For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 12, 2011 USDL-11-1032
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 – May 2011
There were 3.0 million job openings on the last business day of May,
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate
(3.1 percent) and separations rate (3.1 percent) were again little
changed over the month. This release includes estimates of the number
and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm
sector by industry and by geographic region.
Job Openings
The number of job openings in May was 3.0 million, unchanged from
April. (See table 1.) The number of job openings in May was 862,000
higher than in July 2009 (the series trough) but remains well below
the 4.4 million openings when the recession began in December 2007.
The number of job openings in May (not seasonally adjusted) rose over
the last 12 months for total private as the number of job openings
rose in durable goods manufacturing; transportation, warehousing, and
utilities; information; and healthcare and social assistance. The
level decreased over the year for federal government due largely to a
drop in the number of temporary workers needed to conduct the 2010
Census. (See table 5.)
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | May | Apr. | May | May | Apr. | May | May | Apr. | May
| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|2,790 |2,953 |2,974 |4,347 |4,001 |4,070 |3,929 |3,833 |4,059
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..|2,423 |2,635 |2,657 |3,613 |3,733 |3,797 |3,603 |3,528 |3,761
Construction.....| 79 | 90 | 87 | 312 | 355 | 348 | 338 | 357 | 348
Manufacturing....| 189 | 226 | 223 | 251 | 257 | 259 | 235 | 241 | 268
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 398 | 524 | 474 | 766 | 791 | 801 | 755 | 725 | 800
Retail trade....| 249 | 312 | 274 | 527 | 556 | 554 | 531 | 511 | 563
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 574 | 497 | 580 | 755 | 831 | 861 | 745 | 785 | 853
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 516 | 550 | 590 | 467 | 468 | 483 | 429 | 428 | 446
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 266 | 305 | 293 | 624 | 653 | 633 | 656 | 621 | 645
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 41 | 36 | 37 | 105 | 107 | 117 | 112 | 109 | 128
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 226 | 269 | 256 | 518 | 546 | 516 | 544 | 512 | 518
Government(3).....| 367 | 319 | 317 | 734 | 269 | 274 | 326 | 304 | 298
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 239 | 268 | 269 | 239 | 244 | 244 | 259 | 278 | 269
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.1
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..| 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5
Construction.....| 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 5.6 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.5 | 6.3
Manufacturing....| 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.3
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 1.6 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.2
Retail trade....| 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 3.3 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.0
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.2
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.9
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 6.7
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.6
Government(3).....| 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = Preliminary
Hires
In May, the hires rate was unchanged at 3.1 percent for total nonfarm.
The hires rate was also essentially unchanged for all industries and
regions. (See table 2.) At 4.1 million in May, the number of hires is
up from 3.6 million in October 2009 (the series trough) but remains
below the 5.0 million hires when the recession began in December 2007.
Over the past 12 months, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted)
showed no significant over-the-year increase in any industry or
region. The hires rate fell in federal government and in the West.
(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 essentially
unchanged in May for total nonfarm (3.1 percent) and government (1.3
percent); the rate increased for total private (to 3.5 percent). (See
table 3.) Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm, total private,
and government. (See table 7.)
The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. In May, the quits rate was essentially
unchanged for total nonfarm (1.5 percent), total private (1.7
percent), and government (0.6 percent). (See table 4.) Although the
number of quits rose from 1.5 million in January 2010 (the most recent
trough) to 2.0 million in May 2011, the number remained below the 2.8
million quits when the recession began in December 2007.
The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in May 2011 was higher
than 12 months earlier for total nonfarm, total private, and
government. Several industries experienced a rise in the number of
quits over the year, and federal government experienced a decline. In
the regions, the number of quits rose in the South but was little
changed in the other three regions. (See table 8.)
The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted only at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels. The layoffs and discharges rate was little changed
in May for total nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of
layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.8 million in May, up
slightly from the recent low point of 1.5 million in January 2011, but
still well below the peak of 2.5 million in February 2009. (See table
B below.)
The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) was
essentially unchanged over the 12 months ending in May for total
nonfarm and total private. The level decreased over the year for
federal government, returning to a more typical level after a large
number of layoffs in May 2010 of temporary Census workers. The number
of layoffs and discharges was steady in the regions. (See table 9.)
