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

25-1188-ATL
Friday, July 25, 2025

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

North Carolina Job Openings and Labor Turnover — May 2025

North Carolina had 298,000 job openings in May 2025, compared to 295,000 openings in April, 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 5.5 percent in May, unchanged from the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.6 percent in May and 4.4 percent in April. (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 North Carolina, 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 North Carolina was 0.7 in May. Nationwide, 28 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in May that were lower than the national ratio of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening; 15 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 7 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

Map 1. Number of unemployed persons per job opening by state, May 2025, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 0.9)

 

In May, North Carolina had 158,000 hires and 156,000 separations, compared to 240,000 hires and 151,000 separations in April. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in May, hires have averaged 174,000 per month and separations have averaged 165,000 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 North Carolina, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the May separations in North Carolina, 101,000 were quits and 45,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 80,000 quits and 60,000 layoffs and discharges in April. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 101,000 per month, ranging from 80,000 to 125,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 57,000 per month, ranging from 38,000 to 114,000.

  Chart 3. Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in North Carolina, 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 June 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Annual Revisions to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover State Data

The JOLTS state data are revised annually to reflect updates to the JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) through fourth quarter 2024. This annual benchmarking process results in revisions to both the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted JOLTS state data series. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2020 forward are subject to revision.

Tables displaying revisions to seasonally adjusted JOLTS state data from January 2024 through April 2025 are available on the JOLTS website. The website also contains all revised seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data.


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 are 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)
EstimateMay 2024February 2025March 2025April 2025May 2025(p)Change from April 2025 to May 2025(p)

Openings

2882772592952983

Hires

192151161240158-82

Total separations

1481641591511565

Quits

991041058010121

Layoffs & discharges

4053496045-15

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for North Carolina, seasonally adjusted
EstimateMay 2024February 2025March 2025April 2025May 2025(p)Change from April 2025 to May 2025(p)

Openings(1)

5.45.24.95.55.50.0

Hires(2)

3.83.03.24.73.1-1.6

Total separations(3)

2.93.23.13.03.10.1

Quits(3)

2.02.12.11.62.00.4

Layoffs & discharges(3)

0.81.01.01.20.9-0.3

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
EstimateMay 2024February 2025March 2025April 2025May 2025(p)Change from April 2025 to May 2025(p)

Openings(1)

4.84.54.34.44.60.2

Hires(2)

3.53.43.43.53.4-0.1

Total separations(3)

3.43.33.33.33.30.0

Quits(3)

2.12.02.12.02.10.1

Layoffs & discharges(3)

1.11.11.01.11.0-0.1

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.

 

Last Modified Date: Friday, July 25, 2025