wholesale trade.............................. 200 113 206 3.3 1.9 3.6
Retail trade................................. 578 467 475 3.7 3.0 3.2
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 145 109 142 2.9 2.2 2.9
Information................................... 92 48 90 3.1 1.6 3.1
Financial activities.......................... 272 141 242 3.3 1.8 3.1
Finance and insurance........................ 193 84 162 3.2 1.4 2.8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 79 57 80 3.7 2.7 4.0
Professional and business services............ 968 629 816 5.5 3.6 4.8
Education and health services................. 578 372 550 3.1 1.9 2.9
Educational services......................... 80 31 71 2.8 1.0 2.3
Health care and social assistance............ 498 341 480 3.2 2.1 3.0
Leisure and hospitality....................... 758 522 618 5.9 4.0 4.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 114 80 96 6.4 4.5 5.5
Accommodation and food services............. 644 442 522 5.8 3.9 4.8
Other services................................ 206 157 196 3.8 2.9 3.6
Government..................................... 318 161 285 1.4 .7 1.3
Federal....................................... 36 19 34 1.3 .7 1.2
State and local............................... 281 141 252 1.4 .7 1.3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 764 534 701 3.0 2.1 2.8
South......................................... 1,925 1,129 1,636 3.9 2.3 3.4
Midwest....................................... 1,077 703 979 3.5 2.3 3.3
West.......................................... 1,068 758 905 3.5 2.5 3.1
1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.
2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 7. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 6,527 4,579 6,456 4.8 3.4 4.9
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 6,163 4,367 6,126 5.4 3.9 5.6
Mining and Logging............................ 48 29 43 6.5 3.7 5.6
Construction.................................. 548 465 675 7.8 6.9 10.7
Manufacturing................................. 533 345 623 3.9 2.7 5.0
Durable goods................................ 315 214 389 3.6 2.6 4.9
Nondurable goods............................. 217 131 234 4.4 2.7 5.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 1,504 1,078 1,497 5.7 4.1 5.9
Wholesale trade.............................. 272 204 313 4.5 3.5 5.4
Retail trade................................. 1,041 697 938 6.7 4.5 6.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 190 177 246 3.8 3.5 5.1
Information................................... 140 74 165 4.7 2.5 5.7
Financial activities.......................... 453 166 457 5.5 2.1 5.8
Finance and insurance........................ 324 97 311 5.4 1.6 5.3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 128 69 147 6.1 3.3 7.2
Professional and business services............ 1,065 1,019 986 6.0 5.9 5.8
Education and health services................. 695 387 655 3.8 2.0 3.4
Educational services......................... 84 48 52 2.9 1.5 1.7
Health care and social assistance............ 611 339 603 3.9 2.1 3.8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 943 624 778 7.3 4.8 6.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 129 78 114 7.3 4.4 6.6
Accommodation and food services............. 814 545 663 7.3 4.9 6.1
Other services................................ 236 181 247 4.3 3.3 4.6
Government..................................... 364 212 330 1.6 .9 1.5
Federal....................................... 75 24 33 2.8 .9 1.2
State and local............................... 288 187 297 1.5 .9 1.5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 1,116 768 1,108 4.4 3.0 4.5
South......................................... 2,343 1,604 2,389 4.8 3.3 5.0
Midwest....................................... 1,484 1,103 1,506 4.8 3.6 5.0
West.......................................... 1,584 1,104 1,453 5.2 3.6 4.9
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 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 8. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 3,380 1,659 2,287 2.5 1.2 1.7
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,210 1,568 2,167 2.8 1.4 2.0
Mining and Logging............................ 24 9 20 3.3 1.2 2.6
Construction.................................. 143 58 72 2.0 .9 1.1
Manufacturing................................. 257 60 112 1.9 .5 .9
Durable goods................................ 132 34 59 1.5 .4 .7
Nondurable goods............................. 125 25 53 2.5 .5 1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 784 448 598 3.0 1.7 2.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 125 53 72 2.1 .9 1.3
Retail trade................................. 568 332 437 3.7 2.1 2.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 91 64 89 1.8 1.3 1.8
Information................................... 78 21 63 2.6 .7 2.2
Financial activities.......................... 251 52 124 3.1 .7 1.6
Finance and insurance........................ 185 42 81 3.1 .7 1.4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 66 10 43 3.1 .5 2.1
Professional and business services............ 481 274 308 2.7 1.6 1.8
Education and health services................. 428 193 323 2.3 1.0 1.7
Educational services......................... 43 14 19 1.5 .4 .6