Table B. Layoffs and discharges by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
|------------------------------------------------
Industry | May | Apr. | May | May | Apr. | May
| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 1,816 | 1,603 | 1,775 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.4
Total private.....| 1,660 | 1,469 | 1,663 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.5
Government........| 157 | 134 | 112 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5
--------------------------------------------------------------------
p = Preliminary
The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In May, there
were 302,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 234,000 for total
private, and 68,000 for government. Compared to May 2010, the number
of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm, total
private, and government. (See table 10.)
Relative Contributions to Separations
The total separations level is influenced by the relative contribution
of its three components—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations. The percentage of total separations attributable to the
individual components has varied over time at the total nonfarm level,
but for the majority of the months since the series began in December
2000, the proportion of quits has exceeded the proportion of layoffs
and discharges. Other separations is historically a very small portion
of total separations; it has rarely been above 10 percent of total
separations.
The proportions of quits and layoffs and discharges were last equal in
November 2010. Since then, the proportion of quits has trended upward,
again exceeding the proportion of layoffs and discharges, which has
trended downward. In May, the proportion of quits for total nonfarm
was 49 percent and the proportion of layoffs and discharges was 44
percent. The proportions were similar for total private with 50
percent quits and 44 percent layoffs and discharges. For government,
the proportions were 41 percent quits and 38 percent layoffs and
discharges. (See table C below.)
Table C. Quits and layoffs and discharges as a percentage of total separations, seasonally adjusted
(Levels in thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Quits | Layoffs and discharges
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| May | Apr. | May | May | Apr. | May
| 2010 | 2011 | 2011p | 2010 | 2011 | 2011p
Industry | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| |Portion | |Portion | |Portion | |Portion | |Portion | |Portion
| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total| Level |of total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 1,816 | 46% | 1,887 | 49% | 1,997 | 49% | 1,816 | 46% | 1,603 | 42% | 1,775 | 44%
Total private.....| 1,712 | 48% | 1,771 | 50% | 1,875 | 50% | 1,660 | 46% | 1,469 | 42% | 1,663 | 44%
Government........| 105 | 32% | 117 | 38% | 122 | 41% | 157 | 48% | 134 | 44% | 112 | 38%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
p = Preliminary
Net Change in Employment
Over the 12 months ending in May, not seasonally adjusted data totaled
47.5 million hires and 46.7 million separations, yielding a net
employment gain of 0.7 million. These figures include workers who may
have been hired and separated more than once during the year. Nearly
half of the hires and nearly half of the separations during these 12
months occurred in three industries: retail trade; professional and
business services; and accommodation and food services. The large
share of total hires and separations accounted for by these three
industries reflects the size of the industries as well as their
relatively high hires and separations rates.
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for June 2011 are
scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.
(EDT).
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 2007 version of the North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In order to
ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce
Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the
industry code, location, and ownership classification of all
establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment
characteristics resulting from the verification process are always
introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for
the first month of the year.
Employment. Employment includes persons on the payroll who
worked or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th
day of the reference month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-
term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are included, as are
employees on paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or
partners of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or
persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire pay
period, are not counted as employed. Employees of temporary help
agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the
establishment where they are working.
Job openings. Establishments submit job openings information for
the last business day of the reference month. A job opening
requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work
available for that position, 2) work could start within 30 days
regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the
employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to
fill the position. Included are full-time, part-time, permanent,
short-term, and seasonal openings. Active recruiting means that
the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising
in newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted signs,
accepting applications, or using other similar methods.
Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions,
demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded are
jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for
which employees have been hired but have not yet reported for work,
and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help agencies,
employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job
openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying
that quotient by 100.
Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll
occurring at any time during the reference month, including both
new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent,
short-term and seasonal employees, employees recalled to the
location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or
intermittent employees who returned to work after having been
formally separated, and transfers from other locations. The hires
count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting
site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help
agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or
consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of
hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
Separations. Separations are the total number of terminations of
employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and
are reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations. Quits are voluntary separations by
employees (except for retirements, which are reported as other
separations). Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations
initiated by the employer and include layoffs with no intent to
rehire; formal layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7
days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings;
firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or
short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees.
Other separations include retirements, transfers to other
locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations
do not include transfers within the same location or employees on
strike.
