For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, March 8, 2023 USDL-23-0434
Technical information: (202) 691-5870 • JoltsInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/jlt
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – JANUARY 2023
The number of job openings decreased to 10.8 million on the last business day of January, the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations
changed little at 6.4 million and 5.9 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.9 million)
decreased, while layoffs and discharges (1.7 million) increased. This release includes estimates of the
number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, and by
establishment size class. This release also presents 2022 annual estimates for job openings, hires, and
separations.
Job Openings
On the last business day of January, the number and rate of job openings decreased to 10.8 million
(-410,000) and 6.5 percent, respectively. In January, the largest decreases in job openings were in
construction (-240,000), accommodation and food services (-204,000), and finance and insurance
(-100,000). The number of job openings increased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+94,000)
and in nondurable goods manufacturing (+50,000). (See table 1.)
Hires
In January, the number and rate of hires changed little at 6.4 million and 4.1 percent, respectively. Hires
changed little in all industries. (See table 2.)
Separations
Total separations include quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits are generally
voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of
workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated
by the employer. Other separations include separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers
to other locations of the same firm.
In January, the number of total separations changed little at 5.9 million. The rate was unchanged at 3.8
percent. The number of total separations decreased in federal government (-13,000). (See table 3.)
In January, the number of quits decreased to 3.9 million (-207,000), and the rate was little changed at
2.5 percent. Quits decreased in professional and business services (-221,000), educational services
(-14,000), and federal government (-5,000). (See table 4.)
In January, the number of layoffs and discharges increased to 1.7 million (+241,000). The rate was
little changed at 1.1 percent. Layoffs and discharges increased in professional and business services
(+190,000) but decreased in federal government (-5,000). (See table 5.)
The number of other separations was little changed in January at 302,000. Other separations decreased
in professional and business services (-29,000), finance and insurance (-20,000), and health care and
social assistance (-18,000). The number of other separations increased in accommodation and food
services (+15,000); information (+11,000); and arts, entertainment, and recreation (+4,000).
(See table 6.)
Establishment Size Class
In January, establishments with 1 to 9 employees saw little change in their job openings rate, hires rate,
and total separations rate, but quits rate decreased. Establishments with more than 5,000 employees saw
little change in their job openings rate, hires rate, and total separations rate. (See table 7.)
Annual Levels and Rates
Consistent with BLS practice, annual estimates are published for not seasonally adjusted data each year
with the January news release.
The annual average level of job openings is the average of the 12 monthly levels. Annual levels for hires
and separations are the sum of the 12 monthly levels.
Annual average rates for job openings are computed by dividing the sum of the 12 monthly JOLTS
levels by the sum of the 12 monthly Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment levels plus the
sum of the 12 monthly job openings levels, and multiplying that quotient by 100.
Annual average rates for hires and separations are computed by dividing the sum of the 12 monthly
JOLTS levels for each data element by the sum of the 12 monthly CES employment levels, and
multiplying that quotient by 100.
In 2022, the annual average job openings level was 11.2 million, an increase of 1.2 million from 2021.
The annual average job openings rate was 6.8 percent in 2022, compared to 6.4 percent in 2021.
(See tables 15 and 16.)
In 2022, there were 77.2 million hires, an increase of 1.2 million from 2021. Total separations increased
by 3.2 million in 2022 to 72.3 million. Accounting for 70.0 percent of total separations, quits numbered
50.6 million in 2022, the highest annual level in the survey’s history (JOLTS annual estimates are
available back to 2001). Layoffs and discharges increased by 461,000 in 2022 to 17.6 million and
accounted for 24.3 percent of total separations. Other separations decreased by 138,000 in 2022 to 4.1
million and accounted for 5.7 percent of total separations. (See tables 17 through 26.)
The annual average hires rate for 2022 was 4.2 percent, similar to the rate of 4.3 percent from 2021. The
annual average total separations rate for 2022 was 3.9 percent, unchanged from the previous year. The
annual average rates for the components of total separations were 2.8 percent for quits, 1.0 percent for
layoffs and discharges, and 0.2 percent for other separations. (See tables 17 through 26.)
