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Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on Job Openings and Labor Turnover data for May 2021 Note: The data in table 1 on collection mode for May 2021 have been corrected.
 The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) national estimates of job openings, hires, and separations have been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This page provides further information on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the May 2021 JOLTS news release. More information on the JOLTS methodology can be found in the JOLTS Handbook of Methods chapter. Collection mode Data collection for JOLTS was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, JOLTS collected 42 percent of data by phone at the JOLTS data collection center on average. Most phone respondents were asked to report electronically. However, data collection was adversely affected by the inability to reach some respondents that normally respond by phone. Table 1. Percent of establishments responding to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey by collection mode
Time period
Phone
Web
Other12-month average through February 2020
42%
52%
6%March 2020
19%
75%
6%April 2020
27%
68%
5%May 2020
28%
67%
5%June 2020
32%
62%
6%July 2020
31%
65%
4%August 2020
32%
63%
5%September 2020
33%
62%
6%October 2020
29%
66%
6%November 2020
30%
65%
5%December 2020
31%
64%
6%January 2021
31%
64%
5%February 2021
34%
61%
5%March 2021
30%
64%
6%April 2021
33%
62%
6%May 2021
22%
72%
6% Response rates The preliminary JOLTS response rate for May was 44 percent. In April, the final response rate was 48 percent. In the year prior to the pandemic, the preliminary response rate averaged 54 percent and the final response rate averaged 58 percent. In May 2021, JOLTS response rates declined in all size classes and in all industries. The industries with the largest declines in response rates were state and local government education and state and local government, excluding education. Table 2. Response rates for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey
Time period
Preliminary rate
Final rate12-month average through February 2020
54%
58%March 2020
46%
51%April 2020
44%
49%May 2020
45%
51%June 2020
47%
50%July 2020
46%
50%August 2020
47%
50%September 2020
47%
50%October 2020
45%
49%November 2020
43%
47%December 2020
42%
48%January 2021
43%
48%February 2021
45%
49%March 2021
45%
48%April 2021
44%
48%May 2021
44%
Not available Imputation JOLTS imputation for May resulted in very few cells with more imputation relative to the previous year. The industries that generally experienced more imputation were mining and logging, professional and business services, and federal government. Changes to methods At the onset of the pandemic, the JOLTS program reviewed all estimation and methodological procedures. Changes to the JOLTS estimation and seasonal adjustment methods are described below. Estimation For the May 2021 preliminary and the April 2021 final JOLTS estimates, there was no suppression of the alignment process. The JOLTS hires minus separations and CES over-the-month employment changes are no longer significantly different. Please see below for further explanation. BLS modified the JOLTS estimates for the March 2020 preliminary through the November 2020 preliminary estimates to better reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and produce the highest quality JOLTS estimates possible in this unique situation. The estimation process usually includes an alignment of monthly hires minus separations to the over-the-month change in the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates. BLS suspended the alignment process during this time frame because the differing reference periods for the CES