The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of
separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are
computed similarly, dividing the number by employment and
multiplying by 100.
Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and levels of hires,
quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total
separations are released with the January news release each year.
The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of
the 12 published monthly levels. The annual rate estimates are
computed by dividing the annual level by the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and multiplying
that quotient by 100. This figure will be approximately equal to
the sum of the 12 monthly rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES
annual levels are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual
estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, annual
estimates are published only for not seasonally adjusted data.
Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job
openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last
business day of each month. Only jobs still open on the last day
of the month are counted. For the same reason job openings cannot
be cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job openings
cannot be created by summing the monthly estimates. Hires and
separations are flow measures and are cumulated over the month with
a total reported for the month. Therefore, the annual figures can
be created by summing the monthly estimates.
Special collection procedures
An implied measure of employment change can be derived from the
JOLTS data by subtracting separations from hires for a given
month. Aggregating these monthly changes historically produced
employment levels that overstated employment change as measured by
CES at the total nonfarm level. Research into this problem showed
that a significant amount of the divergence between the CES
employment levels and the derived JOLTS employment levels was
traceable to the Employment Services industry and to the State
Government Education industry. In the former industry, businesses
have a difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary
help workers. In the latter industry, employers have difficulty
reporting hires and separations of student workers. BLS now
devotes additional resources to the collection, editing, and review
of data for these industries. BLS analysts more closely examine
reported data that do not provide a consistent picture over time,
and re-contact the respondents as necessary. Analysts work with
the respondents to adjust their reporting practices as possible.
Units that cannot be reconciled but are clearly incorrect on a
consistent basis are not used, they are replaced by imputed values
using standard techniques.
Sample and estimation methodology
The JOLTS survey design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm
business establishments, including factories, offices, and stores,
as well as federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states
and the District of Columbia. The establishments are drawn from a
universe of over 9.1 million establishments compiled as part of the
operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
program. This program includes all employers subject to state
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).
The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry
sector, and size class. The JOLTS sample is constructed from
individual panels of sample units drawn on an annual basis. The
full annual sample consists of one certainty panel composed of only
large units selected with virtual certainty based on their size and
24 non-certainty panels. Each month a new non-certainty panel is
rolled into collection, and the oldest non-certainty panel is
rolled out. This means that at any given time the JOLTS sample is
constructed from panels from three different annual sampling
frames. The entire sample of old plus new panels is post-
stratified and re-weighted annually to represent the most recent
sampling frame. Additionally, the out-of-business establishments
are removed from the old panels. The annual sample is supplemented
with a quarterly sample of birth establishments (i.e., new
establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger
establishments in the JOLTS sample.
JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked monthly to the
employment estimates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the
levels for all other JOLTS data elements.
JOLTS business birth/death model
As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only be as
current as its sampling frame. The time lag from the birth of an
establishment until its appearance on the sampling frame is
approximately one year. In addition, many of these new units may
fail within the first year. Since these universe units cannot be
reflected on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS
sample cannot capture job openings, hires, and separations from
these units during their early existence. BLS has developed a model
to estimate birth/death activity for current months by examining the
birth/death activity from previous years on the QCEW and projecting
forward to the present using an econometric technique known as X-12
ARIMA modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical JOLTS data
to estimate the amount of “churn” (hires and separations) that
exists in establishments of various sizes. The model then combines
the estimated churn with the projected employment change to
estimate the number of hires and separations taking place in these
units that cannot be measured through sampling.
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.
Using JOLTS data
The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are
relatively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one
panel enrolled each month. A full complement of panels for the
original data series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the
survey until January 2002. The supplemental panels of
establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not completely
enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until those points
are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates from
earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units
were reporting data at that time.
In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and
separations data were revised to address possible underreporting.
As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior
to March 2002 may not be comparable to estimates for March 2002 and
later.
The federal government reorganization that involved transferring
approximately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland
Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations
estimates for the federal government. The Office of Personnel
Management's record shows these transfers were completed in March
2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires
and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers
between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security
reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of
these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal government
time series.
