For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, June 19, 2012 USDL-12-1244

Technical information: (202) 691-5870 • JoltsInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/jlt

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – APRIL 2012

There were 3.4 million job openings on the last business day of April, down from 3.7 million in March, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.1 percent) and separations rate (3.1

percent) were essentially unchanged in April. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of 

job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by geographic region.

Job Openings

The number of job openings in April was 3.4 million, a decline from March. (See table 1.) Job openings 

decreased for total nonfarm, total private, and government as well as in manufacturing, professional and 

business services, and state and local government. The number of openings also decreased in April for 

the Midwest region. Although the number of total nonfarm job openings declined in April, the number 

of openings was 1.0 million higher than at the end of the recession in June 2009.

The number of job openings in April (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the year for total nonfarm

and total private but was little changed for government. Job openings increased over the year for several 

industries and the Northeast and South regions. (See table 5.)

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

Percent

2010 2011 2012

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, May 2009 - April 2012

NOTE: The shaded area represents the recession that began in Dec. 2007 and ended in June 2009

as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). 

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Hires

Separations

Percent

2010 2011 2012

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted, May 2009 - April 2012

NOTE: The shaded area represents the recession that began in Dec. 2007 and ended in June 2009

as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). 
- 2 -

Hires

In April, the hires rate was little changed at 3.1 percent for total nonfarm. The hires rate was little 

changed in all industries and regions. (See table 2.) The number of hires in April 2012 was 4.2 million,

up from 3.7 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

Over the 12 months ending in April, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) was unchanged for total 

nonfarm, total private, and government. The hires rate declined over the year in construction but rose in 

finance and insurance. (See table 6.) Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Industry Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p

Total .........................................................3,014 3,741 3,416 4,015 4,335 4,175 3,799 4,167 4,086

Total private 1................................................... 2,688 3,362 3,080 3,738 4,041 3,882 3,496 3,869 3,785

Construction................................................ 119 92 90 338 286 281 358 281 293

Manufacturing..........................................223 308 246 257 263 255 233 234 232

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2..................... 500 598 550 802 827 829 714 832 829

Retail trade..................................... 296 368 322 563 550 551 509 566 558

Professional and business services......................... 557 787 679 832 888 854 803 835 798

Education and health services 3.....................536 670 653 456 523 488 408 473 470

 Health care and social assistance... 478 605 601 386 442 422 352 414 408

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 305 431 428 675 795 733 623 753 710

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 37 57 55 116 154 128 114 128 134

Accommodation and food services..........268 375 374 560 640 606 509 625 576

Government 4..................................... 326 378 336 277 294 293 304 299 301

State and local government..................................... 279 310 268 251 264 261 272 267 268

Total ...................................................... 2.2 2.7 2.5 3.1 3.3 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.1

Total private 1................................................... 2.4 2.9 2.7 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.4

Construction..........................................2.1 1.6 1.6 6.2 5.1 5.1 6.5 5.1 5.3

Manufacturing................................................ 1.9 2.5 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2........................ 2.0 2.3 2.1 3.2 3.3 3.3 2.9 3.3 3.3

Retail trade.................................... 2.0 2.4 2.1 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services......................... 3.1 4.2 3.7 4.8 5.0 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.5

Education and health services 3.....................2.6 3.2 3.1 2.3 2.6 2.4 2.1 2.3 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 2.8 3.5 3.4 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 2.2 3.1 3.1 5.1 5.8 5.4 4.7 5.5 5.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1.9 2.8 2.8 6.0 7.9 6.6 5.9 6.6 6.9

Accommodation and food services..........2.3 3.1 3.1 4.9 5.5 5.2 4.5 5.4 4.9

Government 4..................................... 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4

State and local government..................................... 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

 1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not show n separately.

 2 Includes w holesale trade and transportation, w arehousing, and utilities, not show n separately.

 3 Includes educational services, not show n separately.

 4 Includes federal government, not show n separately.

 p = Preliminary

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)
- 3 -

Separations

The total separations figure includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations, including 

retirements. Total separations is also referred to as turnover.

The seasonally adjusted total separations rate was unchanged for total nonfarm and government, and 

little changed for total private in April. (See table 3.) Over the year, the total separations rate (not 

seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private, and unchanged for

government. (See table 7.)

The quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to change jobs. In April, the

quits rate was unchanged for total nonfarm, and essentially unchanged for total private and government. 

(See table 4.) The number of quits was 2.1 million in April 2012, up from 1.8 million at the end of the 

recession in June 2009.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in April increased over the year for total nonfarm, total 

private, and government. The number of quits increased over the year in several industries. (See table 8.)

The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, 

total private, and government levels and for the four regions. The layoffs and discharges rate displayed 

little or no change in April for total nonfarm, total private, government, and all four regions. (See table 

B.) The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.7 million in April 2012, down from

2.1 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) for total nonfarm, total private, and 

government was little changed over the 12 months ending in April 2012. Over the year, the number of 

layoffs and discharges rose for health care and social assistance and in the South region. (See table 9.)

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,616 1,652 1,720 1.2 1.2 1.3

Total private............................................................................................ 1,476 1,552 1,623 1.4 1.4 1.5

Government......................................................................................... 140 100 97 0.6 0.5 0.4

Northeast......................................................................................... 382 277 301 1.5 1.1 1.2

South......................................................................................... 486 648 622 1.0 1.3 1.3

Midwest......................................................................................... 428 364 407 1.4 1.2 1.3

West......................................................................................... 319 364 391 1.1 1.2 1.3

 1 For region definitions see footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region1

Levels (in thousands) Rates (percent)
- 4 -

The other separations component of total separations is seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total 

private, and government levels. Other separations include separations due to retirement, death, and 

disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm. In April 2012, there were 296,000 

other separations for total nonfarm, a decline from March. Over the 12 months ending in April 2012, the 

number of other separations was little changed. (See table C and 10.)

Net Change in Employment

Large numbers of hires and separations occur every month throughout the business cycle. Net 

employment change results from the relationship between hires and separations. When the number of 

hires exceeds the number of separations, employment rises, even if the hires level is steady or declining. 

Conversely, when the number of hires is less than the number of separations, employment declines, even 

if the hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in April 2012, hires totaled 50.9 million

and separations totaled 49.1 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.8 million. These figures 

include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for May 2012 are scheduled to be released

on Tuesday, July 10, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

Table C. Other separations, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 309 356 296 0.2 0.3 0.2

Total private............................................................................................ 251 292 236 0.2 0.3 0.2

Government......................................................................................... 59 64 60 0.3 0.3 0.3

 p = Preliminary

Industry

Levels (in thousands) Rates (percent)
Technical Note

 The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover 

Survey (JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly 

from a sample of business establishments by the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Collection

 In a monthly survey of business establishments, data 

are collected for total employment, job openings, hires, 

quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. 

Data collection methods include computer-assisted 

telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, web, fax, 

e-mail, and mail.

Coverage

 The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as well 

as federal, state, and local government entities in the 50 

states and the District of Columbia.

Concepts

 Industry classification. The industry classifications 

in this release are in accordance with the 2012 version 

of the North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS). In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce Agencies verify with 

employers and update, if necessary, the industry code, 

location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment 

characteristics resulting from the verification process 

are always introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame

with the data reported for the first month of the year.

 Employment. Employment includes persons on the 

payroll who worked or received pay for the pay period 

that includes the 12th day of the reference month. Fulltime, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vacations or other paid leave. 

Proprietors or partners of unincorporated businesses, 

unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay 

or on strike for the entire pay period, are not counted as 

employed. Employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and 

consultants are counted by their employer of record, 

not by the establishment where they are working.

 Job openings. Establishments submit job openings 

information for the last business day of the reference 

month. A job opening requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work available for that position, 

2) work could start within 30 days regardless of 

whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the 

employer is actively recruiting from outside the 

establishment to fill the position. Included are fulltime, part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal 

openings. Active recruiting means that the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising in 

newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted 

signs, accepting applications, or using other similar 

methods.

 Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions, demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. 

Also excluded are jobs with start dates more than 30 

days in the future, jobs for which employees have been 

hired but have not yet reported for work, and jobs to be 

filled by employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or 

consultants. 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.

 Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the 

payroll occurring at any time during the reference 

month, including both new and rehired employees, fulltime and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal 

employees, employees recalled to the location after a 

layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent 

employees who returned to work after having been 

formally separated, and transfers from other locations. 

