For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, November 9, 2010 USDL-10-1545
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 – September 2010
There were 2.9 million job openings on the last business day of
September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job
openings rate was little changed over the month at 2.2 percent. The
hires rate and separations rate both remained at 3.2 percent in
September. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of
job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by
industry and geographic region.
Job Openings
The number of job openings in September was 2.9 million, which was
little changed from August. Although the month-to-month change is
small, the number of job openings in September was 25 percent higher
than the number at the most recent series trough in July 2009. (See
table 1.) This trough immediately followed the end of the recession in
June 2009 (as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research).
Even with the gains since July 2009, the number of job openings in
September remained below the 4.4 million jobs open when the recession
began in December 2007.
The number of job openings in September (not seasonally adjusted)
increased from 12 months earlier for total nonfarm and total private.
The level was little changed over the year for government overall but
increased for federal government. Over the year, the job openings
level decreased in two industries and increased in four industries.
The job openings level was essentially unchanged over the year in 3 of
the 4 regions but increased in the West. (See table 5.)
- 2 -
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | Sept.| Aug. | Sept.| Sept.| Aug. | Sept.| Sept.| Aug. | Sept.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............|2,624 |3,092 |2,929 |4,091 |4,156 |4,190 |4,274 |4,210 |4,190
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..|2,333 |2,752 |2,594 |3,833 |3,891 |3,943 |3,990 |3,796 |3,807
Construction.....| 73 | 65 | 73 | 349 | 357 | 340 | 415 | 321 | 345
Manufacturing....| 139 | 190 | 194 | 271 | 274 | 248 | 313 | 279 | 251
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 415 | 449 | 457 | 854 | 798 | 843 | 916 | 814 | 817
Retail trade....| 282 | 263 | 259 | 566 | 571 | 592 | 605 | 583 | 570
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 446 | 590 | 537 | 698 | 831 | 848 | 705 | 808 | 820
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 573 | 487 | 496 | 532 | 492 | 504 | 503 | 454 | 479
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 305 | 381 | 323 | 693 | 688 | 720 | 677 | 663 | 680
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 27 | 41 | 38 | 121 | 109 | 121 | 86 | 106 | 108
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 278 | 340 | 285 | 572 | 579 | 600 | 591 | 557 | 572
Government(3).....| 292 | 341 | 335 | 258 | 264 | 247 | 284 | 414 | 383
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 232 | 257 | 238 | 236 | 228 | 217 | 267 | 267 | 275
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.2
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1)..| 2.1 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5
Construction.....| 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 6.0 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 5.7 | 6.1
Manufacturing....| 1.2 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.1
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)....| 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.3
Retail trade....| 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 3.9
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services........| 2.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.9
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices...........| 2.9 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.4
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality.....| 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.2
Arts, enter- | | | | | | | | |
tainment and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.....| 1.4 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 5.6
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 5.1
Government(3).....| 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.7
State and local | | | | | | | | |
government......| 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 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 September, the hires rate remained at 3.2 percent for total nonfarm
and the rate was essentially unchanged for all industries and regions.
There were 4.2 million hires during the month, 9 percent higher than
the most recent series trough in June 2009. (See table 2.) This trough
coincided with the official end of the recession. Despite the gains
since June 2009, the number of hires in September remained below the
5.0 million hires when the recession began in December 2007. Since
their respective troughs, the hires level has risen at a slower pace
than the job openings level.
Over the 12 months ending in September, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private but
fell slightly for government. The hires rate increased over the past
12 months in finance and insurance and in professional and business
services. (See table 6.)
- 3 -
Separations
Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and
discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including
retirements). The total separations, or turnover, rate in September
was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and government.
Over the 12 months ending in September, the total separations rate
(not seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and
total private but increased for government. The rise in government
separations was due largely to separations of temporary Census 2010
workers. (See tables 3 and 7.)
The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or
ability to change jobs. In September, the quits rate was little
changed for total nonfarm (1.6 percent), total private (1.8 percent),
and government (0.6 percent) and in every industry and region. (See
table 4.) After falling by 1.4 million from its November 2006 peak to
its September 2009 trough, the number of quits rose by 326,000 between
September 2009 and September 2010.