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 May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p
Total................................. 2,790 2,921 2,741 3,025 3,123 2,953 2,974 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 2,423 2,500 2,418 2,695 2,793 2,635 2,657 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4
Construction........................... 79 44 60 55 68 90 87 1.4 .8 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.6 1.6
Manufacturing.......................... 189 184 207 209 235 226 223 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 398 463 470 448 472 524 474 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9
Retail trade.......................... 249 268 263 232 254 312 274 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7 2.1 1.8
Professional and business services..... 574 609 459 606 613 497 580 3.3 3.5 2.6 3.4 3.5 2.8 3.3
Education and health services.......... 516 510 482 553 609 550 590 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.7 3.0 2.7 2.9
Leisure and hospitality................ 266 270 301 378 340 305 293 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 41 41 39 48 41 36 37 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.5 2.1 1.9 1.9
Accommodation and food services....... 226 229 262 330 299 269 256 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.2
Government(6)......................... 367 421 323 330 331 319 317 1.6 1.9 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4
State and local government............. 239 319 259 260 274 268 269 1.2 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4
REGION(7)
Northeast........................... 616 548 492 594 675 531 590 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.1 2.3
South............................... 1,013 1,023 960 1,082 1,082 985 1,026 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1
Midwest............................. 538 617 513 630 672 664 723 1.8 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.4
West................................ 667 829 573 715 752 681 709 2.3 2.8 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.4
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 federal government, not shown separately.
7 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
p = Preliminary
Table 2. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p
Total................................. 4,347 3,905 3,769 3,986 4,067 4,001 4,070 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,613 3,631 3,494 3,729 3,807 3,733 3,797 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.5
Construction........................... 312 356 254 369 338 355 348 5.6 6.5 4.6 6.7 6.1 6.4 6.3
Manufacturing.......................... 251 264 246 250 269 257 259 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 766 756 783 816 803 791 801 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2
Retail trade.......................... 527 476 536 547 553 556 554 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8
Professional and business services..... 755 780 810 791 840 831 861 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.0
Education and health services.......... 467 465 437 468 470 468 483 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4
Leisure and hospitality................ 624 596 588 632 681 653 633 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.8 5.2 4.9 4.8
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 105 98 84 101 120 107 117 5.5 5.2 4.5 5.3 6.3 5.6 6.2
Accommodation and food services....... 518 498 504 531 560 546 516 4.7 4.5 4.5 4.7 5.0 4.8 4.6
Government(6)......................... 734 274 275 257 260 269 274 3.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
State and local government............. 239 242 242 218 229 244 244 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3
REGION(7)
Northeast........................... 837 680 633 646 717 695 705 3.4 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.8
South............................... 1,626 1,513 1,412 1,466 1,535 1,471 1,600 3.4 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.4
Midwest............................. 1,025 878 920 901 862 941 941 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.2
West................................ 979 806 939 862 851 864 844 3.4 2.8 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9
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 federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 3. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p
Total................................. 3,929 3,836 3,612 3,825 3,805 3,833 4,059 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,603 3,539 3,337 3,538 3,534 3,528 3,761 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.5
Construction........................... 338 393 281 324 334 357 348 6.1 7.2 5.1 5.9 6.0 6.5 6.3
Manufacturing.......................... 235 252 184 234 245 241 268 2.0 2.2 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 755 718 769 800 772 725 800 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.2
Retail trade.......................... 531 470 527 549 541 511 563 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.9
Professional and business services..... 745 735 756 760 719 785 853 4.5 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.6 5.0
Education and health services.......... 429 450 394 441 429 428 446 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2
Leisure and hospitality................ 656 583 596 582 650 621 645 5.0 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.9 4.7 4.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 112 98 92 86 122 109 128 5.9 5.2 4.9 4.6 6.4 5.7 6.7