The hires count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting site, employees returning 

from strike, employees of temporary help agencies or 

employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or 

consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the 

number of hires by employment and multiplying that 

quotient by 100.

 Separations. Separations are the total number of 

terminations of employment occurring at any time 

during the reference month, and are reported by type of 

separation—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other 

separations. Quits are voluntary separations by employees (except for retirements, which are reported as 

other separations). Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer and 

include layoffs with no intent to rehire; formal layoffs 

lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges 

resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings 

or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of 

seasonal employees. Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations do not include 

transfers within the same location or employees on 

strike.
 The separations rate is computed by dividing the 

number of separations by employment and multiplying 

that quotient by 100. The quits, layoffs and discharges, 

and other separations rates are computed similarly, 

dividing the number by employment and multiplying 

by 100.

 Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and 

levels of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total separations are released with the 

January news release each year.

 The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, 

layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total 

separations are the sum of the 12 published monthly 

levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by 

dividing the annual level by the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and 

multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be 

approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly 

rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels 

are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual 

estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, annual estimates are published only for not seasonally adjusted data.

 Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings 

because job openings are a stock, or point-in-time, 

measurement for the last business day of each month. 

Only jobs still open on the last day of the month are 

counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be 

cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for 

job openings cannot be created by summing the 

monthly estimates. Hires and separations are flow 

measures and are cumulated over the month with a 

total reported for the month. Therefore, the annual figures can be created by summing the monthly estimates.

Special collection procedures

 An implied measure of employment change can be 

derived from the JOLTS data by subtracting separations from hires for a given month. Aggregating 

these monthly changes historically produced employment levels that overstated employment change as 

measured by CES at the total nonfarm level. Research 

into this problem showed that a significant amount of 

the divergence between the CES employment levels 

and the derived JOLTS employment levels was traceable to the Employment Services industry and to the 

State Government Education industry. In the former 

industry, businesses have a difficult time reporting 

hires and separations of temporary help workers. In 

the latter industry, employers have difficulty reporting 

hires and separations of student workers. BLS now devotes additional resources to the collection, editing, and 

review of data for these industries. BLS analysts more 

closely examine reported data that do not provide a 

consistent picture over time, and re-contact the 

respondents as necessary. Analysts work with the 

respondents to adjust their reporting practices as 

possible. Units that cannot be reconciled but are clearly incorrect on a consistent basis are not used; they are 

replaced by imputed values using standard techniques.

Sample and estimation methodology

 The JOLTS survey design is a stratified random 

sample of 16,400 nonfarm business establishments, 

including factories, offices, and stores, as well as 

federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states 

and the District of Columbia. The establishments are 

drawn from a universe of over 9.1 million 

establishments compiled as part of the operations of the 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

program. This program includes all employers subject 

to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal 

agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for 

Federal Employees (UCFE).

 The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, 

industry sector, and establishment size class. The 

JOLTS sample is constructed from individual panels of 

sample units drawn on an annual basis. The full annual 

sample consists of one certainty panel composed of 

only large units selected with virtual certainty based on 

their size and 24 non-certainty panels. Each month a 

new non-certainty panel is rolled into collection, and 

the oldest non-certainty panel is rolled out. This means 

that at any given time the JOLTS sample is constructed 

from panels from three different annual sampling 

frames. The entire sample of old plus new panels is 

post-stratified and re-weighted annually to represent 

the most recent sampling frame. Additionally, the outof-business establishments are removed from the old 

panels. The annual sample is supplemented with a 

quarterly sample of birth establishments (i.e., new 

establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger 

establishments in the JOLTS sample.

 JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked

or ratio adjusted monthly to the strike-adjusted 

employment estimates of the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES) survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS 

employment is used to adjust the levels for all other 

JOLTS data elements. 

JOLTS business birth/death model

 As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can 

only be as current as its sampling frame. The time lag 

from the birth of an establishment until its appearance 

on the sampling frame is approximately one year. In 

addition, many of these new units may fail within the 

first year. Since these universe units cannot be reflected on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS 
sample cannot capture job openings, hires, and separations from these units during their early existence. 

