For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, March 13, 2012 USDL-12-0447
Technical information: (202) 691-5870 • JoltsInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/jlt
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
Job Openings and Labor Turnover – January 2012
There were 3.5 million job openings on the last business day of
January, unchanged from December, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
reported today. The hires rate (3.1 percent) and separations rate (3.0
percent) were little changed over the month. The job openings rate has
trended upward since the end of the recession in June 2009. (Recession
dates are determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)
This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job
openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry
and by geographic region for January 2012. The release also includes
2011 annual estimates for hires and separations. The annual totals for
hires and quits increased in 2011 while the annual total for layoffs
and discharges decreased.
Job Openings
The number of job openings in January was 3.5 million, unchanged from
December. (See table 1.) Although the number of job openings remained
below the 4.3 million openings when the recession began in December
2007, the number of job openings has increased 45 percent since the
end of the recession in June 2009.
__________________________________________________________________________
| Revisions to the JOLTS Data |
|Effective with this release, revisions incorporating improvements to the|
|JOLTS birth-death model have been made to the full data series for job |
|openings, hires, and separations. In addition, data from January 2007 |
|forward incorporate annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics |
|employment estimates and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey |
|seasonal adjustment factors. See page 5 for more information on all the |
|revisions. Also effective with this release, JOLTS is adopting the 2012 |
|version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). |
|Changes in the 2012 NAICS structure are minor and do not impact the |
|published JOLTS data series. |
__________________________________________________________________________
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.
| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|2,860 |3,540 |3,459 |3,934 |4,188 |4,158 |3,816 |4,023 |3,944
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..|2,536 |3,188 |3,107 |3,671 |3,889 |3,835 |3,560 |3,695 |3,619
Construction.....| 67 | 78 | 82 | 288 | 315 | 307 | 309 | 303 | 290
Manufacturing....| 212 | 252 | 285 | 259 | 269 | 246 | 223 | 239 | 213
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 502 | 574 | 554 | 834 | 812 | 822 | 784 | 773 | 810
Retail trade....| 282 | 323 | 317 | 568 | 517 | 552 | 533 | 509 | 566
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 478 | 785 | 729 | 827 | 818 | 779 | 772 | 792 | 705
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices(3)........| 506 | 605 | 611 | 439 | 494 | 499 | 423 | 468 | 481
Health care | | | | | | | | |
and social | | | | | | | | |
assistance.....| 443 | 552 | 554 | 358 | 414 | 419 | 355 | 402 | 398
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 294 | 441 | 437 | 621 | 743 | 768 | 624 | 695 | 708
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 37 | 44 | 79 | 95 | 141 | 146 | 104 | 133 | 125
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 257 | 397 | 358 | 527 | 602 | 622 | 520 | 562 | 582
Government(4).....| 325 | 352 | 352 | 263 | 299 | 323 | 256 | 328 | 325
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 258 | 301 | 302 | 231 | 270 | 303 | 227 | 292 | 299
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 2.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.0
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..| 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.3
Construction.....| 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.2
Manufacturing....| 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.8
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.2
Retail trade....| 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.8
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 2.7 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices(3)........|. 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.4
Health care | | | | | | | | |
and social | | | | | | | | |
assistance.....|. 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.4
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.2
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 1.9 | 2.3 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 6.5
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.0
Government(4).....| 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.5
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.6
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 educational services, not shown separately.
4 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, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
The number of job openings in January (not seasonally adjusted)
increased over the year for total nonfarm and total private; the level
was little changed for government. Several industries had increases in
the number of job openings over the year. The Midwest and South
regions also experienced an increase in the number of job openings
over the year. (See table 5.)
Hires
In January, the hires rate was essentially unchanged at 3.1 percent
for total nonfarm. The hires rate was little changed over the month in
all industries and regions. (See table 2.) The number of hires in
January was 4.2 million, still below the 5.0 million hires at the
beginning of the recession (December 2007) but up 13 percent since the
end of the recession (June 2009).
Over the past 12 months, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) was
little changed for total nonfarm and total private but increased for
government. The hires rate rose over the year in mining and logging;
arts, entertainment, and recreation; and state and local government.
The hires rate fell over the year in federal government. In all four
regions, the hires rate was little changed over the year. (See table
6.)
Separations
The total separations figure includes voluntary quits, involuntary
layoffs and discharges, and other separations, including retirements.
Total separations is also referred to as turnover.
The seasonally adjusted total separations rate was little changed in
January for total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See table
3.) Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private but
increased for government. (See table 7.)
The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. In January, the quits rate was unchanged for
total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See table 4.) The
number of quits rose to 2.0 million in January from 1.8 million at the
end of the recession in June 2009, although it remained below the 2.9
million recorded when the recession began in December 2007.
The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in January 2012
increased from January 2011 for total nonfarm, total private, and
government. One region—the Northeast—experienced an increase in the
number of quits over the year; the other regions had little change in
the number of quits. (See table 8.)
The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels. Beginning with this release, layoffs and discharges
is also seasonally adjusted for the regions. The layoffs and
discharges rate was essentially unchanged in January 2012 for total
nonfarm, total private, government, and in all four regions. The
number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.6 million in
January, down from 2.1 million at the end of the recession in June
2009. (See table B.)
The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) for total
nonfarm and total private was little changed from January 2011 to
January 2012 but increased for government. Over the year, the number
of layoffs and discharges rose for educational services and state and
local government but fell for finance and insurance. In the regions,
the West experienced an increase in the number of layoffs and
discharges over the year while the South experienced a decrease. (See
table 9.)
Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted
------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
|------------------------------------------------
Industry and region(1) | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan.
| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p
-----------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..................| 1,659 | 1,685 | 1,646 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2
Total private.........| 1,577 | 1,572 | 1,517 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.4
Government............| 82 | 112 | 129 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Northeast.............| 277 | 296 | 270 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1
South.................| 709 | 649 | 611 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3
Midwest...............| 376 | 354 | 353 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2
West..................| 298 | 386 | 411 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 For region definitions see footnote 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
Beginning with this release, the other separations component of total
separations is seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total
private, and government levels. Other separations include separations
due to retirement, death, and disability, as well as transfers to
other locations of the same firm. In January 2012, there were 326,000
other separations for total nonfarm, 260,000 for total private, and
66,000 for government. (See table C.) The number of other separations
for total nonfarm in January 2012 was 11 percent higher than at the
end of the recession in June 2009.