Health care and social assistance............ 385 179 304 2.5 1.1 1.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 611 369 431 4.7 2.8 3.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 54 16 26 3.1 .9 1.5
Accommodation and food services............. 557 352 405 5.0 3.1 3.7
Other services................................ 153 84 116 2.8 1.5 2.2
Government..................................... 171 91 121 .8 .4 .5
Federal....................................... 21 5 8 .8 .2 .3
State and local............................... 150 86 112 .8 .4 .6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 530 230 322 2.1 .9 1.3
South......................................... 1,381 661 887 2.8 1.3 1.9
Midwest....................................... 703 355 556 2.3 1.2 1.8
West.......................................... 766 412 523 2.5 1.4 1.8
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 2,701 2,631 3,664 2.0 1.9 2.8
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,589 2,550 3,525 2.3 2.3 3.2
Mining and Logging............................ 17 18 21 2.3 2.4 2.8
Construction.................................. 386 389 582 5.5 5.8 9.2
Manufacturing................................. 229 269 468 1.7 2.1 3.7
Durable goods................................ 154 169 296 1.8 2.1 3.8
Nondurable goods............................. 75 100 171 1.5 2.1 3.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 636 563 792 2.4 2.1 3.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 130 143 233 2.2 2.4 4.0
Retail trade................................. 418 331 436 2.7 2.1 2.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 88 89 123 1.7 1.8 2.5
Information................................... 53 42 87 1.8 1.4 3.0
Financial activities.......................... 179 95 280 2.2 1.2 3.5
Finance and insurance........................ 121 47 182 2.0 .8 3.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 58 48 98 2.7 2.3 4.8
Professional and business services............ 518 679 616 2.9 3.9 3.6
Education and health services................. 219 168 234 1.2 .9 1.2
Educational services......................... 35 31 30 1.2 1.0 1.0
Health care and social assistance............ 184 137 203 1.2 .9 1.3
Leisure and hospitality....................... 273 238 322 2.1 1.8 2.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 71 60 81 4.0 3.3 4.7
Accommodation and food services............. 202 178 241 1.8 1.6 2.2
Other services................................ 80 88 123 1.5 1.6 2.3
Government..................................... 112 82 139 .5 .4 .6
Federal....................................... 26 14 11 1.0 .5 .4
State and local............................... 86 68 128 .4 .3 .7
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 498 466 686 2.0 1.8 2.8
South......................................... 845 853 1,312 1.7 1.7 2.7
Midwest....................................... 645 690 823 2.1 2.2 2.7
West.......................................... 714 623 843 2.3 2.0 2.8
1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.
2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a
percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 10. Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.
2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p
Total........................................... 446 289 505 0.3 0.2 0.4
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 365 250 435 .3 .2 .4
Mining and Logging............................ 7 1 2 1.0 .2 .2
Construction.................................. 19 19 22 .3 .3 .3
Manufacturing................................. 47 16 43 .3 .1 .3
Durable goods................................ 29 10 34 .3 .1 .4
Nondurable goods............................. 17 6 9 .3 .1 .2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 84 67 106 .3 .3 .4
Wholesale trade.............................. 17 9 7 .3 .1 .1
Retail trade................................. 55 34 64 .4 .2 .4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 11 24 35 .2 .5 .7
Information................................... 9 11 15 .3 .4 .5
Financial activities.......................... 23 19 54 .3 .2 .7
Finance and insurance........................ 19 8 47 .3 .1 .8
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 5 10 6 .2 .5 .3
Professional and business services............ 67 65 63 .4 .4 .4
Education and health services................. 48 26 98 .3 .1 .5
Educational services......................... 6 3 2 .2 .1 .1
Health care and social assistance............ 42 23 96 .3 .1 .6
Leisure and hospitality....................... 59 17 25 .5 .1 .2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 3 2 7 .2 .1 .4
Accommodation and food services............. 56 15 17 .5 .1 .2
Other services................................ 3 10 8 (4) .2 .2
Government..................................... 80 39 70 .4 .2 .3
Federal....................................... 28 6 14 1.0 .2 .5
State and local............................... 52 33 56 .3 .2 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 89 71 99 .3 .3 .4
South......................................... 116 94 190 .2 .2 .4
Midwest....................................... 137 54 127 .4 .2 .4
West.......................................... 104 71 88 .3 .2 .3
1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.