Over the 12 months ending in September, the quits rate (not seasonally
adjusted) increased for total nonfarm and total private and in many
industries as well as in the South region. (See table 8.)
The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels. The layoffs and discharges level was essentially
unchanged in September for total nonfarm and total private but fell
slightly for government. The number of layoffs and discharges for
total nonfarm peaked at 2.6 million in January 2009, falling to 1.8
million in September 2010. In government, the number of layoffs and
discharges in September (203,000) was higher than when the recession
began in December 2007 (117,000) due mostly to the release of
temporary Census 2010 workers. (See table B below.)
The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) declined
over the 12 months ending in September for total nonfarm and total
private. The layoffs and discharges level increased over the year in
federal government reflecting the layoffs of temporary Census 2010
workers. The layoffs and discharges level declined over the year in
many industries and in the Northeast, South, and West regions. (See
table 9.)
Table B. Layoffs and discharges by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
|------------------------------------------------
Industry | Sept.| Aug. | Sept.| Sept.| Aug. | Sept.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 2,241 | 1,861 | 1,792 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.4
Total private.....| 2,097 | 1,623 | 1,589 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.5
Government........| 143 | 239 | 203 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In September,
there were 358,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 289,000 for
total private, and 69,000 for government. Compared to September 2009,
the number of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm
and total private; the number increased over the year for government
due to a rise in the number in state and local government. (See table
10.)
- 4 -
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 at the total nonfarm
level attributable to the individual components has varied over time,
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 the
total.
Since February 2010, the proportions of quits and layoffs and
discharges at the total nonfarm level have been close. In September
2010, the proportion of quits for total nonfarm was 49 percent and the
proportion of layoffs and discharges was 43 percent. For total
private, the proportions were 50 percent quits and 42 percent layoffs
and discharges. For government, the proportions were 32 percent quits
and 53 percent layoffs and discharges. The proportion of layoffs and
discharges in government has been elevated in parts of 2009 and 2010
due to layoffs of temporary Census 2010 workers. (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
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Sept. | Aug. | Sept. | Sept. | Aug. | Sept.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2010p | 2009 | 2010 | 2010p
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..............| 1,716 | 40% | 1,998 | 47% | 2,042 | 49% | 2,241 | 52% | 1,861 | 44% | 1,792 | 43%
Total private.....| 1,616 | 41% | 1,881 | 50% | 1,918 | 50% | 2,097 | 53% | 1,623 | 43% | 1,589 | 42%
Government........| 100 | 35% | 117 | 28% | 124 | 32% | 143 | 50% | 239 | 58% | 203 | 53%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
p = preliminary.
Net Change in Employment
Over the 12 months ending in September, hires (not seasonally
adjusted) totaled 50.5 million and separations (not seasonally
adjusted) totaled 50.2 million, yielding a net employment gain of
nearly 0.3 million. Of these hires and separations, nearly half
occurred in three industries: retail trade; professional and business
services; and accommodation and food services.
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for October 2010
are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 10:00
a.m. (EST).
- 5 -
Technical Note
The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business
establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Collection
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.
- 6 -
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 sepa-
- 7 -
rations 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
- 8 -
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 Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.
2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p
Total.................................... 2,624 3,302 2,939 2,864 3,141 3,092 2,929 2.0 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.2
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 2,333 2,675 2,597 2,537 2,821 2,752 2,594 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.3
Construction........................... 73 88 79 53 101 65 73 1.2 1.5 1.4 .9 1.8 1.1 1.3
Manufacturing.......................... 139 195 205 226 238 190 194 1.2 1.7 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.6 1.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 415 456 452 449 485 449 457 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.8
Retail trade.......................... 282 292 274 284 295 263 259 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.8
Professional and business services..... 446 550 601 514 564 590 537 2.7 3.2 3.5 3.0 3.3 3.4 3.1
Education and health services.......... 573 561 512 487 515 487 496 2.9 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 2.5
Leisure and hospitality................ 305 274 288 317 365 381 323 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.7 2.8 2.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 27 24 41 55 42 41 38 1.4 1.3 2.1 2.8 2.1 2.1 1.9
Accommodation and food services....... 278 250 247 263 323 340 285 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.8 2.9 2.5
Government(6)........................... 292 627 342 327 320 341 335 1.3 2.7 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5
State and local government............. 232 260 237 238 246 257 238 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 532 678 657 631 639 666 559 2.1 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.2
South.................................. 952 1,080 1,078 982 1,100 1,159 1,058 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.2
Midwest................................ 565 664 568 604 617 647 547 1.9 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.8
West................................... 566 821 689 632 696 730 685 1.9 2.8 2.3 2.1 2.4 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 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 Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.