Table C. Other Separations, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
|------------------------------------------------
Industry | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan.
| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p| 2011 | 2011 | 2012p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 354 | 330 | 326 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2
Total private.....| 290 | 255 | 260 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2
Government........| 64 | 75 | 66 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
Net Change in Employment
Large numbers of hires and separations occur every month throughout
the business cycle. Net employment change results from the
relationship between hires and separations. When the number of hires
exceeds the number of separations, employment rises, even if the hires
level is steady or declining. Conversely, when the number of hires is
less than the number of separations, employment declines, even if the
hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in January
2012, hires totaled 50.2 million and separations totaled 48.3 million,
yielding a net employment gain of 2.0 million. These figures include
workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during
the year.
Annual Levels and Rates
This release contains the 2011 annual levels and rates 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. In 2011, annual hires, quits, and other separations
rose for the second year in a row while layoffs and discharges annual
levels fell for the second year in a row.
In 2011, annual hires increased to 50.1 million (38.1 percent of
employment) and annual total separations rose to 48.2 million (36.7
percent of employment). Annual quits increased to 23.6 million (17.9
percent of employment) in 2011. Annual other separations also
increased in 2011 to 3.9 million (3.0 percent of employment). Annual
layoffs and discharges decreased in 2011 to 20.7 million (15.8 percent
of employment). (See tables 11 through 20.)
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for February 2012
are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m.
(EDT).
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 (not
published) 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 2010 forward, the time period since the
last benchmark was established. Additionally, the seasonally adjusted
JOLTS data series have been recalculated from January 2007 forward to
reflect updated seasonal adjustment factors. Further, the methodology
incorporated in 2009 to more closely align the hires and separations
estimates with the monthly payroll employment change created a
dependency of the not seasonally adjusted estimates on the seasonal
adjustment process. Therefore, the not seasonally adjusted data series
have been recalculated from January 2007 forward to reflect the
updated seasonal adjustment factors’ effect on the alignment process.
Effective with this release, BLS has implemented an improved
birth/death model in the JOLTS program. Data from December 2000
forward were revised using the improved model. The original
birth/death model was implemented in 2009 to provide an estimate for
that part of the population that cannot be captured in the traditional
sample. The improved model better distributes business births and
deaths throughout the calendar year. (See the Technical Note for a
more complete description of the revised birth/death model.)
Also effective with this release, several additional data series will
be published on a seasonally adjusted basis. Job openings, hires, and
separations data for the health care and social assistance industry
are available online and are published in this release in tables A, 1,
2, 3, and 4. Layoffs and discharges data by region are available
online and published in table B of this release. Other separations
data by ownership (total nonfarm, total private, and total government)
are available online and published in a new table C in this release.
The previous table C in this release has been dropped. The quits and
layoffs and discharges levels in the previous table C remain available
on the JOLTS website, enabling users to calculate the percentage
contribution to total separations that were contained in the table.
Tables D through I present revised total nonfarm data for January
through December 2011. The December 2011 revisions also reflect the
routine incorporation of additional sample receipts into the final
December estimates. Table D (job openings), table E (hires), table F
(total separations), table G (quits), and table H (layoffs and
discharges) present revised data on a seasonally adjusted basis,
incorporating the new seasonal adjustment factors, benchmark level,
and birth/death model update. Table I (other separations) presents
revisions on a not seasonally adjusted basis since that series was not
available on a seasonally adjusted basis last year. Tables presenting
revisions to historical series will be available on the JOLTS website
in the near future.
The JOLTS website contains all revised historical seasonally adjusted
and not seasonally adjusted JOLTS data. The data can be accessed
through the JOLTS homepage at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/.
Further information on the revisions released today may be obtained by
calling (202) 691-5870 or via the Internet on the JOLTS homepage.
Table D. Revisions in job openings data January 2011 - December 2011,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 2,741 | 2,860 | 119 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 0.0
February..| 3,025 | 3,012 | -13 | 2.3 | 2.3 | .0
March.....| 3,123 | 3,189 | 66 | 2.3 | 2.4 | .1
April.....| 2,953 | 3,014 | 61 | 2.2 | 2.2 | .0
May.......| 3,034 | 3,077 | 43 | 2.3 | 2.3 | .0
June......| 3,169 | 3,241 | 72 | 2.4 | 2.4 | .0
July......| 3,213 | 3,366 | 153 | 2.4 | 2.5 | .1
August....| 3,129 | 3,152 | 23 | 2.3 | 2.3 | .0
September.| 3,377 | 3,501 | 124 | 2.5 | 2.6 | .1
October...| 3,224 | 3,408 | 184 | 2.4 | 2.5 | .1
November..| 3,118 | 3,274 | 156 | 2.3 | 2.4 | .1
December..| 3,376 | 3,540 | 164 | 2.5 | 2.6 | .1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table E. Revisions in hires data January 2011 - December 2011,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 3,769 | 3,934 | 165 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 0.1
February..| 3,986 | 4,089 | 103 | 3.1 | 3.1 | .0
March.....| 4,067 | 4,293 | 226 | 3.1 | 3.3 | .2
April.....| 4,001 | 4,015 | 14 | 3.1 | 3.1 | .0
May.......| 4,129 | 4,182 | 53 | 3.2 | 3.2 | .0
June......| 4,058 | 4,208 | 150 | 3.1 | 3.2 | .1
July......| 3,976 | 4,112 | 136 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
August....| 4,060 | 4,221 | 161 | 3.1 | 3.2 | .1
September.| 4,150 | 4,276 | 126 | 3.2 | 3.2 | .0
October...| 4,042 | 4,220 | 178 | 3.1 | 3.2 | .1
November..| 4,132 | 4,268 | 136 | 3.1 | 3.2 | .1
December..| 4,046 | 4,188 | 142 | 3.1 | 3.2 | .1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table F. Revisions in total separations data January 2011 - December 2011,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 3,612 | 3,816 | 204 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 0.1
February..| 3,825 | 3,877 | 52 | 2.9 | 3.0 | .1
March.....| 3,805 | 3,988 | 183 | 2.9 | 3.0 | .1
April.....| 3,833 | 3,799 | -34 | 2.9 | 2.9 | .0
May.......| 4,145 | 4,177 | 32 | 3.2 | 3.2 | .0
June......| 3,993 | 4,112 | 119 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
July......| 3,962 | 4,023 | 61 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
August....| 3,960 | 4,112 | 152 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
September.| 4,052 | 4,089 | 37 | 3.1 | 3.1 | .0
October...| 3,898 | 4,065 | 167 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
November..| 3,986 | 4,057 | 71 | 3.0 | 3.1 | .1
December..| 3,909 | 4,023 | 114 | 3.0 | 3.0 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table G. Revisions in quits data January 2011 - December 2011,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 1,679 | 1,803 | 124 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.1
February..| 1,910 | 1,918 | 8 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
March.....| 1,924 | 1,979 | 55 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
April.....| 1,887 | 1,874 | -13 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .0
May.......| 2,000 | 1,996 | -4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
June......| 1,904 | 1,930 | 26 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
July......| 1,969 | 2,002 | 33 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
August....| 2,006 | 2,048 | 42 | 1.5 | 1.6 | .1
September.| 2,000 | 2,015 | 15 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
October...| 1,923 | 1,983 | 60 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
November..| 1,955 | 1,976 | 21 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
December..| 1,926 | 2,008 | 82 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table H. Revisions in layoffs and discharges data January 2011 - December 2011,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 1,541 | 1,659 | 118 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.1
February..| 1,620 | 1,624 | 4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .0
March.....| 1,606 | 1,690 | 84 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .1
April.....| 1,603 | 1,616 | 13 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .0
May.......| 1,837 | 1,843 | 6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .0
June......| 1,773 | 1,850 | 77 | 1.4 | 1.4 | .0