employment estimates (pay period including the 12th of the month) and the JOLTS hires and separations estimates (the entire reference month) led to different measurement outcomes. For example, hires and separations during the latter half of April 2020 were not included in the CES employment change for April 2020, but were included in the JOLTS data for the month. The alignment portion of the JOLTS estimation process was designed to correct a long-term divergence between the JOLTS implied employment change and the CES employment change. JOLTS hires minus separations and CES employment change generally approximate one another. Alignment was developed to correct small monthly discrepancies between the two series that build up over time; it was not designed to address a substantial short-term divergence between the two series. Seasonal Adjustment Seasonal adjustment factors can be either multiplicative or additive. A multiplicative seasonal effect is assumed to be proportional to the level of the series. A sudden large increase in the level of the series will be accompanied by a proportionally large seasonal effect. In contrast, an additive seasonal effect is assumed to be unaffected by the level of the series. In times of relative economic stability, the multiplicative option is generally preferred over the additive option. However, in the presence of a large level shift in a time series, multiplicative seasonal adjustment factors can result in systematic over- or under-adjustment of the series; in such cases, additive seasonal adjustment factors are preferred since they tend to more accurately track seasonal fluctuations in the series and have smaller revisions. In accordance with the survey’s usual practice, the seasonal adjustment factors were reviewed through the calendar year ending in December 2020, and 5 years of seasonally adjusted estimates were revised. The majority of the JOLTS series retained the additive designation. Comparison of current month estimates with past monthly JOLTS estimates Please see the following tables for a comparison of May 2021 estimates to historical levels. Table 3a. Job openings by sector and region (numbers in thousands)
Sector and region
May 2021 level
Monthly change
Monthly percent change
Last time level was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time level was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was larger or equal or next closestTotal nonfarm
9,209
16
0.2
Apr 2021
9,193
Apr 2021
9,193
Dec 2020
-14
Apr 2021
905
Dec 2020
-0.2
Apr 2021
10.9Total private
8,305
42
0.5
Apr 2021
8,263
Apr 2021
8,263
Dec 2020
16
Apr 2021
817
Dec 2020
0.3
Apr 2021
11.0Government
904
-26
-2.8
Mar 2021
843
Apr 2021
930
Feb 2021
-61
Apr 2021
87
Feb 2021
-8.5
Apr 2021
10.3RegionNortheast
1,661
16
1.0
Apr 2021
1,645
Apr 2021
1,645
Dec 2020
-24
Apr 2021
121
Dec 2020
-2.1
Apr 2021
7.9South
3,543
34
1.0
Apr 2021
3,509
Apr 2021
3,509
Dec 2020
22
Apr 2021
346
Dec 2020
0.8
Apr 2021
10.9Midwest
1,989
-80
-3.9
Mar 2021
1,783
Apr 2021
2,069
Aug 2020
-175
Apr 2021
286
Aug 2020
-11.2
Apr 2021
16.0West
2,016
46
2.3
Apr 2021
1,970
Apr 2021
1,970
Dec 2020
-21
Apr 2021
152
Dec 2020
-1.4
Apr 2021
8.4 Table 3b. Hires by sector and region (numbers in thousands)
Sector and region
May 2021 level
Monthly change
Monthly percent change
Last time level was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time level was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was larger or equal or next closestTotal nonfarm
5,927
-85
-1.4
Feb 2021
5,794
Apr 2021
6,012
Dec 2020
-608
Apr 2021
6
Dec 2020
-10.1
Apr 2021
0.1Total private
5,619
-42
-0.7
Feb 2021
5,490
Apr 2021
5,661
Dec 2020
-577
Apr 2021
15
Dec 2020
-10.2
Apr 2021
0.3Government
307
-44
-12.5
Feb 2021
304
Apr 2021
351
Feb 2021
-59
Apr 2021
-9
Feb 2021
-16.3
Apr 2021
-2.5RegionNortheast