BLS has developed a model to estimate birth/death 

activity for current months by examining the birth/

death activity from previous years on the QCEW and 

projecting forward using the ratio of over-the-year CES 

employment change. The birth/death model also uses 

historical JOLTS data to estimate the amount of 

“churn” (hires and separations) that exists in 

establishments of various sizes. The model then 

combines the estimated churn with the projected 

employment change to estimate the number of hires 

and separations taking place in these units that cannot 

be measured through sampling. 

 The model-based estimate of total separations is 

distributed to the three components—quits; layoffs and 

discharges; and other separations—in proportion to 

their contribution to the sample-based estimate of total 

separations. Additionally, job openings for the modeled units are estimated by computing the ratio of 

openings to hires in the collected data and applying that 

ratio to the modeled hires. The estimates of job openings, hires, and separations produced by the birth/death 

model are then added to the sample-based estimates 

produced from the survey to arrive at the estimates for 

openings, hires, and separations.

Seasonal adjustment

 BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using 

the X-12 ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such 

as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of 

the school year. Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to 

observe fundamental changes in the level of the series, 

particularly those associated with general economic 

expansions and contractions. A concurrent seasonal 

adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal 

adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all 

relevant data, up to and including the data for the 

current month.

 JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in 

seasonal adjustment. JOLTS seasonal adjustment includes both additive and multiplicative seasonal adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression with autocorrelated errors) modeling to improve the seasonal 

adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the 

series and to detect and adjust for outliers in the series.

Alignment procedure

JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable 

to the CES net employment change. However, definitional differences as well as sampling and nonsampling errors between the two surveys historically 

caused JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit 

the divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS 

hires and separations series, BLS implemented the 

Monthly Alignment Method. The Monthly Alignment 

Method applies the CES employment trends to the 

seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment trend 

(hires minus separations) forcing them to be 

approximately the same, while preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data. First, the two series are 

seasonally adjusted and the difference between the 

JOLTS implied employment trend and the CES net 

employment change is calculated. Next, the JOLTS 

implied employment trend is adjusted to equal the CES 

net employment change through a proportional adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure adjusts 

the two components (hires, separations) proportionally 

to their contribution to the total churn (hires plus separations). For example, if hires are 40 percent of the 

churn for a given month, they will receive 40 percent 

of the needed adjustment and separations will receive 

60 percent of the needed adjustment. The adjusted hires 

and separations are converted back to not seasonally 

adjusted data by reversing the application of the original seasonal factors. After the Monthly Alignment 

Method has been used to adjust the level estimates, rate 

estimates are computed from the adjusted levels. The 

monthly alignment procedure assures a close match of 

the JOLTS implied employment trend with the CES 

trend. The CES series is considered a highly accurate 

measure of net employment change owing to its very

large sample size and annual benchmarking to universe 

counts of employment from the QCEW program.

Historical changes in JOLTS data

 The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and 

separations are relatively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel enrolled each month. 

A full complement of panels for the original data series 

based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification 

(SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the survey 

until January 2002. The supplemental panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not 

completely enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until those points are from less than a full 

sample. Therefore, estimates from earlier months 

should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units 

were reporting data at that time.

In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires 

and separations data were revised to address possible 

underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior to March 2002 may 

not be comparable to estimates for March 2002 and 

later.

 The federal government reorganization that involved 

transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the 

new Department of Homeland Security is not reflected 
in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the 

federal government. The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers were completed in 

March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS 

definitions of hires and separations is intended to cover 

ongoing movements of workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the 

inclusion of these intergovernmental transfers would 

distort the federal government time series.

Reliability of the estimates

 JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and 

nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the 

sample estimates may differ from the "true" population 

values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample 

selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. BLS analysis is generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. That 

means that there is a 90-percent chance, or level of 

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will 

differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the 

"true" population value because of sampling error. 

Estimates of sampling errors are available upon request.

 The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many 

reasons, including the failure to include a segment of 

the population, the inability to obtain data from all 

units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness of 

respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes 

made by respondents, errors made in the collection or 

processing of the data, and errors from the employment 

benchmark data used in estimation.

