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There were 65.3 million hires in 2017, an increase from 63.2 million in 2016. Total separations (the sum of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations) rose in 2017 to 63.0 million. Quits rose for the eighth consecutive year, reaching 38.2 million in 2017. Quits comprised 61 percent of total separations in 2017.
Year | Hires | Total separations |
Layoffs and discharges |
Quits | Other separations |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 |
62,727,000 | 64,560,000 | 24,271,000 | 35,784,000 | 4,506,000 |
2002 |
58,416,000 | 58,942,000 | 22,719,000 | 31,655,000 | 4,566,000 |
2003 |
56,919,000 | 56,961,000 | 23,420,000 | 29,251,000 | 4,292,000 |
2004 |
60,236,000 | 58,224,000 | 22,584,000 | 31,444,000 | 4,201,000 |
2005 |
63,089,000 | 60,633,000 | 22,151,000 | 34,380,000 | 4,102,000 |
2006 |
63,491,000 | 61,284,000 | 20,856,000 | 35,692,000 | 4,731,000 |
2007 |
62,239,000 | 60,984,000 | 21,997,000 | 34,718,000 | 4,270,000 |
2008 |
54,764,000 | 58,209,000 | 23,969,000 | 30,391,000 | 3,850,000 |
2009 |
46,190,000 | 51,358,000 | 26,557,000 | 21,112,000 | 3,689,000 |
2010 |
48,659,000 | 47,649,000 | 21,703,000 | 22,051,000 | 3,897,000 |
2011 |
50,253,000 | 48,214,000 | 20,756,000 | 23,581,000 | 3,877,000 |
2012 |
52,332,000 | 50,131,000 | 20,942,000 | 25,142,000 | 4,047,000 |
2013 |
54,297,000 | 51,937,000 | 19,889,000 | 27,715,000 | 4,328,000 |
2014 |
58,629,000 | 55,596,000 | 20,402,000 | 30,590,000 | 4,604,000 |
2015 |
62,027,000 | 59,296,000 | 20,963,000 | 33,732,000 | 4,604,000 |
2016 |
63,240,000 | 60,896,000 | 20,152,000 | 36,339,000 | 4,405,000 |
2017 |
65,259,000 | 63,031,000 | 20,676,000 | 38,180,000 | 4,175,000 |
Layoffs and discharges edged up in 2017 to 20.7 million and comprised 33 percent of total separations. Other separations declined in 2017 to 4.2 million and comprised 7 percent of total separations.
These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover — January 2018" (HTML) (PDF). Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by employers. Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations because of disability. We also have more charts featuring data on job openings, hires, and separations.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Hires and quits rose in 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/hires-and-quits-rose-in-2017.htm (visited November 11, 2024).