July......| 1,694 | 1,681 | -13 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .0
August....| 1,687 | 1,755 | 68 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .0
September.| 1,723 | 1,765 | 42 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .0
October...| 1,595 | 1,740 | 145 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .1
November..| 1,718 | 1,770 | 52 | 1.3 | 1.3 | .0
December..| 1,644 | 1,685 | 41 | 1.2 | 1.3 | .1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table I. Revisions in other separations data January 2011 - December 2011,
not seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2011 | | | | | |
January...| 462 | 456 | -6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.0
February..| 295 | 285 | -10 | .2 | .2 | .0
March.....| 271 | 269 | -2 | .2 | .2 | .0
April.....| 305 | 307 | 2 | .2 | .2 | .0
May.......| 311 | 324 | 13 | .2 | .2 | .0
June......| 392 | 385 | -7 | .3 | .3 | .0
July......| 383 | 401 | 18 | .3 | .3 | .0
August....| 319 | 318 | -1 | .2 | .2 | .0
September.| 305 | 299 | -6 | .2 | .2 | .0
October...| 333 | 333 | 0 | .3 | .3 | .0
November..| 237 | 243 | 6 | .2 | .2 | .0
December..| 330 | 323 | -7 | .2 | .2 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
NOTE: Data in this table are not seasonally adjusted because seasonally
adjusted data for this series (from December 2000 forward) did not become
available until 2012.
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, web, 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 2012 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 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 stratified random sample of 16,400
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 establishment 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 or ratio adjusted
monthly to the strike-adjusted 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 using the ratio of over-the-year CES employment change.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Historical changes in 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.
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 segment of the population, the inability to obtain
data from all units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by
respondents, errors made in the collection or processing of the
data, and errors from the employment benchmark data used in
estimation.
Other information
Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200;
Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels(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.
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p
Total................................. 2,860 3,152 3,501 3,408 3,274 3,540 3,459 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.5
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 2,536 2,818 3,100 3,062 2,925 3,188 3,107 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.7
Construction........................... 67 103 78 80 83 78 82 1.2 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5
Manufacturing.......................... 212 238 249 240 240 252 285 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 502 491 599 594 581 574 554 2.0 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.1
Retail trade.......................... 282 321 359 334 316 323 317 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1
Professional and business services..... 478 622 692 644 561 785 729 2.7 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.1 4.3 4.0
Education and health services(6)........ 506 606 600 622 616 605 611 2.5 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9
Health care and social assistance 443 542 530 558 552 552 554 2.6 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2
Leisure and hospitality................ 294 362 392 404 434 441 437 2.2 2.6 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 37 41 56 62 58 44 79 1.9 2.1 2.8 3.1 2.9 2.3 3.9
Accommodation and food services....... 257 321 336 342 376 397 358 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.0
Government(7)......................... 325 334 400 345 349 352 352 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6
State and local government............. 258 287 345 279 299 301 302 1.3 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6
REGION(8)
Northeast........................... 579 552 606 573 557 595 591 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3
South............................... 1,045 1,135 1,335 1,310 1,306 1,443 1,434 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9
Midwest............................. 612 714 736 715 730 763 745 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4
West................................ 625 750 824 811 682 740 689 2.1 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.3
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 and because not all series are shown.
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 educational services, 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
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p
Total................................. 3,934 4,221 4,276 4,220 4,268 4,188 4,158 3.0 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,671 3,932 4,002 3,979 3,986 3,889 3,835 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.5
Construction........................... 288 325 360 333 312 315 307 5.3 5.9 6.5 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.5
Manufacturing.......................... 259 257 240 240 237 269 246 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 834 823 810 840 849 812 822 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.3
Retail trade.......................... 568 544 567 559 573 517 552 3.9 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.7
Professional and business services..... 827 890 911 893 858 818 779 4.8 5.1 5.2 5.1 4.9 4.6 4.4
Education and health services(6)........ 439 489 486 484 483 494 499 2.2 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5
Health care and social assistance 358 414 391 414 407 414 419 2.2 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5
Leisure and hospitality................ 621 711 736 719 779 743 768 4.7 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 95 115 135 131 157 141 146 5.0 6.0 7.1 6.9 8.2 7.4 7.6
Accommodation and food services....... 527 596 600 588 622 602 622 4.7 5.2 5.2 5.1 5.4 5.2 5.4
Government(7)......................... 263 290 275 241 281 299 323 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5
State and local government............. 231 263 248 215 252 270 303 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.6
REGION(8)
Northeast........................... 647 685 664 684 691 676 680 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7
South............................... 1,461 1,617 1,626 1,656 1,626 1,634 1,613 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4
Midwest............................. 924 978 996 960 1,004 986 960 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.2
West................................ 902 942 990 919 947 891 904 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.1 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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
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 educational services, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p
Total................................. 3,816 4,112 4,089 4,065 4,057 4,023 3,944 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,560 3,835 3,808 3,781 3,750 3,695 3,619 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.3
Construction........................... 309 338 324 325 300 303 290 5.7 6.1 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.5 5.2
Manufacturing.......................... 223 247 236 227 236 239 213 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 784 805 811 813 770 773 810 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.2
Retail trade.......................... 533 544 567 539 520 509 566 3.7 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.8
Professional and business services..... 772 845 857 831 807 792 705 4.5 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.0
Education and health services(6)........ 423 460 409 450 462 468 481 2.1 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4
Health care and social assistance 355 382 342 386 396 402 398 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4
Leisure and hospitality................ 624 716 716 663 715 695 708 4.7 5.4 5.4 5.0 5.3 5.2 5.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 104 116 140 114 142 133 125 5.5 6.1 7.3 6.0 7.4 7.0 6.5
Accommodation and food services....... 520 600 576 549 573 562 582 4.6 5.2 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.9 5.0
Government(7)......................... 256 276 281 285 307 328 325 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5
State and local government............. 227 245 250 253 268 292 299 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
REGION(8)
Northeast........................... 595 677 660 702 667 631 667 2.4 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.6
South............................... 1,524 1,578 1,607 1,537 1,609 1,592 1,529 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.2
Midwest............................. 917 951 897 949 881 905 871 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.9
West................................ 780 906 925 877 899 895 877 2.7 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0
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 and because not all series are shown.