Accommodation and food services....... 544 485 505 495 528 512 518 4.9 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.7 4.5 4.6
Government(6)......................... 326 297 275 287 271 304 298 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3
State and local government............. 259 269 245 255 247 278 269 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4
REGION(7)
Northeast........................... 708 598 569 703 649 763 744 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.8 2.6 3.1 3.0
South............................... 1,462 1,476 1,499 1,451 1,519 1,402 1,472 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.1
Midwest............................. 931 841 912 830 912 947 916 3.2 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.1
West................................ 908 759 817 857 872 898 972 3.2 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.4
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 federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 4. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels(3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May
2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 2011p
Total................................. 1,816 1,838 1,679 1,910 1,924 1,887 1,997 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 1,712 1,731 1,572 1,793 1,820 1,771 1,875 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7
Construction........................... 63 81 56 62 72 91 88 1.1 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.7 1.6
Manufacturing.......................... 90 107 83 94 115 105 106 .8 .9 .7 .8 1.0 .9 .9
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 413 373 338 442 443 410 472 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.9
Retail trade.......................... 313 274 240 317 342 315 365 2.2 1.9 1.7 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.5
Professional and business services..... 307 335 361 396 357 360 375 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.2
Education and health services.......... 238 244 206 241 251 239 250 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3
Leisure and hospitality................ 391 368 352 353 382 386 377 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 37 41 28 37 46 42 41 1.9 2.2 1.5 1.9 2.4 2.2 2.2
Accommodation and food services....... 355 327 324 317 337 344 336 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0
Government(6)......................... 105 107 107 117 104 117 122 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6
State and local government............. 91 98 100 108 97 108 114 .5 .5 .5 .6 .5 .6 .6
REGION(7)
Northeast........................... 306 251 214 335 293 266 330 1.2 1.0 .9 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.3
South............................... 730 761 656 779 779 741 813 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7
Midwest............................. 450 411 368 455 437 456 489 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6
West................................ 433 343 366 447 455 400 458 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.6
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series 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 federal government, not shown separately.
7 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 5. Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 2,840 3,221 3,039 2.1 2.4 2.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,472 2,884 2,722 2.3 2.6 2.4
Mining and Logging............................ 17 23 20 2.4 3.0 2.5
Construction.................................. 86 116 104 1.5 2.1 1.8
Manufacturing................................. 198 234 237 1.7 2.0 2.0
Durable goods................................ 130 162 165 1.8 2.2 2.2
Nondurable goods............................. 68 72 72 1.5 1.6 1.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 413 550 484 1.7 2.2 1.9
Wholesale trade.............................. 104 100 93 1.9 1.8 1.7
Retail trade................................. 251 333 279 1.7 2.3 1.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 58 117 111 1.2 2.4 2.3
Information................................... 77 107 106 2.7 3.8 3.8
Financial activities.......................... 198 238 176 2.5 3.0 2.3
Finance and insurance........................ 162 178 124 2.8 3.1 2.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 36 60 52 1.8 3.0 2.6
Professional and business services............ 569 538 579 3.3 3.0 3.3
Education and health services................. 505 587 590 2.5 2.8 2.9
Educational services......................... 71 66 57 2.2 1.9 1.7
Health care and social assistance............ 435 521 533 2.6 3.0 3.1
Leisure and hospitality....................... 294 380 317 2.2 2.8 2.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 51 46 47 2.5 2.4 2.3
Accommodation and food services............. 243 334 271 2.1 2.9 2.3
Other services................................ 115 112 109 2.1 2.0 1.9
Government..................................... 368 336 318 1.5 1.5 1.4
Federal....................................... 127 61 45 3.6 2.1 1.6
State and local............................... 241 275 273 1.2 1.4 1.4
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 602 581 570 2.4 2.3 2.2
South......................................... 1,022 1,070 1,025 2.1 2.2 2.1
Midwest....................................... 528 763 727 1.7 2.5 2.4
West.......................................... 689 807 716 2.3 2.7 2.4
1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.