2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
4 Data round to zero.
p = preliminary.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 11. Annual hires levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 63,768 59,800 57,788 61,615 64,502 64,911 63,381 56,496
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 59,373 55,665 54,083 57,526 60,455 60,478 58,833 52,807
Mining and Logging............................ 281 237 260 284 303 312 347 382
Construction.................................. 5,435 5,104 5,235 5,439 5,885 5,398 4,811 4,618
Manufacturing................................. 4,879 4,681 4,242 4,676 4,540 4,605 4,617 3,651
Durable goods................................ 2,670 2,733 2,580 2,961 2,896 2,737 2,687 2,089
Nondurable goods............................. 2,208 1,945 1,661 1,715 1,643 1,869 1,930 1,561
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 13,192 12,235 11,838 13,292 13,688 13,802 13,215 11,602
Wholesale trade.............................. 1,910 1,930 1,868 2,068 2,010 2,044 2,212 1,892
Retail trade................................. 9,439 8,564 8,251 9,130 9,443 9,596 9,121 7,876
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 1,843 1,743 1,720 2,092 2,234 2,160 1,881 1,833
Information................................... 1,479 1,096 940 984 1,044 1,121 983 814
Financial activities.......................... 2,840 2,680 2,597 2,861 2,865 3,098 3,158 2,649
Finance and insurance........................ 1,937 1,723 1,579 1,770 1,849 1,992 2,089 1,704
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 904 952 1,018 1,089 1,017 1,105 1,070 945
Professional and business services............ 11,454 11,353 10,632 11,032 12,153 11,955 11,475 10,112
Education and health services................. 6,176 5,772 5,733 5,791 6,210 6,385 6,438 6,553
Educational services......................... 780 708 824 755 826 879 910 939
Health care and social assistance............ 5,390 5,064 4,906 5,037 5,386 5,506 5,529 5,616
Leisure and hospitality....................... 11,204 9,991 9,975 10,556 10,948 11,245 11,194 9,965
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1,765 1,576 1,604 1,633 1,641 1,572 1,639 1,473
Accommodation and food services............. 9,441 8,413 8,371 8,921 9,306 9,674 9,554 8,492
Other services................................ 2,438 2,519 2,630 2,615 2,817 2,560 2,600 2,462
Government..................................... 4,393 4,134 3,705 4,090 4,046 4,434 4,549 3,688
Federal....................................... 502 597 531 507 511 711 844 335
State and local............................... 3,892 3,538 3,175 3,585 3,537 3,721 3,705 3,351
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 10,624 9,724 10,013 10,722 10,678 10,245 10,010 9,237
South......................................... 23,041 22,452 21,822 23,524 24,614 25,299 24,360 20,846
Midwest....................................... 15,727 14,064 12,909 13,753 14,124 14,030 14,239 12,690
West.......................................... 14,372 13,556 13,049 13,618 15,087 15,337 14,774 13,721
1 The annual hires level is the total number of hires during the entire year.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 12. Annual hires rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 48.4 45.9 44.5 46.9 48.2 47.7 46.1 41.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 53.6 51.1 49.9 52.4 54.0 53.0 51.0 46.1
Mining and Logging............................ 46.4 40.7 45.5 48.1 48.2 45.6 47.9 49.4
Construction.................................. 79.6 76.0 77.7 78.0 80.2 70.2 63.1 64.0
Manufacturing................................. 29.7 30.7 29.2 32.7 31.9 32.5 33.3 27.2
Durable goods................................ 25.8 28.8 28.8 33.2 32.3 30.5 30.5 24.6
Nondurable goods............................. 36.2 33.7 29.9 31.8 31.2 36.1 38.1 31.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 50.8 48.0 46.8 52.1 52.7 52.5 49.6 44.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 33.1 34.1 33.3 36.5 34.9 34.6 36.8 31.7
Retail trade................................. 61.9 57.0 55.3 60.6 61.8 62.5 58.8 51.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 37.1 36.2 36.1 43.5 45.5 43.0 36.9 36.2
Information................................... 40.8 32.3 29.5 31.6 34.1 36.9 32.4 27.2
Financial activities.......................... 36.4 34.2 32.6 35.6 35.1 37.2 38.0 32.5
Finance and insurance........................ 33.6 29.6 26.7 29.8 30.7 32.4 34.1 28.3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 44.4 46.8 49.5 52.2 47.7 50.9 49.3 44.4
Professional and business services............ 69.5 71.1 66.5 67.3 71.7 68.1 64.0 56.9
Education and health services................. 39.5 35.6 34.6 34.2 35.7 35.8 35.1 34.8
Educational services......................... 31.1 26.8 30.6 27.3 29.1 30.3 30.9 30.9