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 educational services, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011 2012p
Total................................. 1,803 2,048 2,015 1,983 1,976 2,008 1,972 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 1,693 1,932 1,902 1,869 1,860 1,867 1,843 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7
Construction........................... 65 69 80 80 91 76 71 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.3
Manufacturing.......................... 96 99 99 105 121 113 95 .8 .8 .8 .9 1.0 1.0 .8
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 377 439 456 461 413 447 437 1.5 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.7
Retail trade.......................... 275 327 336 330 294 331 325 1.9 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.2
Professional and business services..... 355 387 395 368 380 363 339 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 1.9
Education and health services(6)........ 231 270 244 242 247 265 274 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4
Health care and social assistance 201 223 215 215 225 233 245 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5
Leisure and hospitality................ 370 439 403 374 370 388 396 2.8 3.3 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 36 45 45 41 36 48 40 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.1
Accommodation and food services....... 334 394 358 334 335 340 356 3.0 3.4 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1
Government(7)......................... 110 116 114 114 116 141 130 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6
State and local government............. 102 106 104 102 106 131 121 .5 .6 .5 .5 .6 .7 .6
REGION(8)
Northeast........................... 253 283 281 288 275 279 333 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.3
South............................... 699 831 877 782 830 816 783 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.6
Midwest............................. 441 495 425 477 443 469 442 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5
West................................ 410 439 433 436 428 445 415 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
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 educational services, not shown separately.
7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
8 See footnote 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates, the JOLTS seasonal adjustment
factors, and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 3,020 3,118 3,638 2.3 2.3 2.7
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,719 2,779 3,310 2.5 2.5 3.0
Mining and Logging............................ 40 28 23 5.3 3.3 2.7
Construction.................................. 61 52 74 1.2 .9 1.4
Manufacturing................................. 218 218 294 1.9 1.8 2.4
Durable goods................................ 143 149 223 2.0 2.0 2.9
Nondurable goods............................. 75 69 71 1.7 1.5 1.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 501 443 554 2.0 1.7 2.2
Wholesale trade.............................. 128 94 147 2.3 1.7 2.6
Retail trade................................. 265 235 299 1.8 1.5 2.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 108 114 108 2.2 2.2 2.2
Information................................... 104 103 93 3.8 3.7 3.4
Financial activities.......................... 264 176 255 3.3 2.2 3.2
Finance and insurance........................ 230 156 199 3.8 2.6 3.4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 34 20 56 1.8 1.0 2.8
Professional and business services............ 551 748 839 3.2 4.1 4.6
Education and health services................. 554 573 671 2.8 2.8 3.2
Educational services......................... 65 45 56 2.0 1.3 1.7
Health care and social assistance............ 490 528 614 2.9 3.0 3.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 266 332 387 2.1 2.5 2.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 31 26 65 1.8 1.5 3.7
Accommodation and food services............. 235 306 322 2.1 2.6 2.8
Other services................................ 159 107 121 2.9 2.0 2.2
Government..................................... 301 338 328 1.3 1.5 1.5
Federal....................................... 58 50 46 2.0 1.7 1.6
State and local............................... 242 289 282 1.2 1.5 1.5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 621 506 631 2.5 2.0 2.5
South......................................... 1,122 1,329 1,535 2.4 2.7 3.1
Midwest....................................... 607 648 738 2.0 2.1 2.4
West.......................................... 671 633 734 2.3 2.1 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 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 3,801 3,038 3,993 3.0 2.3 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,542 2,856 3,668 3.3 2.6 3.4
Mining and Logging............................ 24 20 41 3.3 2.4 5.0
Construction.................................. 239 199 252 4.7 3.7 4.9
Manufacturing................................. 284 171 271 2.5 1.4 2.3
Durable goods................................ 178 108 167 2.5 1.5 2.3
Nondurable goods............................. 106 64 105 2.4 1.4 2.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 711 635 704 2.9 2.5 2.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 143 101 139 2.6 1.8 2.5
Retail trade................................. 442 385 431 3.1 2.5 2.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 125 149 134 2.6 3.0 2.8
Information................................... 62 52 55 2.4 2.0 2.1
Financial activities.......................... 161 124 171 2.1 1.6 2.2
Finance and insurance........................ 105 86 115 1.8 1.5 2.0
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 57 38 56 3.0 2.0 3.0
Professional and business services............ 914 663 857 5.5 3.7 4.9
Education and health services................. 453 347 514 2.3 1.7 2.6
Educational services......................... 82 41 82 2.6 1.2 2.6
Health care and social assistance............ 371 307 431 2.3 1.8 2.6
Leisure and hospitality....................... 510 515 627 4.1 3.9 4.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 74 96 113 4.5 5.5 6.7
Accommodation and food services............. 435 419 513 4.0 3.7 4.6
Other services................................ 184 131 176 3.5 2.5 3.3
Government..................................... 259 181 324 1.2 .8 1.5
Federal....................................... 31 23 19 1.1 .8 .7
State and local............................... 228 158 305 1.2 .8 1.6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 609 492 636 2.5 1.9 2.6
South......................................... 1,475 1,204 1,617 3.2 2.5 3.4
Midwest....................................... 857 683 880 2.9 2.3 3.0
West.......................................... 861 659 860 3.1 2.3 3.0
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
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 4,407 3,903 4,475 3.4 2.9 3.4
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,164 3,618 4,174 3.9 3.3 3.8
Mining and Logging............................ 18 26 30 2.4 3.1 3.7
Construction.................................. 398 341 366 7.9 6.3 7.1
Manufacturing................................. 253 210 240 2.2 1.8 2.0
Durable goods................................ 133 115 130 1.9 1.6 1.8
Nondurable goods............................. 120 94 110 2.7 2.1 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 1,077 847 1,081 4.4 3.3 4.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 150 121 140 2.8 2.2 2.5
Retail trade................................. 764 521 786 5.3 3.4 5.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 163 205 156 3.4 4.1 3.2
Information................................... 84 61 82 3.2 2.3 3.2