2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a
percent of total employment plus job openings.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 6. Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 4,746 4,319 4,531 3.6 3.3 3.4
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,998 4,126 4,250 3.7 3.8 3.9
Mining and Logging............................ 34 32 30 4.9 4.3 3.9
Construction.................................. 383 500 430 6.9 9.3 7.7
Manufacturing................................. 290 266 296 2.5 2.3 2.5
Durable goods................................ 167 150 174 2.4 2.1 2.4
Nondurable goods............................. 123 116 122 2.8 2.6 2.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 812 822 859 3.3 3.3 3.5
Wholesale trade.............................. 124 120 145 2.3 2.2 2.6
Retail trade................................. 558 581 594 3.9 4.0 4.1
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 130 121 120 2.8 2.5 2.5
Information................................... 47 67 60 1.7 2.5 2.2
Financial activities.......................... 184 121 158 2.4 1.6 2.1
Finance and insurance........................ 108 71 106 1.9 1.3 1.9
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 77 50 52 3.9 2.6 2.7
Professional and business services............ 802 933 933 4.8 5.5 5.4
Education and health services................. 437 436 460 2.2 2.2 2.3
Educational services......................... 44 49 45 1.4 1.4 1.4
Health care and social assistance............ 393 387 415 2.4 2.3 2.5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 799 772 815 6.0 5.9 6.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 152 139 179 7.7 7.5 9.1
Accommodation and food services............. 647 633 636 5.8 5.6 5.5
Other services................................ 209 177 208 3.9 3.2 3.8
Government..................................... 748 194 281 3.2 .9 1.2
Federal....................................... 501 26 36 14.7 .9 1.3
State and local............................... 247 167 245 1.2 .8 1.2
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 875 760 783 3.5 3.0 3.1
South......................................... 1,654 1,571 1,686 3.5 3.3 3.5
Midwest....................................... 1,163 1,064 1,123 3.9 3.6 3.8
West.......................................... 1,054 925 940 3.7 3.2 3.2
1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.
2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 7. Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 3,634 3,603 3,856 2.8 2.7 2.9
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,283 3,397 3,519 3.1 3.1 3.2
Mining and Logging............................ 16 19 18 2.3 2.5 2.3
Construction.................................. 286 343 295 5.1 6.4 5.3
Manufacturing................................. 203 234 243 1.8 2.0 2.1
Durable goods................................ 111 122 132 1.6 1.7 1.8
Nondurable goods............................. 92 112 111 2.1 2.5 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 707 654 764 2.9 2.6 3.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 105 88 131 1.9 1.6 2.4
Retail trade................................. 501 469 543 3.5 3.3 3.8
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 101 97 90 2.1 2.0 1.9
Information................................... 45 57 60 1.7 2.1 2.2
Financial activities.......................... 169 124 124 2.2 1.6 1.6
Finance and insurance........................ 105 83 91 1.8 1.5 1.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 64 42 33 3.3 2.2 1.7
Professional and business services............ 662 825 789 4.0 4.8 4.6
Education and health services................. 411 389 434 2.1 1.9 2.2
Educational services......................... 71 48 69 2.2 1.4 2.1
Health care and social assistance............ 340 340 365 2.1 2.0 2.2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 619 575 623 4.7 4.4 4.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 89 97 111 4.5 5.2 5.6
Accommodation and food services............. 530 478 512 4.7 4.2 4.5
Other services................................ 166 176 170 3.1 3.2 3.1
Government..................................... 351 206 337 1.5 .9 1.5
Federal....................................... 63 24 26 1.8 .8 .9
State and local............................... 288 182 311 1.4 .9 1.6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 580 647 630 2.3 2.6 2.5
South......................................... 1,407 1,353 1,448 3.0 2.9 3.0
Midwest....................................... 824 798 836 2.8 2.7 2.8
West.......................................... 823 806 941 2.9 2.8 3.2
1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 8. Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 1,809 1,885 2,051 1.4 1.4 1.6
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,693 1,795 1,906 1.6 1.7 1.7
Mining and Logging............................ 6 10 10 .8 1.4 1.3
Construction.................................. 61 93 89 1.1 1.7 1.6
Manufacturing................................. 88 105 105 .8 .9 .9
Durable goods................................ 39 56 57 .6 .8 .8
Nondurable goods............................. 48 49 48 1.1 1.1 1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 418 408 491 1.7 1.7 2.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 47 42 52 .9 .8 .9
Retail trade................................. 327 314 389 2.3 2.2 2.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 44 51 50 .9 1.1 1.0
Information................................... 20 32 36 .7 1.2 1.3
Financial activities.......................... 83 76 74 1.1 1.0 1.0
Finance and insurance........................ 53 57 55 .9 1.0 1.0
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 29 19 19 1.5 1.0 1.0