Health care and social assistance............ 41.0 37.4 35.3 35.5 37.1 36.9 35.9 35.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 93.1 83.4 81.9 84.5 85.4 85.8 83.4 74.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 96.8 88.4 88.5 88.3 86.7 81.5 83.2 74.8
Accommodation and food services............. 92.5 82.5 80.8 83.8 85.2 86.5 83.4 73.9
Other services................................ 46.4 46.9 48.7 48.3 52.2 47.1 47.3 44.5
Government..................................... 20.8 19.2 17.2 18.9 18.6 20.2 20.5 16.4
Federal....................................... 18.2 21.6 19.2 18.6 18.7 26.0 30.9 12.1
State and local............................... 21.2 18.9 16.9 19.0 18.5 19.3 19.0 17.0
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 42.0 39.0 40.4 43.2 42.7 40.4 39.0 36.0
South......................................... 49.6 48.8 47.3 50.2 51.4 51.6 49.0 42.1
Midwest....................................... 50.1 45.5 42.1 44.8 45.6 45.0 45.4 40.7
West.......................................... 50.2 47.7 45.8 46.9 50.6 50.2 47.8 44.6
1 The annual hires rate is the number of hires during the entire year as a percent of annual average
employment.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 13. Annual total separations levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 65,611 60,410 57,849 59,671 62,087 62,626 62,104 59,343
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 61,705 56,499 54,025 55,666 58,221 58,435 57,860 55,808
Mining and Logging............................ 279 259 270 262 253 256 311 334
Construction.................................. 5,422 5,183 5,102 5,136 5,484 5,220 4,971 5,242
Manufacturing................................. 6,345 5,473 4,892 4,674 4,630 4,750 4,871 4,475
Durable goods................................ 3,724 3,306 2,993 2,853 2,883 2,766 2,880 2,695
Nondurable goods............................. 2,622 2,170 1,902 1,821 1,745 1,985 1,988 1,780
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 13,958 12,480 12,042 12,871 13,299 13,454 12,889 12,488
Wholesale trade.............................. 2,112 1,988 1,913 1,940 1,914 1,894 2,126 2,093
Retail trade................................. 9,765 8,709 8,331 8,947 9,235 9,522 8,928 8,424
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 2,082 1,782 1,800 1,983 2,149 2,034 1,835 1,970
Information................................... 1,694 1,357 1,090 1,037 1,076 1,139 999 897
Financial activities.......................... 2,779 2,619 2,506 2,742 2,712 2,946 3,259 2,870
Finance and insurance........................ 1,878 1,663 1,528 1,701 1,736 1,866 2,181 1,856
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 901 956 978 1,039 976 1,081 1,078 1,013
Professional and business services............ 12,173 11,564 10,354 10,627 11,467 11,415 11,183 10,823
Education and health services................. 5,551 5,317 5,408 5,400 5,767 5,907 5,911 6,055
Educational services......................... 659 621 774 692 754 834 850 858
Health care and social assistance............ 4,891 4,696 4,636 4,711 5,012 5,070 5,060 5,199
Leisure and hospitality....................... 11,190 9,789 9,739 10,278 10,709 10,856 10,938 10,158
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1,746 1,524 1,578 1,640 1,587 1,491 1,601 1,509
Accommodation and food services............. 9,444 8,266 8,160 8,637 9,123 9,365 9,341 8,648
Other services................................ 2,319 2,457 2,629 2,639 2,825 2,493 2,529 2,467
Government..................................... 3,905 3,912 3,823 4,007 3,868 4,191 4,242 3,534
Federal....................................... 513 560 577 544 502 721 825 322
State and local............................... 3,391 3,352 3,246 3,460 3,363 3,470 3,420 3,210
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 10,856 10,008 9,701 10,277 10,197 9,856 9,530 9,742
South......................................... 22,760 22,364 22,109 22,390 23,517 24,340 23,852 21,891
Midwest....................................... 17,057 14,198 13,094 13,521 14,075 13,958 13,862 13,024
West.......................................... 14,938 13,840 12,943 13,485 14,300 14,473 14,857 14,686
1 The annual total separations level is the total number of total separations during the entire year.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 14. Annual total separations rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 49.8 46.3 44.5 45.4 46.4 46.0 45.1 43.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 55.7 51.9 49.8 50.7 52.0 51.2 50.1 48.7
Mining and Logging............................ 46.0 44.4 47.2 44.3 40.3 37.4 43.0 43.2
Construction.................................. 79.4 77.2 75.8 73.6 74.8 67.9 65.2 72.7
Manufacturing................................. 38.6 35.9 33.7 32.7 32.5 33.6 35.1 33.3
Durable goods................................ 36.0 34.9 33.4 32.0 32.2 30.8 32.7 31.8