Financial activities.......................... 213 136 227 2.8 1.8 3.0
Finance and insurance........................ 113 99 140 2.0 1.7 2.4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 100 37 87 5.3 1.9 4.6
Professional and business services............ 853 844 767 5.1 4.8 4.4
Education and health services................. 438 416 484 2.2 2.1 2.4
Educational services......................... 62 49 71 2.0 1.5 2.2
Health care and social assistance............ 376 367 413 2.3 2.2 2.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 627 591 717 5.0 4.5 5.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 86 104 104 5.2 5.9 6.1
Accommodation and food services............. 541 488 613 5.0 4.3 5.5
Other services................................ 203 146 179 3.9 2.7 3.4
Government..................................... 243 285 301 1.1 1.3 1.4
Federal....................................... 36 36 30 1.3 1.3 1.1
State and local............................... 207 249 271 1.1 1.3 1.4
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 698 634 763 2.9 2.5 3.1
South......................................... 1,773 1,492 1,744 3.8 3.1 3.7
Midwest....................................... 1,060 929 978 3.6 3.1 3.3
West.......................................... 875 847 990 3.1 2.9 3.5
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
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 1,796 1,642 1,964 1.4 1.2 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,693 1,532 1,843 1.6 1.4 1.7
Mining and Logging............................ 6 12 19 .9 1.5 2.3
Construction.................................. 55 56 60 1.1 1.0 1.2
Manufacturing................................. 90 78 89 .8 .7 .8
Durable goods................................ 45 41 46 .6 .6 .6
Nondurable goods............................. 45 37 42 1.0 .8 1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 399 393 461 1.6 1.5 1.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 58 40 52 1.1 .7 .9
Retail trade................................. 293 297 345 2.0 2.0 2.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 48 56 64 1.0 1.1 1.3
Information................................... 32 26 45 1.2 1.0 1.7
Financial activities.......................... 79 74 91 1.0 1.0 1.2
Finance and insurance........................ 48 55 56 .8 .9 1.0
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 32 19 35 1.7 1.0 1.9
Professional and business services............ 348 293 328 2.1 1.7 1.9
Education and health services................. 232 225 276 1.2 1.1 1.4
Educational services......................... 29 23 27 .9 .7 .8
Health care and social assistance............ 203 202 249 1.2 1.2 1.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 354 314 378 2.8 2.4 2.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 24 34 27 1.5 1.9 1.6
Accommodation and food services............. 329 280 351 3.0 2.5 3.2
Other services................................ 97 62 96 1.9 1.2 1.8
Government..................................... 103 110 120 .5 .5 .6
Federal....................................... 11 9 11 .4 .3 .4
State and local............................... 92 101 109 .5 .5 .6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 245 217 323 1.0 .9 1.3
South......................................... 730 664 817 1.6 1.4 1.7
Midwest....................................... 423 400 421 1.4 1.3 1.4
West.......................................... 399 362 402 1.4 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
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 2,155 1,937 2,077 1.7 1.5 1.6
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,080 1,837 1,962 2.0 1.7 1.8
Mining and Logging............................ 10 12 9 1.3 1.5 1.1
Construction.................................. 332 265 281 6.6 4.9 5.4
Manufacturing................................. 138 112 119 1.2 .9 1.0
Durable goods................................ 72 63 63 1.0 .9 .9
Nondurable goods............................. 67 49 55 1.5 1.1 1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 565 397 516 2.3 1.5 2.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 53 71 70 1.0 1.3 1.3
Retail trade................................. 413 196 366 2.9 1.3 2.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 99 130 79 2.1 2.6 1.6
Information................................... 34 30 35 1.3 1.1 1.3
Financial activities.......................... 112 38 72 1.5 .5 .9
Finance and insurance........................ 49 22 25 .9 .4 .4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 63 16 48 3.4 .8 2.5
Professional and business services............ 424 507 370 2.5 2.9 2.1
Education and health services................. 136 139 168 .7 .7 .8
Educational services......................... 22 23 38 .7 .7 1.2
Health care and social assistance............ 114 117 129 .7 .7 .8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 245 257 323 2.0 2.0 2.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 58 68 76 3.5 3.9 4.5
Accommodation and food services............. 188 190 247 1.7 1.7 2.2
Other services................................ 83 79 70 1.6 1.5 1.3
Government..................................... 75 100 116 .3 .4 .5
Federal....................................... 10 10 8 .4 .4 .3
State and local............................... 65 90 107 .3 .5 .6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 370 363 353 1.5 1.4 1.4
South......................................... 900 708 756 1.9 1.5 1.6
Midwest....................................... 494 454 442 1.7 1.5 1.5
West.......................................... 391 412 526 1.4 1.4 1.8
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 8, table 1.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
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.
2011 2011 2012p 2011 2011 2012p
Total........................................... 456 323 434 0.4 0.2 0.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 391 248 368 .4 .2 .3
Mining and Logging............................ 2 1 3 .2 .2 .3
Construction.................................. 11 20 26 .2 .4 .5
Manufacturing................................. 24 20 33 .2 .2 .3
Durable goods................................ 16 11 21 .2 .2 .3
Nondurable goods............................. 8 8 12 .2 .2 .3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 113 57 104 .5 .2 .4
Wholesale trade.............................. 39 11 17 .7 .2 .3
Retail trade................................. 58 27 74 .4 .2 .5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 16 19 13 .3 .4 .3
Information................................... 18 5 3 .7 .2 .1
Financial activities.......................... 22 25 64 .3 .3 .8
Finance and insurance........................ 16 23 59 .3 .4 1.0
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 6 2 4 .3 .1 .2
Professional and business services............ 81 44 69 .5 .2 .4
Education and health services................. 70 52 40 .4 .3 .2
Educational services......................... 11 4 5 .3 .1 .2
Health care and social assistance............ 59 48 35 .4 .3 .2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 28 20 16 .2 .2 .1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 4 2 1 .3 .1 .1
Accommodation and food services............. 24 18 15 .2 .2 .1
Other services................................ 22 5 12 .4 .1 .2
Government..................................... 65 75 65 .3 .3 .3
Federal....................................... 15 17 11 .5 .6 .4
State and local............................... 50 58 54 .3 .3 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 84 54 86 .3 .2 .3
South......................................... 143 121 173 .3 .3 .4
Midwest....................................... 144 76 114 .5 .3 .4
West.......................................... 85 73 61 .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.