848
-113
-11.8
Apr 2020
558
Apr 2021
961
Jul 2020
-268
Apr 2021
-36
Jul 2020
-19.0
Apr 2021
-3.6South
2,432
73
3.1
Apr 2021
2,359
Nov 2020
2,458
Apr 2021
64
Mar 2021
111
Apr 2021
2.8
Mar 2021
5.1Midwest
1,245
-45
-3.5
Jan 2021
1,241
Apr 2021
1,290
Dec 2020
-113
Apr 2021
-5
Dec 2020
-8.6
Apr 2021
-0.4West
1,402
1
0.1
Apr 2021
1,401
Mar 2021
1,419
Apr 2021
-18
Mar 2021
98
Apr 2021
-1.3
Mar 2021
7.4 Table 3c. Total separations by sector and region (numbers in thousands)
Sector and region
May 2021 level
Monthly change
Monthly percent change
Last time level was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time level was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was larger or equal or next closestTotal nonfarm
5,318
-485
-8.4
Sep 2020
5,235
Apr 2021
5,803
Aug 2020
-491
Apr 2021
367
Aug 2020
-9.1
Apr 2021
6.8Total private
5,035
-443
-8.1
Jan 2021
5,007
Apr 2021
5,478
Aug 2020
-445
Apr 2021
378
Aug 2020
-9.0
Apr 2021
7.4Government
283
-42
-12.9
Jul 2016
283
Apr 2021
325
Dec 2020
-93
Apr 2021
-10
Dec 2020
-21.2
Apr 2021
-3.0RegionNortheast
782
-56
-6.7
Sep 2020
753
Apr 2021
838
Jan 2021
-64
Apr 2021
23
Jan 2021
-7.5
Apr 2021
2.8South
2,144
-206
-8.8
Jan 2021
2,128
Apr 2021
2,350
May 2020
-2108
Apr 2021
153
May 2020
-54.0
Apr 2021
7.0Midwest
1,191
-77
-6.1
Jan 2021
1,111
Apr 2021
1,268
Dec 2020
-142
Apr 2021
68
Dec 2020
-10.9
Apr 2021
5.7West
1,201
-146
-10.8
Oct 2020
1,157
Apr 2021
1,347
Aug 2020
-255
Apr 2021
124
Aug 2020
-18.9
Apr 2021
10.1 Table 3d. Layoffs and discharges by sector and region (numbers in thousands)
Sector and region
May 2021 level
Monthly change
Monthly percent change
Last time level was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time level was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was larger or equal or next closestTotal nonfarm
1,368
-82
-5.7
Sep 2020
1,555
Apr 2021
1,450
Mar 2021
-198
Apr 2021
-75
Mar 2021
-11.5
Apr 2021
-4.9Total private
1,299
-66
-4.8
Sep 2020
1,406
Apr 2021
1,365
Apr 2021
-68
Feb 2021
2
Mar 2021
-12.4
Apr 2021
-4.7Government
69
-17
-19.8
Nov 2001
71
Apr 2021
86
Dec 2020
-105
Apr 2021
-6
Dec 2020
-54.1
Apr 2021
-6.5RegionNortheast
285
16
5.9
Apr 2021
269
Feb 2021
323
Apr 2021
6
Oct 2020
121
Apr 2021
2.3
Oct 2020
47.1South
503
-16
-3.1
Sep 2020
502
Apr 2021
519
Apr 2021
-43
Feb 2021
21
Apr 2021
-7.7
Feb 2021
3.5Midwest
324
3
0.9
Apr 2021
321
Mar 2021
349
Apr 2021
-28
Feb 2021
54
Apr 2021
-8.0
Feb 2021
16.5West
257
-84
-24.6
May 2017
308
Apr 2021
341
Feb 2021
-89
Apr 2021
-10
May 2020
-81.0
Apr 2021
-2.8 Table 3e. Quits by sector and region (numbers in thousands)
Sector and region
May 2021 level
Monthly change
Monthly percent change
Last time level was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time level was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly change was larger or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was smaller or equal or next closest
Last time monthly percent change was larger or equal or next closestTotal nonfarm
3,604
-388
-9.7
Mar 2021
3,568
Apr 2021
3,992
Apr 2020
-795
Apr 2021
424
Apr 2020
-27.4
Apr 2021
11.9Total private
3,438
-372
-9.8
Mar 2021
3,387
Apr 2021
3,810
Apr 2020
-736
Apr 2021
423
Apr 2020
-27.5
Apr 2021
12.5Government
165
-17
-9.3
Feb 2018
165
Apr 2021
182
Mar 2021
-18
Apr 2021
1
Nov 2020
-19.7
Apr 2021
0.6RegionNortheast
441
-66
-13.0
Jan 2021
432
Apr 2021
507
Apr 2020
-101
Apr 2021
16
Apr 2020
-24.7
Apr 2021
3.3South
1,494
-202
-11.9
Feb 2021
1,406
Apr 2021
1,696
Apr 2020
-277
Apr 2021
191
Apr 2020
-24.0
Apr 2021
12.7Midwest
803
-70
-8.0
Mar 2021
780
Apr 2021
873
Aug 2020
-130
Apr 2021
93
Aug 2020
-16.5
Apr 2021
11.9West
865
-51
-5.6
Mar 2021
792
Apr 2021
916
Aug 2020
-137
Apr 2021
124
Aug 2020
-18.2
Apr 2021
15.7 **Last Modified Date**: July 29, 2021
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