Nondurable goods............................. 42.9 37.6 34.3 33.8 33.1 38.4 39.2 35.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 53.7 48.9 47.6 50.4 51.2 51.2 48.4 47.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 36.6 35.2 34.1 34.3 33.2 32.1 35.3 35.1
Retail trade................................. 64.1 58.0 55.8 59.4 60.4 62.0 57.5 54.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 41.9 37.0 37.8 41.2 43.7 40.5 36.0 38.9
Information................................... 46.7 40.0 34.2 33.3 35.2 37.5 32.9 29.9
Financial activities.......................... 35.6 33.4 31.4 34.1 33.3 35.4 39.3 35.2
Finance and insurance........................ 32.6 28.6 25.8 28.6 28.8 30.3 35.6 30.9
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 44.2 47.0 47.5 49.8 45.7 49.8 49.7 47.6
Professional and business services............ 73.9 72.4 64.8 64.8 67.6 65.0 62.3 60.9
Education and health services................. 35.5 32.8 32.6 31.9 33.2 33.1 32.3 32.1
Educational services......................... 26.2 23.5 28.7 25.1 26.6 28.7 28.9 28.3
Health care and social assistance............ 37.2 34.6 33.4 33.2 34.5 34.0 32.9 32.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 93.0 81.7 80.0 82.3 83.6 82.8 81.5 75.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 95.7 85.5 87.0 88.6 83.9 77.3 81.3 76.6
Accommodation and food services............. 92.5 81.0 78.8 81.2 83.5 83.8 81.5 75.3
Other services................................ 44.1 45.7 48.7 48.8 52.4 45.8 46.0 44.6
Government..................................... 18.5 18.2 17.7 18.5 17.7 19.1 19.1 15.7
Federal....................................... 18.6 20.2 20.9 19.9 18.4 26.4 30.2 11.6
State and local............................... 18.5 17.9 17.2 18.3 17.6 18.0 17.6 16.3
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 43.0 40.1 39.2 41.4 40.8 38.9 37.1 38.0
South......................................... 49.0 48.6 47.9 47.7 49.1 49.6 48.0 44.2
Midwest....................................... 54.3 45.9 42.7 44.0 45.5 44.8 44.2 41.8
West.......................................... 52.1 48.7 45.5 46.5 47.9 47.4 48.1 47.8
1 The annual total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire year as a percent of annual average
employment.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 15. Annual quits levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 36,404 32,377 29,354 31,859 34,958 36,323 35,103 31,004
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 34,352 30,474 27,594 30,020 33,110 34,239 33,095 29,344
Mining and Logging............................ 133 111 98 110 120 140 183 187
Construction.................................. 1,961 1,850 1,777 1,961 2,359 2,243 1,903 1,664
Manufacturing................................. 2,518 2,290 2,106 2,327 2,361 2,506 2,512 1,929
Durable goods................................ 1,369 1,324 1,273 1,399 1,423 1,452 1,423 1,072
Nondurable goods............................. 1,149 968 828 927 935 1,054 1,088 855
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 8,553 7,046 6,387 7,108 7,862 8,166 7,652 6,824
Wholesale trade.............................. 1,141 1,014 929 963 1,033 1,054 1,170 999
Retail trade................................. 6,232 5,175 4,699 5,324 5,847 6,002 5,553 4,861
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 1,181 856 762 821 985 1,111 927 965
Information................................... 1,013 720 592 569 700 795 581 465
Financial activities.......................... 1,619 1,422 1,404 1,613 1,566 1,766 1,896 1,528
Finance and insurance........................ 1,073 905 869 1,009 1,046 1,174 1,400 1,047
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 543 516 535 604 520 592 500 481
Professional and business services............ 6,332 5,965 4,667 5,051 5,591 5,987 5,797 5,145
Education and health services................. 3,605 3,286 3,243 3,362 3,697 3,794 3,732 3,531
Educational services......................... 324 326 365 356 401 445 414 386
Health care and social assistance............ 3,279 2,961 2,880 3,004 3,297 3,353 3,315 3,148
Leisure and hospitality....................... 7,184 6,332 5,920 6,289 7,111 7,482 7,443 6,685
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 715 682 564 543 658 618 632 570
Accommodation and food services............. 6,471 5,646 5,355 5,746 6,456 6,866 6,810 6,115
Other services................................ 1,435 1,459 1,403 1,623 1,741 1,358 1,400 1,387
Government..................................... 2,055 1,903 1,758 1,840 1,845 2,083 2,008 1,661
Federal....................................... 244 268 255 206 193 328 287 105
State and local............................... 1,809 1,635 1,501 1,634 1,653 1,756 1,722 1,555
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 5,654 4,907 4,272 4,670 5,225 5,314 4,708 4,616
South......................................... 13,550 12,437 11,904 12,845 14,049 15,115 14,478 12,393