p = Preliminary
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics
employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 11. Annual hires levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 62,421 55,166 46,398 48,647 50,083
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 58,035 51,606 43,052 44,826 46,869
Mining and Logging............................ 333 357 185 286 328
Construction.................................. 4,770 4,479 3,679 3,996 4,096
Manufacturing................................. 4,516 3,592 2,755 3,134 3,082
Durable goods................................ 2,636 2,064 1,409 1,797 1,792
Nondurable goods............................. 1,881 1,526 1,344 1,337 1,289
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 13,089 11,413 9,440 9,681 9,942
Wholesale trade.............................. 2,132 1,765 1,453 1,411 1,504
Retail trade................................. 9,107 7,882 6,333 6,697 6,752
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 1,851 1,768 1,659 1,576 1,686
Information................................... 940 753 667 651 708
Financial activities.......................... 3,000 2,502 1,995 2,046 1,861
Finance and insurance........................ 1,959 1,604 1,192 1,359 1,178
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 1,044 897 801 687 685
Professional and business services............ 11,359 9,966 8,256 9,330 10,391
Education and health services................. 6,311 6,352 5,952 5,770 5,730
Educational services......................... 889 910 862 887 924
Health care and social assistance............ 5,422 5,441 5,091 4,882 4,807
Leisure and hospitality....................... 11,083 9,820 7,779 7,822 8,453
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1,624 1,449 1,198 1,317 1,455
Accommodation and food services............. 9,457 8,369 6,580 6,507 6,995
Other services................................ 2,637 2,372 2,338 2,102 2,279
Government..................................... 4,385 3,558 3,346 3,821 3,213
Federal....................................... 816 321 460 1,048 330
State and local............................... 3,571 3,238 2,886 2,772 2,883
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 9,716 8,862 8,291 8,686 8,394
South......................................... 24,297 20,829 17,492 18,230 18,979
Midwest....................................... 13,664 12,025 10,059 11,136 11,634
West.......................................... 14,747 13,453 10,557 10,595 11,075
1 The annual hires level is the total number of hires during the entire year.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 12. Annual hires rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 45.4 40.3 35.5 37.5 38.1
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 50.3 45.2 39.8 41.7 42.9
Mining and Logging............................ 46.0 46.6 26.7 40.6 41.8
Construction.................................. 62.5 62.5 61.2 72.4 74.4
Manufacturing................................. 32.5 26.8 23.3 27.2 26.3
Durable goods................................ 29.9 24.4 19.3 25.4 24.6
Nondurable goods............................. 37.1 30.9 29.4 30.0 28.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 49.2 43.4 37.9 39.3 39.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 35.4 29.7 26.0 25.9 27.2
Retail trade................................. 58.7 51.6 43.6 46.4 46.1
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 36.3 34.9 34.6 33.2 34.8
Information................................... 31.0 25.2 23.8 24.0 26.6
Financial activities.......................... 36.1 30.7 25.7 26.7 24.2
Finance and insurance........................ 31.9 26.7 20.6 23.8 20.5
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 48.1 42.1 40.2 35.5 35.5
Professional and business services............ 63.3 56.2 49.8 55.8 60.0
Education and health services................. 34.4 33.7 31.0 29.5 28.8
Educational services......................... 30.2 29.9 27.9 28.1 28.5
Health care and social assistance............ 35.3 34.4 31.6 29.8 28.9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 82.5 73.1 59.5 59.9 63.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 82.5 73.6 62.5 68.8 76.2
Accommodation and food services............. 82.5 73.0 59.0 58.4 61.3
Other services................................ 48.0 43.0 43.6 39.4 42.7
Government..................................... 19.7 15.8 14.8 17.0 14.5
Federal....................................... 29.8 11.6 16.2 35.2 11.5
State and local............................... 18.3 16.4 14.6 14.2 15.0
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 37.8 34.4 33.3 35.1 33.5
South......................................... 48.9 42.1 36.9 38.7 39.8
Midwest....................................... 43.6 38.6 33.9 37.8 39.0
West.......................................... 47.7 44.2 36.6 37.2 38.4
1 The annual hires rate is the number of hires during the entire year as a percent of
annual average employment.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 13. Annual total separations levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 61,162 58,601 51,527 47,641 48,242
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 57,090 55,216 48,095 43,518 44,774
Mining and Logging............................ 301 324 295 219 241
Construction.................................. 4,939 5,228 4,764 4,195 3,962
Manufacturing................................. 4,799 4,452 4,172 3,036 2,831
Durable goods................................ 2,841 2,688 2,519 1,679 1,541
Nondurable goods............................. 1,958 1,765 1,654 1,356 1,290
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 12,758 12,499 10,526 9,401 9,531
Wholesale trade.............................. 2,045 2,000 1,777 1,406 1,416
Retail trade................................. 8,916 8,599 6,872 6,475 6,517
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 1,797 1,900 1,878 1,521 1,601
Information................................... 946 867 840 709 752
Financial activities.......................... 3,125 2,716 2,325 2,047 1,852
Finance and insurance........................ 2,062 1,753 1,397 1,328 1,168
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 1,060 962 925 718 686
Professional and business services............ 11,088 10,787 9,011 8,801 9,807
Education and health services................. 5,781 5,881 5,641 5,459 5,319
Educational services......................... 823 814 830 808 828
Health care and social assistance............ 4,958 5,070 4,811 4,647 4,489
Leisure and hospitality....................... 10,783 10,038 8,087 7,576 8,204
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1,565 1,477 1,267 1,271 1,491
Accommodation and food services............. 9,217 8,564 6,822 6,304 6,714
Other services................................ 2,568 2,418 2,434 2,075 2,271
Government..................................... 4,071 3,382 3,433 4,124 3,470
Federal....................................... 795 302 409 995 374
State and local............................... 3,278 3,082 3,023 3,129 3,094
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 9,309 9,505 8,922 8,601 8,137
South......................................... 23,694 22,023 19,055 17,666 18,424
Midwest....................................... 13,252 12,561 11,161 10,782 11,115
West.......................................... 14,904 14,508 12,390 10,598 10,565
1 The annual total separations level is the total number of total separations during the
entire year.
