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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Geographic Information > Northeast > News Release
News Release Information

25-263-BOS
Monday, February 24, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Maine Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2024

Maine had 34,000 job openings in December 2024, compared to 33,000 openings in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that the job openings rate in Maine was 4.9 percent in December and 4.8 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The national job openings rate was 4.5 percent in December and 4.9 percent in November. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

  Line chart of job openings as a percent of employment for the United States and Maine, December 2020 to December 2024, seasonally adjusted. Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Maine was 0.7 in December. The ratio has been less than 1.0 in Maine since January 2021. Nationwide, 36 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in December that were lower than the national measure of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening; 10 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 4 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, December 2024, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 0.9)

In December, Maine had 25,000 hires and 23,000 separations, both unchanged from November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires and separations each averaged 26,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

  Line chart of hires and total separations in Maine, December 2020 to December 2024, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the December separations in Maine, 13,000 were quits and 9,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 12,000 quits and 9,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the 12 months ending in December, quits averaged 14,000 per month, ranging from 12,000 to 18,000. Layoffs and discharges averaged 10,000 per month, ranging from 8,000 to 14,000.

  Line chart of quits and discharges in Maine, December 2020 to December 2024, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

The State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for January 2025 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).


Technical Note

This news release presents statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The JOLTS program provides information on labor demand and turnover. The state estimates produced by JOLTS are model-based, incorporating JOLTS sample, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and Current Employment Statistics (CES) estimates. For more information see the JOLTS State Estimates Methodology.

Job Openings. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets all three of these conditions:

  • A specific position exists and there is work available for that position.
  • The job could start within 30 days.
  • The employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position.

The number of unemployed persons per job opening is a ratio of the level of unemployed persons and the level of job openings. The number of unemployed persons at the national level is an estimate from the Current Population Survey (CPS), while state-level unemployment estimates are modeled by the Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) program. A ratio of 1.0 means there is a job available for every unemployed person. Lower ratios signal tighter labor markets, where firms have more job openings than there are unemployed persons available to work. Higher ratios indicate there are more unemployed persons competing for each job opening.

Hires. Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month.

Separations. Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations.

  • Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations.
  • Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer.
  • Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths.

Levels and rates of other separations represent a small portion of total separations and are not published with the release of state estimates.

Complete definitions, including exclusions, and additional information about the State JOLTS data presented in this release are available in the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Job openings and labor turnover for Maine, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate December 2023 September 2024 October 2024 November 2024 December 2024(p) Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings

 42 36 39 33 34 1

Hires

 23 24 29 25 25 0

Total separations

 24 24 27 23 23 0

Quits

 16 14 13 12 13 1

Layoffs & discharges

 6 8 11 9 9 0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Maine, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2023 September 2024 October 2024 November 2024 December 2024(p) Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings(1)

 6.0 5.2 5.6 4.8 4.9 0.1

Hires(2)

 3.5 3.7 4.4 3.8 3.8 0.0

Total separations(3)

 3.7 3.7 4.1 3.5 3.5 0.0

Quits(3)

 2.4 2.1 2.0 1.8 2.0 0.2

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 0.9 1.2 1.7 1.4 1.4 0.0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) 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.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.
Table 3. Job openings and labor turnover rates for the United States, seasonally adjusted
Estimate December 2023 September 2024 October 2024 November 2024 December 2024(p) Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings(1)

 5.3 4.4 4.7 4.9 4.5 -0.4

Hires(2)

 3.7 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 0.0

Total separations(3)

 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 0.0

Quits(3)

 2.2 1.9 2.1 2.0 2.0 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.0

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.
(1) 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.
(2) The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
(3) The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits and layoffs and discharges rates are computed similarly.

 

Last Modified Date: Monday, February 24, 2025