In 2012, annual hires increased to 52.0 million (38.9 percent of employment) and annual total separations rose to 49.7 million (37.1 percent of employment). Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.
Annual quits increased to 25.1 million (18.8 percent of employment) in 2012. Annual layoffs and discharges held steady in 2012 at 20.5 million (15.4 percent of employment). Annual other separations edged up in 2012 to 4.0 million (3.0 percent of employment).
In 2012, annual levels for hires, quits, and other separations rose for the third year in a row. The layoffs and discharges annual level was steady in 2012 after decreasing in 2011 and 2010.
These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Data for the most recent month are preliminary and subject to revision. The annual figures and additional tables are published with the release of January data each year. To learn more, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover — January 2013” (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-13-0422. More charts featuring data on job openings, hires, and employment separations can be found in Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Highlights: January 2013 (PDF).
United States Department of Labor