Professional and business services............ 298 360 366 1.8 2.1 2.1
Education and health services................. 229 238 247 1.2 1.2 1.2
Educational services......................... 28 27 29 .9 .8 .9
Health care and social assistance............ 201 211 218 1.2 1.3 1.3
Leisure and hospitality....................... 393 393 391 3.0 3.0 2.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 36 41 41 1.8 2.2 2.1
Accommodation and food services............. 357 353 350 3.2 3.1 3.1
Other services................................ 98 79 96 1.8 1.5 1.8
Government..................................... 116 90 146 .5 .4 .6
Federal....................................... 14 7 8 .4 .2 .3
State and local............................... 102 83 137 .5 .4 .7
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 254 265 292 1.0 1.1 1.2
South......................................... 721 782 828 1.5 1.6 1.7
Midwest....................................... 413 432 467 1.4 1.4 1.6
West.......................................... 421 406 465 1.5 1.4 1.6
1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 1,523 1,413 1,503 1.2 1.1 1.1
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,356 1,344 1,380 1.3 1.2 1.3
Mining and Logging............................ 9 8 6 1.3 1.0 .8
Construction.................................. 216 235 201 3.9 4.4 3.6
Manufacturing................................. 95 107 115 .8 .9 1.0
Durable goods................................ 59 53 61 .8 .7 .8
Nondurable goods............................. 36 54 55 .8 1.2 1.2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 221 187 196 .9 .8 .8
Wholesale trade.............................. 55 32 69 1.0 .6 1.3
Retail trade................................. 125 126 104 .9 .9 .7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 41 29 23 .9 .6 .5
Information................................... 23 21 21 .8 .8 .8
Financial activities.......................... 66 28 32 .9 .4 .4
Finance and insurance........................ 40 11 23 .7 .2 .4
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 26 17 8 1.3 .9 .4
Professional and business services............ 310 401 378 1.9 2.3 2.2
Education and health services................. 157 105 151 .8 .5 .8
Educational services......................... 40 16 32 1.2 .5 1.0
Health care and social assistance............ 118 88 119 .7 .5 .7
Leisure and hospitality....................... 199 161 212 1.5 1.2 1.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 49 54 67 2.5 2.9 3.4
Accommodation and food services............. 150 107 145 1.3 .9 1.3
Other services................................ 60 92 68 1.1 1.7 1.2
Government..................................... 167 69 123 .7 .3 .5
Federal....................................... 39 9 8 1.1 .3 .3
State and local............................... 128 61 115 .6 .3 .6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 283 329 287 1.1 1.3 1.1
South......................................... 564 466 527 1.2 1.0 1.1
Midwest....................................... 342 307 296 1.2 1.0 1.0
West.......................................... 335 311 393 1.2 1.1 1.4
1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.
2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a
percent of total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
p = Preliminary
Table 10. Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region May Apr. May May Apr. May
2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p
Total........................................... 303 305 302 0.2 0.2 0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 235 258 234 .2 .2 .2
Mining and Logging............................ 2 1 2 .2 .1 .2
Construction.................................. 9 16 5 .2 .3 .1
Manufacturing................................. 19 22 22 .2 .2 .2
Durable goods................................ 12 13 14 .2 .2 .2
Nondurable goods............................. 7 9 8 .2 .2 .2
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 68 58 77 .3 .2 .3
Wholesale trade.............................. 2 13 10 (4) .2 .2
Retail trade................................. 50 28 50 .3 .2 .3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 16 17 16 .3 .3 .3
Information................................... 3 5 4 .1 .2 .1
Financial activities.......................... 20 21 18 .3 .3 .2
Finance and insurance........................ 12 14 13 .2 .3 .2
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 9 6 5 .5 .3 .3
Professional and business services............ 54 64 45 .3 .4 .3
Education and health services................. 25 46 36 .1 .2 .2
Educational services......................... 3 5 8 .1 .1 .3
Health care and social assistance............ 22 41 28 .1 .2 .2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 27 21 20 .2 .2 .2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 4 2 3 .2 .1 .2
Accommodation and food services............. 23 19 17 .2 .2 .1
Other services................................ 8 5 6 .1 .1 .1
Government..................................... 68 47 68 .3 .2 .3
Federal....................................... 10 8 10 .3 .3 .4
State and local............................... 57 38 58 .3 .2 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 43 52 51 .2 .2 .2
South......................................... 123 105 93 .3 .2 .2
Midwest....................................... 70 59 74 .2 .2 .2
West.......................................... 66 89 84 .2 .3 .3
1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.
2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
3 See footnote 7, table 1.
4 Data round to zero.
p = Preliminary
United States Department of Labor