2 See footnote 8, 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 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 44.4 42.8 39.4 36.7 36.7
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 49.5 48.3 44.4 40.5 41.0
Mining and Logging............................ 41.6 42.3 42.5 31.1 30.7
Construction.................................. 64.7 73.0 79.2 76.0 72.0
Manufacturing................................. 34.6 33.2 35.2 26.3 24.1
Durable goods................................ 32.2 31.7 34.6 23.8 21.2
Nondurable goods............................. 38.6 35.7 36.2 30.4 28.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 47.9 47.5 42.3 38.2 38.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 34.0 33.7 31.8 25.8 25.6
Retail trade................................. 57.4 56.3 47.3 44.8 44.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 35.3 37.5 39.2 32.1 33.0
Information................................... 31.2 29.1 30.0 26.2 28.2
Financial activities.......................... 37.6 33.3 29.9 26.8 24.1
Finance and insurance........................ 33.6 29.1 24.2 23.2 20.3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 48.9 45.2 46.4 37.1 35.6
Professional and business services............ 61.8 60.8 54.4 52.6 56.6
Education and health services................. 31.6 31.2 29.4 28.0 26.8
Educational services......................... 28.0 26.8 26.9 25.6 25.5
Health care and social assistance............ 32.2 32.1 29.9 28.4 27.0
Leisure and hospitality....................... 80.3 74.7 61.8 58.1 61.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 79.5 75.0 66.1 66.4 78.1
Accommodation and food services............. 80.4 74.7 61.1 56.6 58.8
Other services................................ 46.7 43.8 45.4 38.9 42.5
Government..................................... 18.3 15.0 15.2 18.3 15.7
Federal....................................... 29.1 10.9 14.4 33.4 13.1
State and local............................... 16.8 15.6 15.3 16.0 16.1
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 36.3 36.9 35.8 34.7 32.5
South......................................... 47.7 44.5 40.2 37.5 38.6
Midwest....................................... 42.3 40.4 37.6 36.6 37.2
West.......................................... 48.3 47.7 43.0 37.2 36.7
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 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 15. Annual quits levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 34,612 30,558 21,021 21,967 23,578
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 32,686 28,952 19,817 20,652 22,191
Mining and Logging............................ 177 177 88 94 140
Construction.................................. 1,874 1,589 889 902 945
Manufacturing................................. 2,474 1,873 1,032 1,139 1,254
Durable goods................................ 1,399 1,033 501 570 640
Nondurable goods............................. 1,072 837 534 569 615
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 7,612 6,843 4,657 4,866 5,247
Wholesale trade.............................. 1,162 983 541 541 634
Retail trade................................. 5,544 4,935 3,428 3,668 3,880
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 909 926 690 655 734
Information................................... 552 433 390 353 405
Financial activities.......................... 1,801 1,423 862 985 995
Finance and insurance........................ 1,307 956 559 650 667
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 496 464 300 335 328
Professional and business services............ 5,734 5,185 3,373 3,866 4,485
Education and health services................. 3,639 3,457 2,946 2,942 2,965
Educational services......................... 404 384 318 361 384
Health care and social assistance............ 3,235 3,072 2,627 2,580 2,582
Leisure and hospitality....................... 7,391 6,610 4,512 4,483 4,729
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 643 536 398 448 509
Accommodation and food services............. 6,749 6,073 4,112 4,034 4,220
Other services................................ 1,432 1,366 1,071 1,024 1,026
Government..................................... 1,927 1,606 1,205 1,314 1,389
Federal....................................... 277 98 81 147 113
State and local............................... 1,648 1,506 1,125 1,166 1,276
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 4,543 4,421 3,136 3,466 3,367
South......................................... 14,431 12,427 8,489 8,889 9,511
Midwest....................................... 7,280 6,587 4,502 4,893 5,534
West.......................................... 8,355 7,121 4,896 4,719 5,169
1 The annual quits level is the total number of quits during the entire year.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 16. Annual quits rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 25.2 22.3 16.1 16.9 17.9
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 28.3 25.3 18.3 19.2 20.3
Mining and Logging............................ 24.4 23.1 12.7 13.3 17.9
Construction.................................. 24.6 22.2 14.8 16.3 17.2
Manufacturing................................. 17.8 14.0 8.7 9.9 10.7
Durable goods................................ 15.9 12.2 6.9 8.1 8.8
Nondurable goods............................. 21.1 16.9 11.7 12.7 13.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 28.6 26.0 18.7 19.8 21.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 19.3 16.5 9.7 9.9 11.5
Retail trade................................. 35.7 32.3 23.6 25.4 26.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 17.8 18.3 14.4 13.8 15.1
Information................................... 18.2 14.5 13.9 13.0 15.2
Financial activities.......................... 21.7 17.5 11.1 12.9 13.0
Finance and insurance........................ 21.3 15.9 9.7 11.4 11.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 22.9 21.8 15.0 17.3 17.0
Professional and business services............ 32.0 29.2 20.3 23.1 25.9
Education and health services................. 19.9 18.4 15.3 15.1 14.9
Educational services......................... 13.7 12.6 10.3 11.4 11.8
Health care and social assistance............ 21.0 19.4 16.3 15.8 15.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 55.0 49.2 34.5 34.4 35.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 32.7 27.2 20.8 23.4 26.6
Accommodation and food services............. 58.9 53.0 36.8 36.2 37.0
Other services................................ 26.1 24.8 20.0 19.2 19.2
Government..................................... 8.7 7.1 5.3 5.8 6.3
Federal....................................... 10.1 3.5 2.9 4.9 4.0
State and local............................... 8.5 7.6 5.7 6.0 6.6
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 17.7 17.2 12.6 14.0 13.5
South......................................... 29.0 25.1 17.9 18.9 19.9
Midwest....................................... 23.2 21.2 15.2 16.6 18.5
West.......................................... 27.0 23.4 17.0 16.6 17.9
1 The annual quits rate is the number of quits during the entire year as a percent of
annual average employment.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 17. Annual layoffs and discharges levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 22,142 24,166 26,783 21,784 20,718
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 20,834 23,015 25,172 19,729 19,394
Mining and Logging............................ 88 120 178 98 84
Construction.................................. 2,837 3,420 3,743 3,105 2,865
Manufacturing................................. 1,952 2,252 2,863 1,655 1,327
Durable goods................................ 1,202 1,441 1,836 954 747
Nondurable goods............................. 751 809 1,028 701 581
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 4,187 4,718 5,007 3,720 3,400
Wholesale trade.............................. 764 898 1,083 741 591
Retail trade................................. 2,733 3,027 2,875 2,315 2,154
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 691 796 1,047 669 655
Information................................... 284 364 379 292 284
Financial activities.......................... 1,079 1,030 1,264 776 650
Finance and insurance........................ 592 616 693 450 344
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 488 415 571 325 307
Professional and business services............ 4,679 5,036 5,010 4,326 4,720
Education and health services................. 1,711 1,980 2,183 2,089 1,814
Educational services......................... 369 382 453 399 369
