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

25-1045-ATL
Tuesday, June 24, 2025

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

Tennessee Job Openings and Labor Turnover — April 2025

Tennessee had 167,000 job openings in April 2025, compared to 165,000 openings in March, 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 4.7 percent in April and 4.6 percent in the previous month. (See chart 1 and table 2.) The job openings rate nationally was 4.4 percent in April and 4.3 percent in March. (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, April 2021 to April 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 April. Nationwide, 35 states and the District of Columbia had ratios in April that were lower than the national ratio of 1.0 unemployed persons per job opening; 11 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, April 2025, seasonally adjusted

(U.S. ratio = 1.0)

In April, Tennessee had 119,000 hires and 123,000 separations, compared to 125,000 hires and 114,000 separations in March. (See chart 2.) Over the 12 months ending in April, hires have averaged 127,000 per month and separations have averaged 131,000 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, April 2021 to April 2025, seasonally adjusted (in thousands). Accessible version is available in View Chart Data link below the chart.
View Chart Data

Among the April separations in Tennessee, 74,000 were quits and 44,000 were layoffs and discharges, compared to 79,000 quits and 30,000 layoffs and discharges in March. (See chart 3.) Over the last 12 months, quits averaged 83,000 per month, ranging from 72,000 to 109,000. Layoffs and discharges averaged 40,000 per month, ranging from 30,000 to 50,000.

  Chart 3. Line chart of quits and layoffs and discharges in Tennessee, April 2021 to April 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 May 2025 are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Upcoming Revisions to the JOLTS State Estimates

Effective with the release of May 2025 data on July 23, 2025, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates will incorporate the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, updated Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2020 forward are subject to revision. In addition, 2024 annual estimates for states will be released at this time.


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 Tennessee, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
Estimate April 2024 January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025(p) Change from March 2025 to April 2025(p)

Openings

 195 172 150 165 167 2

Hires

 152 147 119 125 119 -6

Total separations

 133 154 142 114 123 9

Quits

 92 109 80 79 74 -5

Layoffs & discharges

 32 37 50 30 44 14

Footnotes:
(p) Preliminary.

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

Openings(1)

 5.5 4.8 4.2 4.6 4.7 0.1

Hires(2)

 4.6 4.4 3.5 3.7 3.5 -0.2

Total separations(3)

 4.0 4.6 4.2 3.4 3.6 0.2

Quits(3)

 2.8 3.2 2.4 2.3 2.2 -0.1

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.0 1.1 1.5 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 April 2024 January 2025 February 2025 March 2025 April 2025(p) Change from March 2025 to April 2025(p)

Openings(1)

 4.6 4.7 4.5 4.3 4.4 0.1

Hires(2)

 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 0.1

Total separations(3)

 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.3 0.0

Quits(3)

 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.0 -0.1

Layoffs & discharges(3)

 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 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: Tuesday, June 24, 2025