Midwest....................................... 9,499 7,592 6,616 7,061 7,528 7,754 7,552 6,800
West.......................................... 7,703 7,444 6,561 7,282 8,160 8,142 8,366 7,191
1 The annual quits level is the total number of quits during the entire year.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 16. Annual quits rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 27.6 24.8 22.6 24.2 26.1 26.7 25.5 22.6
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 31.0 28.0 25.5 27.3 29.6 30.0 28.7 25.6
Mining and Logging............................ 21.9 19.0 17.1 18.6 19.1 20.5 25.3 24.2
Construction.................................. 28.7 27.5 26.4 28.1 32.2 29.2 24.9 23.1
Manufacturing................................. 15.3 15.0 14.5 16.3 16.6 17.7 18.1 14.4
Durable goods................................ 13.2 14.0 14.2 15.7 15.9 16.2 16.2 12.6
Nondurable goods............................. 18.8 16.8 14.9 17.2 17.7 20.4 21.5 17.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 32.9 27.6 25.3 27.8 30.3 31.1 28.7 25.9
Wholesale trade.............................. 19.8 17.9 16.6 17.0 17.9 17.8 19.5 16.8
Retail trade................................. 40.9 34.4 31.5 35.4 38.3 39.1 35.8 31.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 23.8 17.8 16.0 17.1 20.0 22.1 18.2 19.1
Information................................... 27.9 21.2 18.6 18.2 22.9 26.2 19.2 15.5
Financial activities.......................... 20.7 18.1 17.6 20.1 19.2 21.2 22.8 18.8
Finance and insurance........................ 18.6 15.6 14.7 17.0 17.4 19.1 22.8 17.4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 26.6 25.4 26.0 29.0 24.4 27.3 23.1 22.6
Professional and business services............ 38.4 37.3 29.2 30.8 33.0 34.1 32.3 28.9
Education and health services................. 23.0 20.3 19.6 19.8 21.3 21.3 20.4 18.7
Educational services......................... 12.9 12.3 13.5 12.9 14.1 15.3 14.1 12.7
Health care and social assistance............ 25.0 21.8 20.7 21.2 22.7 22.5 21.6 19.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 59.7 52.8 48.6 50.3 55.5 57.1 55.4 49.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 39.2 38.3 31.1 29.4 34.8 32.1 32.1 28.9
Accommodation and food services............. 63.4 55.3 51.7 54.0 59.1 61.4 59.4 53.2
Other services................................ 27.3 27.2 26.0 30.0 32.3 25.0 25.5 25.1
Government..................................... 9.7 8.8 8.1 8.5 8.5 9.5 9.0 7.4
Federal....................................... 8.8 9.7 9.2 7.5 7.1 12.0 10.5 3.8
State and local............................... 9.9 8.7 8.0 8.6 8.7 9.1 8.8 7.9
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 22.4 19.7 17.3 18.8 20.9 21.0 18.3 18.0
South......................................... 29.1 27.0 25.8 27.4 29.3 30.8 29.1 25.0
Midwest....................................... 30.2 24.6 21.6 23.0 24.3 24.9 24.1 21.8
West.......................................... 26.9 26.2 23.1 25.1 27.4 26.7 27.1 23.4
1 The annual quits rate is the number of quits during the entire year as a percent of annual average
employment.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 17. Annual layoffs and discharges levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 24,351 23,325 23,959 23,387 22,766 21,433 22,539 24,370
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 23,206 22,123 22,665 22,012 21,468 20,069 21,176 23,146
Mining and Logging............................ 106 106 107 82 78 74 91 117
Construction.................................. 3,193 3,118 3,143 2,944 2,925 2,623 2,848 3,347
Manufacturing................................. 3,309 2,689 2,328 1,997 1,842 1,814 1,963 2,217
Durable goods................................ 1,993 1,653 1,414 1,215 1,150 1,019 1,205 1,413
Nondurable goods............................. 1,319 1,038 914 781 691 796 757 801
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 4,557 4,537 4,783 4,807 4,639 4,181 4,284 4,691
Wholesale trade.............................. 854 810 835 789 762 646 821 973
Retail trade................................. 2,986 2,992 3,142 3,072 2,919 2,853 2,753 2,907
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 717 735 806 947 958 682 707 811
Information................................... 572 537 426 390 273 257 315 365
Financial activities.......................... 838 951 772 787 861 869 1,107 1,100
Finance and insurance........................ 539 577 422 428 473 466 605 640
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 301 375 348 359 389 405 500 461
Professional and business services............ 4,850 4,637 4,923 4,908 5,080 4,581 4,744 5,110
Education and health services................. 1,538 1,626 1,732 1,656 1,679 1,685 1,737 2,069
Educational services......................... 264 246 359 287 299 340 387 426
Health care and social assistance............ 1,274 1,380 1,372 1,371 1,381 1,348 1,350 1,644