Health care and social assistance............ 1,341 1,598 1,728 1,691 1,445
Leisure and hospitality....................... 3,078 3,130 3,316 2,742 3,145
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 864 900 833 785 953
Accommodation and food services............. 2,213 2,231 2,483 1,959 2,197
Other services................................ 936 961 1,231 924 1,101
Government..................................... 1,308 1,149 1,610 2,050 1,324
Federal....................................... 219 102 224 742 133
State and local............................... 1,090 1,047 1,387 1,312 1,194
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 3,967 4,309 5,082 4,386 4,028
South......................................... 7,796 8,265 9,195 7,402 7,504
Midwest....................................... 4,992 5,115 5,824 5,000 4,638
West.......................................... 5,385 6,481 6,681 4,994 4,550
1 The annual layoffs and discharges level is the total number of layoffs and discharges
during the entire year.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 18. Annual layoffs and discharges rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 16.1 17.7 20.5 16.8 15.8
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 18.1 20.1 23.3 18.4 17.8
Mining and Logging............................ 12.2 15.7 25.6 13.9 10.7
Construction.................................. 37.2 47.8 62.2 56.3 52.1
Manufacturing................................. 14.1 16.8 24.2 14.4 11.3
Durable goods................................ 13.6 17.0 25.2 13.5 10.3
Nondurable goods............................. 14.8 16.4 22.5 15.7 13.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 15.7 17.9 20.1 15.1 13.6
Wholesale trade.............................. 12.7 15.1 19.4 13.6 10.7
Retail trade................................. 17.6 19.8 19.8 16.0 14.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 13.6 15.7 21.8 14.1 13.5
Information................................... 9.4 12.2 13.5 10.8 10.7
Financial activities.......................... 13.0 12.6 16.3 10.1 8.5
Finance and insurance........................ 9.7 10.2 12.0 7.9 6.0
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 22.5 19.5 28.6 16.8 15.9
Professional and business services............ 26.1 28.4 30.2 25.9 27.2
Education and health services................. 9.3 10.5 11.4 10.7 9.1
Educational services......................... 12.5 12.6 14.7 12.6 11.4
Health care and social assistance............ 8.7 10.1 10.7 10.3 8.7
Leisure and hospitality....................... 22.9 23.3 25.4 21.0 23.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 43.9 45.7 43.5 41.0 49.9
Accommodation and food services............. 19.3 19.5 22.2 17.6 19.3
Other services................................ 17.0 17.4 22.9 17.3 20.6
Government..................................... 5.9 5.1 7.1 9.1 6.0
Federal....................................... 8.0 3.7 7.9 24.9 4.7
State and local............................... 5.6 5.3 7.0 6.7 6.2
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 15.5 16.7 20.4 17.7 16.1
South......................................... 15.7 16.7 19.4 15.7 15.7
Midwest....................................... 15.9 16.4 19.6 17.0 15.5
West.......................................... 17.4 21.3 23.2 17.5 15.8
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 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 19. Annual other separations levels(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands)
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 4,407 3,876 3,722 3,892 3,943
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,568 3,251 3,104 3,133 3,188
Mining and Logging............................ 35 29 29 23 17
Construction.................................. 228 220 134 190 154
Manufacturing................................. 373 330 276 244 250
Durable goods................................ 240 208 183 156 157
Nondurable goods............................. 134 119 95 87 94
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 956 936 864 816 883
Wholesale trade.............................. 123 121 154 125 193
Retail trade................................. 636 638 568 492 481
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 198 177 140 199 213
Information................................... 111 69 73 63 62
Financial activities.......................... 242 262 197 286 211
Finance and insurance........................ 163 180 147 233 156
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 80 82 52 56 55
Professional and business services............ 675 568 630 610 600
Education and health services................. 433 444 511 426 538
Educational services......................... 48 45 57 54 75
Health care and social assistance............ 384 400 454 373 466
Leisure and hospitality....................... 315 300 262 350 327
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 57 42 33 37 29
Accommodation and food services............. 255 258 228 310 299
Other services................................ 201 93 134 127 142
Government..................................... 839 627 618 760 756
Federal....................................... 299 102 108 108 130
State and local............................... 540 525 510 652 627
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 796 771 700 744 740
South......................................... 1,469 1,335 1,380 1,380 1,415
Midwest....................................... 984 866 831 886 941
West.......................................... 1,161 904 811 882 846
1 The annual other separations level is the total number of other separations during the
entire year.
2 See footnote 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
Table 20. Annual other separations rates(1) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Rates
Industry and region 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Total........................................... 3.2 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.0
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3.1 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9
Mining and Logging............................ 4.8 3.8 4.2 3.3 2.2
Construction.................................. 3.0 3.1 2.2 3.4 2.8
Manufacturing................................. 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.1
Durable goods................................ 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.2 2.2
Nondurable goods............................. 2.6 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.5
Wholesale trade.............................. 2.0 2.0 2.8 2.3 3.5
Retail trade................................. 4.1 4.2 3.9 3.4 3.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 3.9 3.5 2.9 4.2 4.4
Information................................... 3.7 2.3 2.6 2.3 2.3
Financial activities.......................... 2.9 3.2 2.5 3.7 2.7
Finance and insurance........................ 2.7 3.0 2.5 4.1 2.7
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 3.7 3.8 2.6 2.9 2.9
Professional and business services............ 3.8 3.2 3.8 3.6 3.5
Education and health services................. 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.2 2.7
Educational services......................... 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.7 2.3
Health care and social assistance............ 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.3 2.8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.7 2.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 2.9 2.1 1.7 1.9 1.5
Accommodation and food services............. 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.8 2.6
Other services................................ 3.7 1.7 2.5 2.4 2.7
Government..................................... 3.8 2.8 2.7 3.4 3.4
Federal....................................... 10.9 3.7 3.8 3.6 4.5
State and local............................... 2.8 2.7 2.6 3.3 3.3
REGION (2)
Northeast..................................... 3.1 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.0
South......................................... 3.0 2.7 2.9 2.9 3.0
Midwest....................................... 3.1 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.2
West.......................................... 3.8 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.9
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 8, table 1.
NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment
Statistics employment estimates and a revised birth/death model.
United States Department of Labor