____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for February 2023 are scheduled to be
released on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Changes to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Data |
| |
|Effective with this release, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) estimates have been |
|revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment data and the |
|JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors. Not seasonally adjusted data and seasonally adjusted data from |
|January 2018 forward were subject to revision. Also effective with this release, JOLTS converted to the |
|2022 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), which had a minimal |
|impact on the published JOLTS data series. For more information on the 2022 NAICS, visit |
|www.census.gov/naics. |
| |
|Also effective with this release, JOLTS published two new tables presenting annual average job |
|openings levels and rates. (Annual estimates of levels and rates are published each year with January |
|data.) In addition, JOLTS modified its method for calculating annual estimates for hires and separations|
|rates. Annual rates are computed as annual averages, instead of annual totals, to make the estimates |
|more helpful for data users and to be consistent with other Bureau of Labor Statistics programs. |
| |
|JOLTS also introduced several changes to the monthly news release tables beginning with this release. |
|Two tables displaying JOLTS data by size class were added to the news release: one for seasonally |
|adjusted estimates and the other for not seasonally adjusted estimates. JOLTS also introduced over-the- |
|month change columns for levels and rates to tables 1 through 6. To accommodate the new tables, tables |
|starting with table 7 were renumbered. |
| |
|Additional information about these changes, including the annual average calculation method and |
|sample table shells for all news release tables, is available at www.bls.gov/jlt/jolts-2023-changes.htm.|
|________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Category |Jan. |Dec. |Jan. |Jan. |Dec. |Jan. |Jan. |Dec. |Jan.
|2022 |2022 |2023p |2022 |2022 |2023p |2022 |2022 |2023p
--------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | |
LEVELS BY INDUSTRY | | | | | | | | |
(in thousands) | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total...........................|11,487 |11,234 |10,824 |6,496 |6,251 |6,372 |6,235 |5,906 |5,902
| | | | | | | | |
Total private..................|10,441 |10,126 |9,770 |6,099 |5,809 |5,952 |5,861 |5,502 |5,523
Mining and logging............|36 |39 |38 |20 |22 |25 |20 |20 |22
Construction..................|396 |488 |248 |324 |380 |391 |325 |335 |365
Manufacturing.................|905 |797 |803 |482 |405 |417 |460 |384 |399
Durable goods................|556 |519 |476 |263 |234 |224 |244 |206 |218
Nondurable goods.............|349 |278 |328 |218 |171 |193 |216 |178 |182
Trade, transportation, | | | | | | | | |
and utilities................|1,842 |1,763 |1,814 |1,293 |1,289 |1,338 |1,324 |1,277 |1,341
Wholesale trade..............|323 |265 |315 |183 |175 |186 |163 |165 |172
Retail trade.................|987 |964 |870 |812 |753 |778 |839 |765 |794
Transportation, warehousing, | | | | | | | | |
and utilities...............|532 |534 |628 |298 |361 |374 |322 |347 |375
Information...................|238 |106 |141 |131 |97 |100 |119 |99 |105
Financial activities..........|538 |610 |459 |252 |213 |207 |247 |198 |200
Finance and insurance........|401 |445 |345 |175 |132 |116 |174 |129 |117
Real estate and | | | | | | | | |
rental and leasing..........|138 |165 |114 |76 |82 |91 |73 |69 |83
Professional and business | | | | | | | | |
services.....................|2,213 |2,087 |2,182 |1,332 |1,155 |1,190 |1,212 |1,125 |1,065
Education and health | | | | | | | | |
services.....................|2,112 |2,080 |2,081 |841 |904 |901 |814 |825 |766
Educational services.........|155 |181 |187 |107 |98 |96 |98 |89 |76
Health care and social | | | | | | | | |
assistance..................|1,957 |1,899 |1,894 |734 |806 |805 |717 |736 |690
Leisure and hospitality.......|1,683 |1,859 |1,665 |1,211 |1,107 |1,183 |1,110 |1,010 |1,064
Arts, entertainment, and | | | | | | | | |
recreation..................|165 |180 |189 |163 |161 |165 |162 |130 |146
Accommodation and food | | | | | | | | |
services....................|1,518 |1,679 |1,475 |1,048 |947 |1,017 |947 |880 |919
Other services................|477 |297 |340 |213 |237 |201 |232 |228 |196
Government.....................|1,046 |1,109 |1,053 |397 |442 |421 |373 |404 |379
Federal.......................|132 |156 |142 |44 |45 |38 |44 |45 |32
State and local...............|913 |953 |911 |353 |397 |382 |329 |359 |347
State and local education....|339 |325 |303 |182 |175 |183 |166 |166 |169
State and local, excluding | | | | | | | | |
education...................|574 |628 |608 |171 |222 |200 |163 |193 |179
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | | |
RATES BY INDUSTRY | | | | | | | | |
(percent) | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total...........................|7.1 |6.8 |6.5 |4.3 |4.0 |4.1 |4.2 |3.8 |3.8
| | | | | | | | |
Total private..................|7.5 |7.1 |6.9 |4.8 |4.4 |4.5 |4.6 |4.2 |4.2
Mining and logging............|5.8 |5.8 |5.6 |3.4 |3.5 |3.9 |3.4 |3.2 |3.5
Construction..................|5.0 |5.8 |3.0 |4.3 |4.8 |5.0 |4.3 |4.3 |4.6
Manufacturing.................|6.7 |5.8 |5.8 |3.8 |3.1 |3.2 |3.6 |3.0 |3.1
Durable goods................|6.6 |6.0 |5.5 |3.4 |2.9 |2.8 |3.1 |2.5 |2.7
Nondurable goods.............|6.8 |5.4 |6.3 |4.6 |3.5 |4.0 |4.5 |3.6 |3.7
Trade, transportation, | | | | | | | | |
and utilities................|6.1 |5.8 |5.9 |4.6 |4.5 |4.6 |4.7 |4.4 |4.7
Wholesale trade..............|5.2 |4.2 |5.0 |3.1 |2.9 |3.1 |2.8 |2.7 |2.8
Retail trade.................|6.0 |5.9 |5.3 |5.3 |4.9 |5.0 |5.4 |4.9 |5.1
Transportation, warehousing, | | | | | | | | |
and utilities...............|7.0 |6.8 |7.9 |4.2 |5.0 |5.1 |4.6 |4.8 |5.1
Information...................|7.4 |3.3 |4.3 |4.4 |3.1 |3.2 |4.0 |3.2 |3.4
Financial activities..........|5.7 |6.3 |4.8 |2.8 |2.3 |2.3 |2.8 |2.2 |2.2
Finance and insurance........|5.7 |6.2 |4.9 |2.6 |2.0 |1.7 |2.6 |1.9 |1.7
Real estate and rental | | | | | | | | |
and leasing.................|5.6 |6.4 |4.5 |3.3 |3.4 |3.8 |3.1 |2.9 |3.4
Professional and business | | | | | | | | |
services.....................|9.1 |8.4 |8.7 |6.0 |5.1 |5.2 |5.5 |4.9 |4.6
Education and health | | | | | | | | |
services.....................|8.1 |7.7 |7.7 |3.5 |3.6 |3.6 |3.4 |3.3 |3.1
Educational services.........|4.0 |4.5 |4.6 |2.9 |2.5 |2.5 |2.6 |2.3 |2.0
Health care and social | | | | | | | | |
assistance..................|8.8 |8.3 |8.3 |3.6 |3.8 |3.8 |3.6 |3.5 |3.3
Leisure and hospitality......|9.9 |10.2 |9.2 |7.9 |6.8 |7.2 |7.2 |6.2 |6.5
Arts, entertainment, and | | | | | | | | |
recreation.................|6.9 |7.0 |7.3 |7.4 |6.7 |6.9 |7.3 |5.4 |6.0
Accommodation and food | | | | | | | | |
services...................|10.3 |10.8 |9.5 |8.0 |6.8 |7.2 |7.2 |6.3 |6.5
Other services...............|7.8 |4.9 |5.5 |3.8 |4.1 |3.4 |4.1 |3.9 |3.4
Government.....................|4.5 |4.7 |4.5 |1.8 |2.0 |1.9 |1.7 |1.8 |1.7
Federal.......................|4.4 |5.1 |4.7 |1.5 |1.5 |1.3 |1.5 |1.6 |1.1
State and local...............|4.5 |4.7 |4.5 |1.8 |2.0 |2.0 |1.7 |1.8 |1.8
State and local education....|3.2 |3.1 |2.9 |1.8 |1.7 |1.8 |1.6 |1.6 |1.6
State and local, excluding | | | | | | | | |
education...................|6.0 |6.4 |6.2 |1.9 |2.4 |2.2 |1.8 |2.1 |1.9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(p) Preliminary
NOTE: Data are revised with the release of January data to incorporate the annual updates to the Current
Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.
Revisions to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Data
The JOLTS data are revised annually to reflect updates to the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
employment estimates. The JOLTS employment levels (not published) are ratio-adjusted to the CES
employment levels, and the resulting ratios are applied to all JOLTS data elements. This annual
benchmarking process results in revisions to both the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted
JOLTS data series. The seasonally adjusted data are recalculated for the most recent 5 years to reflect
updated seasonal adjustment factors. Further, the alignment methodology creates a dependency of the
not seasonally adjusted estimates on the seasonal adjustment process. Therefore, the data series that are
not seasonally adjusted are also recalculated for the most recent 5 years to reflect the effect of the
updated seasonal adjustment factors on the alignment process.
With this annual revision, JOLTS also converted to the 2022 North American Industry Classification
System (NAICS) from NAICS 2017. The conversion had a minimal impact on the published JOLTS
data series.
Tables B through G below present revised total nonfarm data for January through December 2022. The
December 2022 revisions also reflect the routine incorporation of additional sample receipts into the
final December estimates. Tables presenting revisions to total nonfarm data for January 2018 through
December 2022 will be available on the JOLTS website later in the day following the release. The
website also contains all revised seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data. The revision
tables and data can be accessed through the JOLTS homepage at www.bls.gov/jlt/.
Table B. Revisions in job openings data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 11,283 | 11,487 | 204 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 0.1
February..| 11,344 | 11,601 | 257 | 7.0 | 7.1 | .1
March.....| 11,855 | 12,027 | 172 | 7.3 | 7.4 | .1
April.....| 11,681 | 11,755 | 74 | 7.2 | 7.2 | .0
May.......| 11,303 | 11,443 | 140 | 6.9 | 7.0 | .1
June......| 11,040 | 10,961 | -79 | 6.8 | 6.7 | -.1
July......| 11,170 | 11,380 | 210 | 6.8 | 6.9 | .1
August....| 10,280 | 10,198 | -82 | 6.3 | 6.2 | -.1
September.| 10,687 | 10,854 | 167 | 6.5 | 6.6 | .1
October...| 10,512 | 10,471 | -41 | 6.4 | 6.4 | .0
November..| 10,440 | 10,746 | 306 | 6.4 | 6.5 | .1
December..| 11,012 | 11,234 | 222 | 6.7 | 6.8 | .1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table C. Revisions in hires data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 6,426 | 6,496 | 70 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 0.0
February..| 6,832 | 6,800 | -32 | 4.5 | 4.5 | .0
March.....| 6,645 | 6,577 | -68 | 4.4 | 4.3 | -.1
April.....| 6,527 | 6,572 | 45 | 4.3 | 4.3 | .0
May.......| 6,507 | 6,545 | 38 | 4.3 | 4.3 | .0
June......| 6,456 | 6,448 | -8 | 4.2 | 4.2 | .0
July......| 6,238 | 6,340 | 102 | 4.1 | 4.1 | .0
August....| 6,334 | 6,478 | 144 | 4.1 | 4.2 | .1
September.| 6,096 | 6,226 | 130 | 4.0 | 4.1 | .1
October...| 6,111 | 6,164 | 53 | 4.0 | 4.0 | .0
November..| 6,034 | 6,253 | 219 | 3.9 | 4.1 | .2
December..| 6,165 | 6,251 | 86 | 4.0 | 4.0 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table D. Revisions in total separations data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 6,044 | 6,235 | 191 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 0.2
February..| 6,082 | 6,071 | -11 | 4.0 | 4.0 | .0
March.....| 6,248 | 6,194 | -54 | 4.1 | 4.1 | .0
April.....| 5,965 | 6,175 | 210 | 3.9 | 4.1 | .2
May.......| 6,017 | 6,025 | 8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | .0
June......| 6,009 | 5,991 | -18 | 4.0 | 3.9 | -.1
July......| 5,794 | 5,864 | 70 | 3.8 | 3.8 | .0
August....| 6,058 | 6,244 | 186 | 4.0 | 4.1 | .1
September.| 5,665 | 5,810 | 145 | 3.7 | 3.8 | .1
October...| 5,756 | 5,846 | 90 | 3.8 | 3.8 | .0
November..| 5,831 | 5,945 | 114 | 3.8 | 3.9 | .1
December..| 5,890 | 5,906 | 16 | 3.8 | 3.8 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table E. Revisions in quits data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 4,258 | 4,391 | 133 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 0.1
February..| 4,384 | 4,313 | -71 | 2.9 | 2.9 | .0
March.....| 4,449 | 4,452 | 3 | 2.9 | 2.9 | .0
April.....| 4,327 | 4,497 | 170 | 2.9 | 3.0 | .1
May.......| 4,274 | 4,208 | -66 | 2.8 | 2.8 | .0
June......| 4,253 | 4,161 | -92 | 2.8 | 2.7 | -.1
July......| 4,058 | 4,016 | -42 | 2.7 | 2.6 | -.1
August....| 4,184 | 4,242 | 58 | 2.7 | 2.8 | .1
September.| 4,060 | 4,065 | 5 | 2.7 | 2.6 | -.1
October...| 4,047 | 4,048 | 1 | 2.6 | 2.6 | .0
November..| 4,102 | 4,148 | 46 | 2.7 | 2.7 | .0
December..| 4,087 | 4,091 | 4 | 2.7 | 2.6 | -.1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table F. Revisions in layoffs and discharges data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 1,403 | 1,425 | 22 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.0
February..| 1,354 | 1,423 | 69 | .9 | .9 | .0
March.....| 1,416 | 1,395 | -21 | .9 | .9 | .0
April.....| 1,312 | 1,342 | 30 | .9 | .9 | .0
May.......| 1,416 | 1,482 | 66 | .9 | 1.0 | .1
June......| 1,400 | 1,477 | 77 | .9 | 1.0 | .1
July......| 1,390 | 1,497 | 107 | .9 | 1.0 | .1
August....| 1,490 | 1,627 | 137 | 1.0 | 1.1 | .1
September.| 1,329 | 1,436 | 107 | .9 | .9 | .0
October...| 1,445 | 1,525 | 80 | .9 | 1.0 | .1
November..| 1,418 | 1,485 | 67 | .9 | 1.0 | .1
December..| 1,468 | 1,475 | 7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
Table G. Revisions in other separations data January 2022 - December 2022,
seasonally adjusted
_________________________________________________________________________________
| |
| Levels (in thousands) | Rates (percent)
Year |---------------------------------- |----------------------------------
and | As | As | | As | As |
month | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
| published | | | published | |
_________________________________________________________________________________
2022 | | | | | |
January...| 383 | 419 | 36 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0
February..| 344 | 335 | -9 | .2 | .2 | .0
March.....| 384 | 347 | -37 | .3 | .2 | -.1
April.....| 327 | 336 | 9 | .2 | .2 | .0
May.......| 328 | 334 | 6 | .2 | .2 | .0
June......| 356 | 353 | -3 | .2 | .2 | .0
July......| 346 | 351 | 5 | .2 | .2 | .0
August....| 383 | 375 | -8 | .3 | .2 | -.1
September.| 276 | 308 | 32 | .2 | .2 | .0
October...| 264 | 272 | 8 | .2 | .2 | .0
November..| 311 | 312 | 1 | .2 | .2 | .0
December..| 336 | 340 | 4 | .2 | .2 | .0
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________
United States Department of Labor