Leisure and hospitality....................... 3,552 3,090 3,407 3,582 3,231 3,050 3,174 3,152
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 964 806 966 1,058 904 833 910 898
Accommodation and food services............. 2,590 2,285 2,442 2,524 2,328 2,217 2,262 2,256
Other services................................ 686 839 1,043 860 857 937 914 977
Government..................................... 1,146 1,205 1,294 1,374 1,297 1,363 1,364 1,227
Federal....................................... 113 142 160 159 161 191 225 109
State and local............................... 1,032 1,057 1,134 1,215 1,139 1,172 1,137 1,114
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 4,329 4,201 4,531 4,687 4,198 3,671 3,996 4,326
South......................................... 7,541 8,297 8,547 7,944 7,968 7,460 7,909 8,162
Midwest....................................... 6,371 5,507 5,453 5,500 5,545 5,073 5,276 5,302
West.......................................... 6,108 5,317 5,429 5,255 5,058 5,229 5,357 6,582
1 The annual layoffs and discharges level is the total number of layoffs and discharges during the entire year.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 18. Annual layoffs and discharges rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 18.5 17.9 18.4 17.8 17.0 15.7 16.4 17.8
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 21.0 20.3 20.9 20.0 19.2 17.6 18.4 20.2
Mining and Logging............................ 17.5 18.2 18.7 13.9 12.4 10.8 12.6 15.1
Construction.................................. 46.8 46.4 46.7 42.2 39.9 34.1 37.3 46.4
Manufacturing................................. 20.1 17.6 16.0 14.0 12.9 12.8 14.1 16.5
Durable goods................................ 19.3 17.4 15.8 13.6 12.8 11.3 13.7 16.7
Nondurable goods............................. 21.6 18.0 16.5 14.5 13.1 15.4 14.9 16.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 17.5 17.8 18.9 18.8 17.9 15.9 16.1 17.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 14.8 14.3 14.9 13.9 13.2 10.9 13.6 16.3
Retail trade................................. 19.6 19.9 21.1 20.4 19.1 18.6 17.7 18.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 14.4 15.2 16.9 19.7 19.5 13.6 13.9 16.0
Information................................... 15.8 15.8 13.4 12.5 8.9 8.5 10.4 12.2
Financial activities.......................... 10.7 12.1 9.7 9.8 10.6 10.4 13.3 13.5
Finance and insurance........................ 9.3 9.9 7.1 7.2 7.9 7.6 9.9 10.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 14.8 18.4 16.9 17.2 18.2 18.6 23.1 21.6
Professional and business services............ 29.4 29.0 30.8 29.9 30.0 26.1 26.4 28.7
Education and health services................. 9.8 10.0 10.4 9.8 9.7 9.5 9.5 11.0
Educational services......................... 10.5 9.3 13.3 10.4 10.5 11.7 13.2 14.0
Health care and social assistance............ 9.7 10.2 9.9 9.7 9.5 9.0 8.8 10.4
Leisure and hospitality....................... 29.5 25.8 28.0 28.7 25.2 23.3 23.6 23.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 52.9 45.2 53.3 57.2 47.8 43.2 46.2 45.6
Accommodation and food services............. 25.4 22.4 23.6 23.7 21.3 19.8 19.7 19.6
Other services................................ 13.0 15.6 19.3 15.9 15.9 17.2 16.6 17.7
Government..................................... 5.4 5.6 6.0 6.4 5.9 6.2 6.1 5.5
Federal....................................... 4.1 5.1 5.8 5.8 5.9 7.0 8.2 3.9
State and local............................... 5.6 5.6 6.0 6.4 6.0 6.1 5.8 5.6
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 17.1 16.8 18.3 18.9 16.8 14.5 15.6 16.9
South......................................... 16.2 18.0 18.5 16.9 16.6 15.2 15.9 16.5
Midwest....................................... 20.3 17.8 17.8 17.9 17.9 16.3 16.8 17.0
West.......................................... 21.3 18.7 19.1 18.1 17.0 17.1 17.3 21.4
1 The annual layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire year as a percent of annual average
employment.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 19. Annual other separations levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 4,852 4,708 4,536 4,425 4,364 4,870 4,463 3,969
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,145 3,901 3,766 3,636 3,643 4,123 3,591 3,319
Mining and Logging............................ 40 44 64 67 56 39 35 28
Construction.................................. 269 215 181 231 198 355 220 233
Manufacturing................................. 515 494 462 349 426 429 393 332
Durable goods................................ 362 328 305 236 310 296 252 209
Nondurable goods............................. 153 165 159 113 119 135 142 124
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 850 898 870 951 796 1,105 956 974
Wholesale trade.............................. 116 165 147 188 116 195 134 120
Retail trade................................. 548 544 492 550 468 668 623 658