Other information

 Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice 

phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 

877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,014 3,274 3,540 3,477 3,565 3,741 3,416 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,688 2,925 3,188 3,119 3,163 3,362 3,080 2.4 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.7

Construction........................................................................ 119 83 78 86 73 92 90 2.1 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.6

Manufacturing................................................................ 223 240 252 261 271 308 246 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 500 581 574 584 584 598 550 2.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 296 316 323 315 365 368 322 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.1

Professional and business services......................... 557 561 785 695 710 787 679 3.1 3.1 4.3 3.8 3.8 4.2 3.7

Education and health services 6........................................... 536 616 605 630 655 670 653 2.6 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1

 Health care and social assistance... 478 552 552 576 598 605 601 2.8 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 305 434 441 432 408 431 428 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 37 58 44 72 48 57 55 1.9 2.9 2.3 3.6 2.5 2.8 2.8

Accommodation and food services......................... 268 376 397 360 360 375 374 2.3 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1

Government 7......................................................................................... 326 349 352 358 402 378 336 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.5

State and local government.................................................................................... 279 299 301 305 338 310 268 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 513 557 595 590 671 688 676 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.6

South ............................................................................................... 1,068 1,306 1,443 1,442 1,402 1,453 1,381 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8

Midwest ......................................................................................... 698 730 763 738 791 853 672 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.2

West ...................................................................................... 734 682 740 707 702 746 687 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.3

1

 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the 

8

 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the 

month. regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New

 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and 

of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, 

 

3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North 

adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown. Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and 

 

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, 

other services, not shown separately. Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and 

 

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, 

shown separately. Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and 

 

6

 Includes educational services, not shown separately. Wyoming.

 

7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 

p

 = Preliminary

Table 2. Hires levels 1 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p

Total ........................................................................................................... 4,015 4,268 4,188 4,239 4,444 4,335 4,175 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,738 3,986 3,889 3,945 4,128 4,041 3,882 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.5

Construction........................................................................ 338 312 315 331 318 286 281 6.2 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.7 5.1 5.1

Manufacturing................................................................ 257 237 269 253 260 263 255 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 802 849 812 836 815 827 829 3.2 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 563 573 517 557 551 550 551 3.9 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 832 858 818 831 973 888 854 4.8 4.9 4.6 4.7 5.5 5.0 4.8

Education and health services 6........................................... 456 483 494 517 527 523 488 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.4

 Health care and social assistance... 386 407 414 441 455 442 422 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.5

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 675 779 743 757 794 795 733 5.1 5.8 5.5 5.6 5.9 5.8 5.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 116 157 141 139 156 154 128 6.0 8.2 7.4 7.2 8.1 7.9 6.6

Accommodation and food services......................... 560 622 602 618 639 640 606 4.9 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.2

Government 7......................................................................................... 277 281 299 294 316 294 293 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3

State and local government.................................................................................... 251 252 270 275 284 264 261 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 698 691 676 710 756 711 674 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.8 2.7

South ............................................................................................... 1,459 1,626 1,634 1,667 1,748 1,677 1,640 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.4

Midwest ......................................................................................... 968 1,004 986 977 985 1,004 930 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1

West ...................................................................................... 889 947 891 884 955 943 931 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.2

 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 6

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of 7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

total employment. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal p = Preliminary

adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and 

other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels Rates 3 (in thousands)

Levels 3 (in thousands) Rates
Table 3. Total separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,799 4,057 4,023 4,017 4,124 4,167 4,086 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,496 3,750 3,695 3,729 3,823 3,869 3,785 3.2 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.4

Construction........................................................................ 358 300 303 308 317 281 293 6.5 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.1 5.3

Manufacturing................................................................ 233 236 239 217 235 234 232 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.0 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 714 770 773 837 780 832 829 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 509 520 509 579 543 566 558 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services......................... 803 807 792 745 850 835 798 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.8 4.7 4.5

Education and health services 6........................................... 408 462 468 501 458 473 470 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 352 396 402 412 396 414 408 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 623 715 695 700 747 753 710 4.7 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.5 5.5 5.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 114 142 133 125 153 128 134 5.9 7.4 7.0 6.5 7.9 6.6 6.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 509 573 562 575 594 625 576 4.5 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.4 4.9

Government 7......................................................................................... 304 307 328 288 301 299 301 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 272 268 292 262 269 267 268 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast......................................................................... 710 667 631 692 703 624 658 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.5 2.6

South............................................................................................... 1,339 1,609 1,592 1,598 1,571 1,678 1,559 2.8 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.2

