North Carolina had 374,000 job openings in December 2022, compared to 363,000 openings in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in North Carolina was 7.2 percent in December and 7.0 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 6.7 percent in December and 6.4 percent in November. (See table 3.)

The ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in North Carolina was 0.5 in December. Nationwide, 20 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in December that were lower than the national ratio of 0.5 unemployed persons per job opening; 11 states had ratios equal to the national average, and 19 states had ratios that were higher than the national average. (See map 1.)

In December, North Carolina had 237,000 hires and 172,000 separations, compared to 223,000 hires and 196,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires have averaged 238,000 per month and separations have averaged 214,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

Among the December separations in North Carolina, 124,000 were quits and 41,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 137,000 quits and 47,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 150,000 per month, ranging from 124,000 to 178,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 51,000 per month, ranging from 41,000 to 65,000.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey State estimates for January 2023 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 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 North Carolina, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Estimate	December 2021	September 2022	October 2022	November 2022	December 2022(p)	Change from November 2022 to December 2022(p)
Openings	428	356	365	363	374	11
Hires	247	226	229	223	237	14
Total separations	212	203	206	196	172	-24
Quits	145	150	156	137	124	-13
Layoffs & discharges	54	44	45	47	41	-6
Footnotes: (p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for North Carolina, seasonally adjusted

Estimate	December 2021	September 2022	October 2022	November 2022	December 2022(p)	Change from November 2022 to December 2022(p)
Openings(1)	8.4	6.9	7.0	7.0	7.2	0.2
Hires(2)	5.3	4.7	4.7	4.6	4.9	0.3
Total separations(3)	4.6	4.2	4.3	4.0	3.5	-0.5
Quits(3)	3.1	3.1	3.2	2.8	2.6	-0.2
Layoffs & discharges(3)	1.2	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.8	-0.2
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 2021	September 2022	October 2022	November 2022	December 2022(p)	Change from November 2022 to December 2022(p)
Openings(1)	7.1	6.5	6.4	6.4	6.7	0.3
Hires(2)	4.3	4.0	4.0	3.9	4.0	0.1
Total separations(3)	4.1	3.7	3.8	3.8	3.8	0.0
Quits(3)	3.0	2.7	2.6	2.7	2.7	0.0
Layoffs & discharges(3)	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.0	0.1
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.