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 185 191 231 214 211 243 201 196
Information................................... 107 102 67 76 102 84 100 68
Financial activities.......................... 318 246 328 341 285 312 257 245
Finance and insurance........................ 263 179 233 267 219 228 174 172
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 56 67 96 76 67 83 80 73
Professional and business services............ 990 965 767 668 797 851 644 568
Education and health services................. 407 407 435 385 390 423 444 454
Educational services......................... 70 50 50 51 53 53 50 48
Health care and social assistance............ 336 355 384 336 338 371 395 406
Leisure and hospitality....................... 452 368 411 407 367 326 324 322
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 70 37 46 38 27 44 59 42
Accommodation and food services............. 382 333 364 368 340 280 267 278
Other services................................ 198 159 182 158 227 200 217 102
Government..................................... 707 809 771 791 719 745 872 647
Federal....................................... 158 149 163 181 147 204 312 110
State and local............................... 546 661 610 609 572 542 559 538
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 869 896 891 916 774 870 821 799
South......................................... 1,685 1,633 1,665 1,605 1,502 1,768 1,475 1,342
Midwest....................................... 1,186 1,100 1,024 955 1,001 1,129 1,034 919
West.......................................... 1,113 1,079 953 947 1,087 1,103 1,132 909
1 The annual other separations level is the total number of other separations during the entire year.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
Table 20. Annual other separations rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Total........................................... 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.2 2.9
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.1 2.9
Mining and Logging............................ 6.6 7.5 11.2 11.3 8.9 5.7 4.8 3.6
Construction.................................. 3.9 3.2 2.7 3.3 2.7 4.6 2.9 3.2
Manufacturing................................. 3.1 3.2 3.2 2.4 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.5
Durable goods................................ 3.5 3.5 3.4 2.6 3.5 3.3 2.9 2.5
Nondurable goods............................. 2.5 2.9 2.9 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.7 3.1 4.2 3.6 3.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 2.0 2.9 2.6 3.3 2.0 3.3 2.2 2.0
Retail trade................................. 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.7 3.1 4.4 4.0 4.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 3.7 4.0 4.9 4.4 4.3 4.8 3.9 3.9
Information................................... 2.9 3.0 2.1 2.4 3.3 2.8 3.3 2.3
Financial activities.......................... 4.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 3.5 3.7 3.1 3.0
Finance and insurance........................ 4.6 3.1 3.9 4.5 3.6 3.7 2.8 2.9
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 2.7 3.3 4.7 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.7 3.4
Professional and business services............ 6.0 6.0 4.8 4.1 4.7 4.8 3.6 3.2
Education and health services................. 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4
Educational services......................... 2.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6
Health care and social assistance............ 2.6 2.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.6
Leisure and hospitality....................... 3.8 3.1 3.4 3.3 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 3.8 2.1 2.5 2.1 1.4 2.3 3.0 2.1
Accommodation and food services............. 3.7 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.1 2.5 2.3 2.4
Other services................................ 3.8 3.0 3.4 2.9 4.2 3.7 3.9 1.8
Government..................................... 3.3 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.9 2.9
Federal....................................... 5.7 5.4 5.9 6.6 5.4 7.5 11.4 4.0
State and local............................... 3.0 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.7
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.1
South......................................... 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.1 3.6 3.0 2.7
Midwest....................................... 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.3 2.9
West.......................................... 3.9 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.0
1 The annual other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire year as a percent of annual average
employment.
2 See footnote 7, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates.
United States Department of Labor