Midwest......................................................................................... 960 881 905 866 970 943 963 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.1 3.2

West...................................................................................... 791 899 895 862 880 923 906 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire 6

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

month. 7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

entire month as a percent of total employment. p

 = Preliminary

3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent 

seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

Table 4. Quits levels 1 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p 2011 2011 2011 2012 2012 2012 2012p

Total ........................................................................................................... 1,874 1,976 2,008 2,002 2,072 2,159 2,070 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 1,769 1,860 1,867 1,876 1,947 2,025 1,926 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7

Construction........................................................................ 98 91 76 70 75 74 69 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2

Manufacturing................................................................ 107 121 113 97 102 112 114 .9 1.0 1.0 .8 .9 .9 1.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 411 413 447 449 461 472 471 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 314 294 331 342 345 343 340 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3

Professional and business services......................... 360 380 363 352 371 380 350 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.0

Education and health services 6........................................... 236 247 265 282 287 284 267 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3

 Health care and social assistance... 205 225 233 251 256 253 239 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 389 370 388 398 425 471 434 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 41 36 48 43 58 47 45 2.2 1.9 2.5 2.2 3.0 2.4 2.3

Accommodation and food services......................... 347 335 340 355 368 425 389 3.1 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.3

Government 7......................................................................................... 105 116 141 125 125 134 144 .5 .5 .6 .6 .6 .6 .7

State and local government.................................................................................... 96 106 131 116 113 122 133 .5 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6 .7

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 271 275 279 343 314 278 305 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.2

South ............................................................................................... 740 830 816 827 825 908 835 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.9 1.7

Midwest ......................................................................................... 463 443 469 412 493 508 487 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.6

West ...................................................................................... 400 428 445 419 440 465 443 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.5

 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 6

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a 7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

percent of total employment. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent p = Preliminary

seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels 3 (in thousands) Rates

Levels 3 (in thousands) Rates
Table 5. Job openings levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,273 3,722 3,665 2.4 2.7 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,945 3,341 3,332 2.6 3.0 2.9

Mining and logging...................................................27 15 14 3.5 1.8 1.7

Construction...................................................................................................... 154 90 123 2.8 1.7 2.2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 230 302 252 1.9 2.5 2.1

Durable goods.............................................................................. 159 192 161 2.2 2.5 2.1

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 71 110 91 1.6 2.4 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 527 593 566 2.1 2.3 2.2

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 98 114 122 1.8 2.0 2.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 309 353 330 2.1 2.4 2.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 120 126 114 2.4 2.5 2.3

Information...................................................................................... 109 99 106 3.9 3.6 3.9

Financial activities........................................................................... 237 225 223 3.0 2.8 2.8

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 174 178 182 2.9 3.0 3.1

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 62 47 41 3.2 2.4 2.1

Professional and business services........................................ 597 759 696 3.3 4.1 3.8

Education and health services................................................................. 568 665 693 2.8 3.2 3.3

Educational services................................................................ 66 63 58 1.9 1.8 1.6

Health care and social assistance.................................. 503 603 635 2.9 3.4 3.6

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 374 455 524 2.7 3.3 3.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 46 58 68 2.4 3.1 3.5

Accommodation and food services............................... 327 397 457 2.8 3.4 3.8

Other services................................................................................. 121 136 135 2.2 2.5 2.5

Government......................................................................................... 328 381 333 1.4 1.7 1.5

Federal................................................................................................ 48 82 70 1.6 2.8 2.4

State and local.................................................................................... 280 298 263 1.4 1.5 1.3

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 564 672 709 2.2 2.6 2.7

South............................................................................................... 1,132 1,437 1,472 2.3 2.9 3.0

Midwest................................................................................................. 794 882 760 2.6 2.9 2.5

West....................................................................................................... 783 731 724 2.6 2.5 2.4

 1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month.