2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p
Total.................................... 4,091 4,292 4,581 4,250 4,275 4,156 4,190 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.2
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,833 3,935 3,846 3,946 3,985 3,891 3,943 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.7
Construction........................... 349 349 321 289 361 357 340 6.0 6.2 5.7 5.2 6.4 6.4 6.1
Manufacturing.......................... 271 305 266 267 297 274 248 2.3 2.6 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 854 856 819 876 864 798 843 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.2 3.4
Retail trade.......................... 566 593 567 589 608 571 592 3.9 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.2 4.0 4.1
Professional and business services..... 698 780 805 825 810 831 848 4.3 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.8 5.0 5.1
Education and health services.......... 532 496 479 523 515 492 504 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.6
Leisure and hospitality................ 693 711 678 691 712 688 720 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 121 127 105 127 119 109 121 6.3 6.7 5.5 6.7 6.2 5.7 6.3
Accommodation and food services....... 572 584 573 564 593 579 600 5.1 5.2 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.2 5.3
Government(6)........................... 258 357 735 304 289 264 247 1.1 1.6 3.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1
State and local government............. 236 248 246 247 247 228 217 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.1
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 731 695 844 718 731 702 785 3.0 2.8 3.4 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.2
South.................................. 1,518 1,585 1,681 1,505 1,531 1,541 1,574 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3
Midwest................................ 926 1,012 1,090 1,013 1,011 946 929 3.1 3.4 3.7 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.1
West................................... 954 870 1,014 923 923 870 931 3.3 3.0 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.0 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 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 Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.
2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p
Total.................................... 4,274 4,013 4,146 4,436 4,390 4,210 4,190 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.2
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 3,990 3,726 3,816 3,884 3,940 3,796 3,807 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.5
Construction........................... 415 345 340 314 361 321 345 7.1 6.1 6.1 5.6 6.5 5.7 6.1
Manufacturing.......................... 313 249 238 260 271 279 251 2.7 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 916 803 800 874 855 814 817 3.7 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.5 3.3 3.3
Retail trade.......................... 605 551 574 604 613 583 570 4.2 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.0 3.9
Professional and business services..... 705 733 806 777 830 808 820 4.3 4.4 4.8 4.7 5.0 4.8 4.9
Education and health services.......... 503 475 446 493 491 454 479 2.6 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.4
Leisure and hospitality................ 677 684 707 668 701 663 680 5.2 5.2 5.4 5.1 5.3 5.0 5.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 86 114 122 113 121 106 108 4.4 6.0 6.5 5.9 6.3 5.5 5.6
Accommodation and food services....... 591 570 585 555 580 557 572 5.3 5.1 5.2 5.0 5.2 5.0 5.1
Government(6)........................... 284 287 331 552 450 414 383 1.3 1.3 1.4 2.4 2.0 1.8 1.7
State and local government............. 267 248 263 275 268 267 275 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 744 690 734 748 775 731 688 3.0 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.8
South.................................. 1,598 1,427 1,521 1,606 1,533 1,602 1,585 3.4 3.0 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.4
Midwest................................ 948 948 988 981 1,018 930 976 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.1 3.3
West................................... 1,037 944 920 928 929 889 928 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 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 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 Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Sept. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept.
