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

25-1288-ATL
Monday, August 18, 2025

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

Tennessee Job Openings and Labor Turnover — June 2025

Tennessee had 183,000 job openings in June 2025, compared to 165,000 openings in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the job openings rate in Tennessee was 5.1 percent in June and 4.6 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.4 percent in June and 4.6 percent in May. (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 Tennessee, June 2021 to June 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 Tennessee was 0.7 in June. Nationwide, 25 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in June that were lower than the national ratio of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening; 18 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, June 2025, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 0.9)

In June, Tennessee had 130,000 hires and 122,000 separations, compared to 119,000 hires and 109,000 separations in May. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in June, hires have averaged 128,000 per month and separations have averaged 132,000 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 Tennessee, June 2021 to June 2025, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the June separations in Tennessee, 71,000 were quits and 44,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 70,000 quits and 32,000 layoffs and discharges in May. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 82,000 per month, ranging from 70,000 to 105,000. Layoffs and discharges have averaged 43,000 per month, ranging from 31,000 to 50,000.

  Chart 3. Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in Tennessee, June 2021 to June 2025, 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 July 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, September 17, 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 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 Tennessee, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate June 2024 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025(p) Change from May 2025 to June 2025(p)

Openings

 161 166 163 165 183 18

Hires

 116 127 120 119 130 11

Total separations

 124 116 125 109 122 13

Quits

 84 79 72 70 71 1

Layoffs & discharges

 33 31 45 32 44 12

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

Table 2. Job openings and labor turnover rates for Tennessee, seasonally adjusted
Estimate June 2024 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025(p) Change from May 2025 to June 2025(p)

Openings(1)

 4.6 4.7 4.6 4.6 5.1 0.5

Hires(2)

 3.4 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.8 0.3

Total separations(3)

 3.7 3.4 3.7 3.2 3.6 0.4

Quits(3)

 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.1 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.0 0.9 1.3 0.9 1.3 0.4

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 June 2024 March 2025 April 2025 May 2025 June 2025(p) Change from May 2025 to June 2025(p)

Openings(1)

 4.5 4.3 4.4 4.6 4.4 -0.2

Hires(2)

 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.3 -0.1

Total separations(3)

 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.2 -0.1

Quits(3)

 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 0.0

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.0 1.0 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, August 18, 2025