 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment 

plus job openings.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 6. Hires levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 4,334 4,127 4,447 3.3 3.1 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 4,140 3,921 4,244 3.8 3.6 3.8

Mining and logging...................................................36 31 34 4.8 3.8 4.1

Construction...................................................................................................... 462 305 375 8.6 5.8 6.9

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 271 263 266 2.3 2.2 2.2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 153 160 163 2.1 2.2 2.2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 118 104 103 2.7 2.3 2.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 849 815 881 3.4 3.3 3.5

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 128 135 141 2.3 2.4 2.5

Retail trade................................................................................. 595 546 585 4.1 3.8 4.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 125 133 155 2.6 2.7 3.2

Information...................................................................................... 66 52 59 2.5 2.0 2.3

Financial activities........................................................................... 126 155 178 1.6 2.0 2.3

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 75 97 114 1.3 1.7 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 51 58 64 2.7 3.0 3.3

Professional and business services........................................ 932 848 947 5.4 4.8 5.3

Education and health services................................................................. 429 449 452 2.1 2.2 2.2

Educational services................................................................ 51 50 43 1.5 1.5 1.2

Health care and social assistance.................................. 378 399 409 2.3 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 793 830 847 6.0 6.3 6.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 151 157 163 8.1 8.7 8.7

Accommodation and food services............................... 642 673 683 5.7 5.9 5.9

Other services................................................................................. 176 173 205 3.3 3.2 3.8

Government......................................................................................... 194 206 203 .9 .9 .9

Federal................................................................................................ 22 28 28 .8 1.0 1.0

State and local.................................................................................... 172 178 175 .9 .9 .9

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 745 645 708 3.0 2.6 2.8

South............................................................................................... 1,586 1,630 1,751 3.3 3.4 3.6

Midwest................................................................................................. 1,090 979 1,033 3.7 3.3 3.4

West....................................................................................................... 912 874 956 3.2 3.0 3.3

 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month.

 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 7. Total separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,693 3,530 3,966 2.8 2.7 3.0

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,491 3,338 3,760 3.2 3.0 3.4

Mining and logging...................................................20 31 30 2.6 3.8 3.7

Construction...................................................................................................... 349 236 279 6.5 4.5 5.2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 237 216 239 2.0 1.8 2.0

Durable goods.............................................................................. 123 129 133 1.7 1.7 1.8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 114 88 106 2.6 2.0 2.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 664 725 779 2.7 2.9 3.1

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 91 118 105 1.6 2.1 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 469 482 517 3.2 3.3 3.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 105 125 157 2.2 2.6 3.2

Information...................................................................................... 62 66 58 2.3 2.5 2.2

Financial activities........................................................................... 128 143 185 1.7 1.9 2.4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 88 97 126 1.5 1.7 2.2

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 40 47 60 2.1 2.4 3.1

Professional and business services........................................ 875 775 866 5.1 4.4 4.9

Education and health services................................................................. 386 410 439 1.9 2.0 2.2

Educational services................................................................ 48 38 47 1.4 1.1 1.4

Health care and social assistance.................................. 338 372 392 2.0 2.2 2.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 605 593 683 4.6 4.5 5.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 107 91 130 5.7 5.1 6.9

Accommodation and food services............................... 498 501 553 4.4 4.4 4.7

Other services................................................................................. 164 143 201 3.1 2.7 3.8

Government......................................................................................... 203 192 206 .9 .9 .9

Federal................................................................................................ 27 24 28 .9 .9 1.0

State and local.................................................................................... 175 168 178 .9 .9 .9

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 654 496 599 2.6 2.0 2.4

South............................................................................................... 1,392 1,474 1,592 2.9 3.1 3.3

Midwest................................................................................................. 863 772 882 2.9 2.6 2.9

West....................................................................................................... 785 788 894 2.7 2.7 3.1

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.

 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 8. Quits levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,901 1,932 2,085 1.4 1.5 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,819 1,834 1,979 1.7 1.7 1.8

Mining and logging...................................................9 15 18 1.1 1.9 2.2

Construction...................................................................................................... 99 68 67 1.9 1.3 1.2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 109 105 120 .9 .9 1.0

Durable goods.............................................................................. 57 62 64 .8 .8 .9

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 52 43 56 1.2 1.0 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 412 431 481 1.7 1.7 1.9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 47 55 53 .9 1.0 .9

Retail trade................................................................................. 310 301 338 2.1 2.1 2.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 55 74 90 1.2 1.5 1.8

Information...................................................................................... 37 34 33 1.4 1.3 1.3

Financial activities........................................................................... 76 85 107 1.0 1.1 1.4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 56 66 68 1.0 1.1 1.2