2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010p
Total.................................... 1,716 1,972 1,929 1,951 1,974 1,998 2,042 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6
INDUSTRY
Total private(4)........................ 1,616 1,871 1,828 1,819 1,855 1,881 1,918 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8
Construction........................... 77 67 64 67 72 81 84 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5
Manufacturing.......................... 90 99 96 105 97 107 102 .8 .8 .8 .9 .8 .9 .9
Trade, transportation, and utilities(5) 387 442 438 443 451 425 450 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8
Retail trade.......................... 285 330 338 331 347 322 345 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.4
Professional and business services..... 265 323 330 325 357 385 379 1.6 1.9 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.3
Education and health services.......... 270 299 254 268 258 249 254 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3
Leisure and hospitality................ 345 419 428 373 401 407 407 2.6 3.2 3.3 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 14 40 39 26 31 36 39 .7 2.1 2.0 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.0
Accommodation and food services....... 331 379 390 347 370 370 368 3.0 3.4 3.5 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.3
Government(6)........................... 100 101 101 131 119 117 124 .4 .4 .4 .6 .5 .5 .6
State and local government............. 96 93 88 105 100 101 111 .5 .5 .4 .5 .5 .5 .6
REGION(7)
Northeast.............................. 245 332 286 341 318 333 279 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.1
South.................................. 659 744 736 796 749 791 828 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.8
Midwest................................ 359 442 496 438 475 452 409 1.2 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.4
West................................... 371 429 433 437 404 425 402 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 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 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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 2,626 3,175 2,919 2.0 2.4 2.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,352 2,815 2,612 2.1 2.5 2.4
Mining and Logging............................ 13 18 19 1.8 2.3 2.4
Construction.................................. 75 64 77 1.2 1.1 1.3
Manufacturing................................. 145 200 203 1.2 1.7 1.7
Durable goods................................ 74 130 137 1.0 1.8 1.9
Nondurable goods............................. 71 70 66 1.5 1.5 1.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 473 501 499 1.9 2.0 2.0
Wholesale trade.............................. 62 101 98 1.1 1.8 1.7
Retail trade................................. 340 290 295 2.3 2.0 2.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 71 110 107 1.5 2.3 2.2
Information................................... 60 107 66 2.1 3.8 2.4
Financial activities.......................... 206 296 298 2.6 3.7 3.8
Finance and insurance........................ 144 233 270 2.5 4.0 4.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 62 63 28 3.0 3.1 1.4
Professional and business services............ 436 591 530 2.6 3.4 3.1
Education and health services................. 550 480 487 2.8 2.4 2.4
Educational services......................... 38 49 41 1.2 1.7 1.3
Health care and social assistance............ 512 431 446 3.1 2.6 2.6
Leisure and hospitality....................... 301 390 314 2.2 2.8 2.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 23 44 33 1.2 2.0 1.6
Accommodation and food services............. 277 345 281 2.4 2.9 2.4
Other services................................ 93 169 118 1.7 3.0 2.2
Government..................................... 274 359 308 1.2 1.7 1.4
Federal....................................... 47 91 84 1.7 3.0 2.9
State and local............................... 227 268 224 1.2 1.4 1.2
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 534 667 563 2.1 2.6 2.2
South......................................... 952 1,172 1,083 2.0 2.4 2.2
Midwest....................................... 589 635 584 2.0 2.1 1.9
West.......................................... 551 700 689 1.9 2.4 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 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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 4,257 4,546 4,355 3.3 3.5 3.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,878 4,116 4,014 3.6 3.8 3.7
Mining and Logging............................ 16 31 21 2.3 4.1 2.7
Construction.................................. 316 367 307 5.2 6.2 5.3
Manufacturing................................. 294 296 264 2.5 2.5 2.2
Durable goods................................ 141 150 131 2.0 2.1 1.8
Nondurable goods............................. 153 146 132 3.3 3.2 2.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 920 832 922 3.7 3.4 3.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 139 113 144 2.5 2.0 2.6
Retail trade................................. 594 608 632 4.1 4.2 4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 187 111 146 3.9 2.4 3.1
Information................................... 54 66 60 2.0 2.4 2.2
Financial activities.......................... 150 174 178 1.9 2.3 2.3
Finance and insurance........................ 84 110 129 1.5 1.9 2.3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 66 64 49 3.3 3.2 2.5
Professional and business services............ 659 840 806 4.0 5.0 4.8
Education and health services................. 611 612 592 3.2 3.2 3.0
Educational services......................... 120 113 132 4.0 4.0 4.3
Health care and social assistance............ 491 499 460 3.0 3.0 2.8
Leisure and hospitality....................... 647 722 694 4.9 5.2 5.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 101 101 108 5.1 4.6 5.4
Accommodation and food services............. 546 621 586 4.8 5.4 5.1
Other services................................ 210 176 171 3.9 3.3 3.2
Government..................................... 379 430 340 1.7 2.0 1.5
Federal....................................... 24 44 33 .9 1.5 1.2
State and local............................... 355 386 307 1.8 2.1 1.6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 796 744 867 3.2 3.0 3.5
South......................................... 1,518 1,768 1,573 3.2 3.8 3.3
Midwest....................................... 963 1,049 952 3.3 3.6 3.2
West.......................................... 980 984 963 3.4 3.4 3.3
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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 4,380 4,783 4,319 3.4 3.7 3.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 4,028 4,225 3,869 3.7 3.9 3.6
Mining and Logging............................ 20 23 18 2.8 3.0 2.4
Construction.................................. 404 340 340 6.7 5.7 5.8
Manufacturing................................. 301 307 241 2.6 2.6 2.0
Durable goods................................ 167 164 122 2.3 2.3 1.7
Nondurable goods............................. 134 143 119 2.9 3.1 2.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 907 857 809 3.7 3.5 3.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 146 120 133 2.6 2.1 2.4
Retail trade................................. 597 628 555 4.2 4.3 3.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 164 109 120 3.4 2.3 2.5
Information................................... 50 64 51 1.8 2.4 1.9
Financial activities.......................... 146 190 162 1.9 2.5 2.1
Finance and insurance........................ 77 125 109 1.3 2.2 1.9
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 69 66 53 3.5 3.3 2.7
Professional and business services............ 668 822 783 4.0 4.9 4.7
Education and health services................. 491 556 478 2.6 2.9 2.4
Educational services......................... 66 112 78 2.2 3.9 2.5
Health care and social assistance............ 425 444 401 2.6 2.7 2.4
Leisure and hospitality....................... 804 807 828 6.1 5.9 6.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 150 157 185 7.5 7.2 9.2
Accommodation and food services............. 654 650 644 5.8 5.6 5.7
Other services................................ 238 259 158 4.5 4.8 3.0
Government..................................... 351 557 450 1.6 2.6 2.0
Federal....................................... 21 155 115 .8 5.3 4.0
State and local............................... 330 403 334 1.7 2.2 1.7
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 830 863 772 3.4 3.5 3.1
South......................................... 1,537 1,849 1,560 3.3 3.9 3.3
Midwest....................................... 964 1,070 1,023 3.3 3.6 3.4
West.......................................... 1,049 1,001 964 3.6 3.5 3.3
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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 1,793 2,477 2,161 1.4 1.9 1.7
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,683 2,302 2,023 1.6 2.1 1.9
Mining and Logging............................ 6 13 9 .9 1.7 1.3
Construction.................................. 77 114 88 1.3 1.9 1.5
Manufacturing................................. 98 149 109 .8 1.3 .9
Durable goods................................ 47 80 48 .7 1.1 .7
Nondurable goods............................. 51 69 61 1.1 1.5 1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 398 511 466 1.6 2.1 1.9
Wholesale trade.............................. 54 58 47 1.0 1.0 .8
Retail trade................................. 291 392 356 2.0 2.7 2.5
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 53 61 64 1.1 1.3 1.3
Information................................... 28 33 28 1.0 1.2 1.0
Financial activities.......................... 57 117 103 .7 1.5 1.4
Finance and insurance........................ 34 76 61 .6 1.4 1.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 24 40 43 1.2 2.0 2.2
Professional and business services............ 256 465 374 1.5 2.8 2.2
Education and health services................. 282 297 270 1.5 1.5 1.4
Educational services......................... 30 44 41 1.0 1.5 1.3
Health care and social assistance............ 251 253 229 1.6 1.5 1.4
Leisure and hospitality....................... 403 511 485 3.0 3.7 3.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 20 64 62 1.0 2.9 3.1
Accommodation and food services............. 382 447 423 3.4 3.9 3.7
Other services................................ 78 94 91 1.5 1.7 1.7
Government..................................... 110 175 137 .5 .8 .6
Federal....................................... 6 19 14 .2 .7 .5
State and local............................... 104 155 124 .5 .8 .6
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 310 416 362 1.3 1.7 1.5
South......................................... 661 960 849 1.4 2.0 1.8
Midwest....................................... 419 587 482 1.4 2.0 1.6
West.......................................... 404 514 468 1.4 1.8 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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 2,281 1,946 1,800 1.8 1.5 1.4
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,092 1,643 1,557 1.9 1.5 1.4
Mining and Logging............................ 12 7 8 1.7 1.0 1.1
Construction.................................. 321 220 237 5.3 3.7 4.1
Manufacturing................................. 176 137 115 1.5 1.2 1.0
Durable goods................................ 100 72 64 1.4 1.0 .9
Nondurable goods............................. 75 65 52 1.6 1.4 1.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 432 244 264 1.7 1.0 1.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 68 55 72 1.2 1.0 1.3
Retail trade................................. 267 157 153 1.9 1.1 1.1
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 97 32 40 2.0 .7 .8
Information................................... 17 27 17 .6 1.0 .6
Financial activities.......................... 70 52 46 .9 .7 .6
Finance and insurance........................ 27 36 37 .5 .6 .7
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 43 16 9 2.2 .8 .5
Professional and business services............ 370 318 343 2.2 1.9 2.0
Education and health services................. 168 223 175 .9 1.2 .9
Educational services......................... 29 65 32 1.0 2.3 1.0
Health care and social assistance............ 138 158 143 .9 1.0 .9
Leisure and hospitality....................... 369 256 299 2.8 1.9 2.2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 127 89 120 6.4 4.1 6.0
Accommodation and food services............. 242 167 179 2.1 1.4 1.6
Other services................................ 158 160 54 3.0 3.0 1.0
Government..................................... 190 303 243 .9 1.4 1.1
Federal....................................... 8 127 92 .3 4.3 3.2
State and local............................... 181 176 151 .9 1.0 .8
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 479 383 336 1.9 1.6 1.4
South......................................... 766 743 565 1.6 1.6 1.2
Midwest....................................... 483 409 471 1.6 1.4 1.6
West.......................................... 553 412 427 1.9 1.4 1.5
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 Sept. Aug Sept. Sept. Aug Sept.
2009 2010 2010p 2009 2010 2010p
Total........................................... 305 359 358 0.2 0.3 0.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 254 280 289 .2 .3 .3
Mining and Logging............................ 2 3 1 .2 .4 .1
Construction.................................. 6 7 16 .1 .1 .3
Manufacturing................................. 27 21 16 .2 .2 .1
Durable goods................................ 20 12 10 .3 .2 .1
Nondurable goods............................. 7 9 6 .2 .2 .1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 77 102 79 .3 .4 .3
Wholesale trade.............................. 24 7 15 .4 .1 .3
Retail trade................................. 39 79 47 .3 .5 .3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 14 16 17 .3 .3 .4
Information................................... 5 5 6 .2 .2 .2
Financial activities.......................... 19 22 13 .2 .3 .2
Finance and insurance........................ 16 12 12 .3 .2 .2
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 2 9 1 .1 .5 .1
Professional and business services............ 42 39 67 .3 .2 .4
Education and health services................. 42 37 33 .2 .2 .2
Educational services......................... 7 3 5 .2 .1 .2
Health care and social assistance............ 35 33 28 .2 .2 .2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 33 40 44 .2 .3 .3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 3 5 3 .1 .2 .1
Accommodation and food services............. 30 36 42 .3 .3 .4
Other services................................ 2 6 14 (4) .1 .3
Government..................................... 52 79 69 .2 .4 .3
Federal....................................... 8 8 10 .3 .3 .3
State and local............................... 44 72 60 .2 .4 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 40 64 74 .2 .3 .3
South......................................... 110 146 145 .2 .3 .3
Midwest....................................... 63 74 71 .2 .3 .2
West.......................................... 92 75 68 .3 .3 .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 7, table 1.
4 Data round to zero.
p = preliminary.
United States Department of Labor
