Net employment gain measures 2.4 million in 2016

During 2016, there was a net employment gain of 2.4 million: hires totaled 62.5 million, the most measured in any year after 2006, and job separations totaled 60.1 million, the most of any year after 2007. There were 35.7 million quits in 2016 (59 percent of the total job separations) and 20 million layoffs and discharges (33 percent of the total job separations).

Since 2010, there have been annual net employment gains every year. Quits have made up more than half of total separations every year since 2012. These totals include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey and are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2016" (HTML) (PDF). More charts featuring data on job openings, hires, and employment separations can be found in Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Highlights: December 2016 (PDF). Also see more charts featuring data on job openings, hires, and separations. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee; layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by employers.