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

25-241-ATL
Friday, February 21, 2025

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (404) 893-4220

Mississippi Job Openings and Labor Turnover — December 2024

Mississippi had 62,000 job openings in December 2024, compared to 71,000 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 Mississippi was 4.9 percent in December and 5.6 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.5 percent in December and 4.9 percent in November. (See table 3.) All data in this release are seasonally adjusted.

  Chart 1. Line chart of job openings as a percent of employment for the United States and Mississippi, 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 Mississippi was 0.7 in December. 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, Mississippi had 42,000 hires and 46,000 separations, compared to 44,000 hires and 45,000 separations in November. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in December, hires and separations each averaged 47,000 per month. These averages include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

  Chart 2. Line chart of hires and total separations in Mississippi, 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 Mississippi, 29,000 were quits and 14,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 29,000 quits and 12,000 layoffs and discharges in November. (See chart 3.) Over the 12 months ending in December, quits averaged 31,000 per month, ranging from 27,000 to 35,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 13,000 per month, ranging from 12,000 to 15,000.

  Chart 3. Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in Mississippi, December 2020 to December 2024, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

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 Mississippi, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
EstimateDecember 2023September 2024October 2024November 2024December 2024(p)Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings

7454757162-9

Hires

5345514442-2

Total separations

50454845461

Quits

33303029290

Layoffs & discharges

14121512142

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.


Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Mississippi, seasonally adjusted
EstimateDecember 2023September 2024October 2024November 2024December 2024(p)Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings(1)

5.94.35.95.64.9-0.7

Hires(2)

4.53.84.33.73.5-0.2

Total separations(3)

4.23.84.03.83.80.0

Quits(3)

2.82.52.52.42.40.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.21.01.31.01.20.2

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
EstimateDecember 2023September 2024October 2024November 2024December 2024(p)Change from November 2024 to December 2024(p)

Openings(1)

5.34.44.74.94.5-0.4

Hires(2)

3.73.53.43.43.40.0

Total separations(3)

3.43.33.33.33.30.0

Quits(3)

2.21.92.12.02.00.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.01.11.11.11.10.0

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: Friday, February 21, 2025