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 20 20 39 1.0 1.0 2.0

Professional and business services........................................ 372 368 354 2.2 2.1 2.0

Education and health services................................................................. 235 260 262 1.2 1.3 1.3

Educational services................................................................ 27 22 25 .8 .6 .7

Health care and social assistance.................................. 207 238 237 1.3 1.4 1.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 396 394 446 3.0 3.0 3.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 40 32 43 2.1 1.8 2.3

Accommodation and food services............................... 356 361 403 3.1 3.2 3.5

Other services................................................................................. 75 74 92 1.4 1.4 1.7

Government......................................................................................... 82 98 107 .4 .4 .5

Federal................................................................................................ 8 10 10 .3 .4 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 74 87 97 .4 .4 .5

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 272 249 307 1.1 1.0 1.2

South............................................................................................... 787 818 878 1.7 1.7 1.8

Midwest................................................................................................. 437 447 460 1.5 1.5 1.5

West....................................................................................................... 405 418 441 1.4 1.4 1.5

 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.

 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,486 1,290 1,594 1.1 1.0 1.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,413 1,241 1,541 1.3 1.1 1.4

Mining and logging...................................................10 13 11 1.3 1.5 1.3

Construction...................................................................................................... 233 159 200 4.4 3.0 3.7

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 107 88 93 .9 .7 .8

Durable goods.............................................................................. 53 51 53 .7 .7 .7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 54 38 40 1.2 .8 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 192 227 222 .8 .9 .9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 31 54 44 .6 1.0 .8

Retail trade................................................................................. 128 138 133 .9 1.0 .9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 32 35 44 .7 .7 .9

Information...................................................................................... 16 22 19 .6 .9 .7

Financial activities........................................................................... 32 44 51 .4 .6 .7

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 13 20 34 .2 .3 .6

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 19 24 17 1.0 1.2 .9

Professional and business services........................................ 455 343 476 2.6 1.9 2.7

Education and health services................................................................. 107 116 153 .5 .6 .8

Educational services................................................................ 15 11 19 .4 .3 .5

Health care and social assistance.................................. 92 105 135 .6 .6 .8

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 178 183 212 1.3 1.4 1.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 66 57 84 3.5 3.2 4.5

Accommodation and food services............................... 112 125 128 1.0 1.1 1.1

Other services................................................................................. 85 47 104 1.6 .9 1.9

Government......................................................................................... 73 49 53 .3 .2 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 9 6 7 .3 .2 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 64 43 45 .3 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 325 185 243 1.3 .7 1.0

South............................................................................................... 486 558 609 1.0 1.2 1.3

Midwest................................................................................................. 364 269 359 1.2 .9 1.2

West....................................................................................................... 311 277 383 1.1 1.0 1.3

 1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.

 2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a percent of total 

employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 10. Other separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 307 308 287 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 259 263 240 .2 .2 .2

Mining and logging...................................................2 3 2 .2 .4 .2

Construction...................................................................................................... 16 9 12 .3 .2 .2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 22 23 26 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 13 16 16 .2 .2 .2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 9 7 10 .2 .2 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 60 68 77 .2 .3 .3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 13 9 8 .2 .2 .1

Retail trade................................................................................. 30 42 45 .2 .3 .3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 18 16 23 .4 .3 .5

Information...................................................................................... 9 10 6 .3 .4 .2

Financial activities........................................................................... 20 14 28 .3 .2 .4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 18 11 24 .3 .2 .4

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 2 4 4 .1 .2 .2

Professional and business services........................................ 49 64 37 .3 .4 .2

Education and health services................................................................. 45 34 24 .2 .2 .1

Educational services................................................................ 5 5 4 .2 .1 .1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 40 29 20 .2 .2 .1

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 31 16 25 .2 .1 .2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 2 1 3 .1 .1 .1

Accommodation and food services............................... 29 15 22 .3 .1 .2

Other services................................................................................. 5 23 5 .1 .4 .1

Government......................................................................................... 48 45 47 .2 .2 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 10 8 11 .3 .3 .4

State and local.................................................................................... 38 38 35 .2 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 57 62 49 .2 .2 .2

South............................................................................................... 119 98 105 .3 .2 .2

Midwest................................................................................................. 62 55 63 .2 .2 .2

West....................................................................................................... 69 93 71 .2 .3 .2

 1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.

 2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates