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

26-131-ATL
Friday, January 30, 2026

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

Alabama Job Openings and Labor Turnover — November 2025

Alabama had 106,000 job openings in November 2025, compared to 111,000 openings in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in Alabama was 4.6 percent in November and 4.8 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.3 percent in November and 4.5 percent in October. (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 Alabama, November 2021 to November 2025, 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 Alabama was 0.6 in November. Nationwide, 37 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in November that were lower than the national ratio of 1.1 unemployed persons per job opening; 10 states had ratios that were higher than the national ratio, and 3 states had ratios equal to the national measure. (See map 1.)

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

(U.S. ratio = 1.1)

In November, Alabama had 63,000 hires and 77,000 separations, compared to 66,000 hires and 62,000 separations in October. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in November, hires have averaged 74,000 per month and separations have averaged 71,000 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 Alabama, November 2021 to November 2025, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the November separations in Alabama, 48,000 were quits and 26,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 36,000 quits and 23,000 layoffs and discharges in October. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 46,000 per month, ranging from 36,000 to 54,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 22,000 per month, ranging from 18,000 to 26,000.

  Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in Alabama, November 2021 to November 2025, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Federal Government Shutdown

September 2025 state JOLTS estimates reported in this release include partial data that businesses self-reported electronically during the lapse in appropriations and data collected in November following the shutdown. October 2025 data presented in this release were collected in November following the shutdown, as originally planned. The October 2025 unemployment data are unavailable due to the shutdown, and therefore the number of unemployed persons per job opening is also unavailable.

Additionally, BLS temporarily suspended use of the monthly alignment methodology for October 2025 preliminary estimates; use of this methodology will resume with the publication of October 2025 final estimates. See the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Technical Note for information on state JOLTS alignment methodology.

Upcoming Change to the JOLTS State Estimates

The national State Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release will move from a monthly news release to an annual news release. The last monthly news release will occur with the December 2025 data published in February 2026. The first annual news release will be in July 2026. Going forward, monthly estimates for the prior calendar year will be published each year along with the annual news release. The annual news release will incorporate benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, updated Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data.

State Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for December 2025 are scheduled to be released on Thursday, February 19, 2026, 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 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 Alabama, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate November 2024 August 2025(p) September 2025 October 2025 November 2025(p) Change from October 2025 to November 2025(p)

Openings

 131 105 110 111 106 -5

Hires

 80 73 69 66 63 -3

Total separations

 73 67 69 62 77 15

Quits

 49 44 48 36 48 12

Layoffs & discharges

 19 21 18 23 26 3

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Alabama, seasonally adjusted
Estimate November 2024 August 2025(p) September 2025 October 2025 November 2025(p) Change from October 2025 to November 2025(p)

Openings(1)

 5.6 4.5 4.7 4.8 4.6 -0.2

Hires(2)

 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.0 2.8 -0.2

Total separations(3)

 3.3 3.0 3.1 2.8 3.5 0.7

Quits(3)

 2.2 2.0 2.2 1.6 2.2 0.6

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.0 1.2 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 November 2024 August 2025(p) September 2025 October 2025 November 2025(p) Change from October 2025 to November 2025(p)

Openings(1)

 4.8 4.3 4.6 4.5 4.3 -0.2

Hires(2)

 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.2 -0.2

Total separations(3)

 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 0.0

Quits(3)

 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9 2.0 0.1

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.1 -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, January 30, 2026