For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, May 11, 2011 USDL-11-0679

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 – MARCH 2011

There were 3.1 million job openings on the last business day of March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. The job openings rate (2.3 percent) was unchanged over the month, following a 

gain in February. The hires rate (3.1 percent) and the separations rate (2.9 percent) also were unchanged 

in March. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations 

for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region. 

Job Openings

The number of job openings in March was 3.1 million, up from 3.0 million in February. (See table 1.) 

This marks the first time since November 2008 that job openings have been at or above 3.0 million for 

two consecutive months. The job openings level has trended up since the end of the recession in June 

2009 (as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research) but remains well below the 4.4 

million openings when the recession began in December 2007. 

The number of job openings in March (not seasonally adjusted) increased from 12 months earlier for 

total nonfarm, total private, eight industries, and the Northeast and Midwest regions. The level decreased

over the year for government due to decreases for federal government. (See table 5.) Over-the-year 

comparisons for federal government are impacted, in part, by the large number of temporary workers 

employed to conduct the 2010 Census. 

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

2009 2010 2011

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

April 2008 - March 2011

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

2009 2010 2011

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted,

April 2008 - March 2011

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 - 

Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Industry Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total ...................................................... 2,697 3,025 3,124 4,139 3,986 4,043 3,877 3,825 3,836

Total private 1

..........................................2,248 2,695 2,770 3,763 3,729 3,781 3,561 3,538 3,562

Construction.......................................... 100 55 67 382 369 336 344 324 336

Manufacturing....................................... 162 209 228 262 250 262 245 234 242

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

............ 429 448 471 855 816 802 819 800 796

Retail trade..................................... 294 232 249 618 547 555 587 549 561

Professional and business services............ 420 606 575 721 791 819 680 760 706

Education and health services.................. 522 553 614 495 468 472 438 441 423

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 247 378 355 656 632 691 629 582 676

Arts, entertainment, and recreation......... 28 48 40 115 101 129 115 86 132

Accommodation and food services......... 219 330 315 542 531 563 514 495 545

Government 3..................................... 449 330 354 377 257 262 315 287 274

 State and local government..................... 253 260 278 265 218 227 269 255 244

Total ...................................................... 2.0 2.3 2.3 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.9

Total private 1

.......................................... 2.1 2.4 2.5 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.3

Construction.......................................... 1.8 1.0 1.2 6.9 6.7 6.1 6.2 5.9 6.1

Manufacturing....................................... 1.4 1.8 1.9 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2............ 1.7 1.8 1.9 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2

Retail trade.................................... 2.0 1.6 1.7 4.3 3.8 3.8 4.1 3.8 3.9

Professional and business services............2.5 3.4 3.3 4.4 4.7 4.8 4.1 4.5 4.1

Education and health services.................. 2.6 2.7 3.0 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 1.9 2.8 2.6 5.1 4.8 5.3 4.9 4.4 5.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation......... 1.5 2.5 2.1 6.1 5.3 6.8 6.1 4.6 6.9

Accommodation and food services......... 1.9 2.9 2.7 4.9 4.7 5.0 4.6 4.4 4.8

Government 3

..................................... 2.0 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.2

 State and local government..................... 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3

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

 2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.

 3 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

 p = Preliminary

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)

Hires

In March, the hires rate remained at 3.1 percent for total nonfarm and the rate was essentially unchanged 

for all industries and regions. (See table 2.) At 4.0 million in March, the number of hires has increased 

from 3.6 million in October 2009 (the series trough) but remains below the 5.0 million hires in 

December 2007 when the recession began. 

Over the 12 months ending in March, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total 

nonfarm and total private. Over the year, the hires rate fell for government and federal government due, 

in part, to hiring last year for the 2010 Census. The hires rate was unchanged for all industries and

regions. (See table 6.)

Separations 

Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges (involuntary 

separations), and other separations (including retirements). The total separations, or turnover, rate was 
- 3 - 

unchanged at 2.9 percent for total nonfarm in March on a seasonally adjusted basis. Over the year, the 

total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm, total private, 

and government. (See tables 3 and 7.) 

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

quits rate was unchanged for total nonfarm (1.5 percent), total private (1.7 percent), and government (0.5 

percent) and was little changed in every industry and region. (See table 4.) The 1.9 million quits in 

March remains well below the 2.8 million quits in December 2007 when the recession began. 

 

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

total private but was little changed for government. The number of quits increased for durable 

manufacturing and decreased for federal government. (See table 8.)

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

total private, and government levels. The layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged in March for total 

nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.6 

million in March, about the same as the series low of 1.5 million in January 2011. (See table B below.)

The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm had peaked at 2.5 million in February 2009. 

The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged over the 12 months 

ending in March for total nonfarm and total private but the level decreased in federal government. The 

layoffs and discharges level was essentially unchanged over the year in all industries and regions. (See 

table 9.) 

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................... 1,790 1,620 1,604 1.4 1.2 1.2

Total private................................................... 1,659 1,504 1,502 1.6 1.4 1.4

Government................................................... 131 116 102 0.6 0.5 0.5

 p = Preliminary

Industry

Levels (in thousands) Rates (percent)

The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In March, there were 290,000 other separations 

for total nonfarm, 247,000 for total private, and 43,000 for government. Compared to March 2010, the 

number of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See 

table 10.)

Relative Contributions to Separations 

The total separations level is influenced by the relative contribution of its three components—quits, 

layoffs and discharges, and other separations. The percentage of total separations at the total nonfarm 

level attributable to the individual components has varied over time, but for the majority of the months 

since the series began in December 2000, the proportion of quits has exceeded the proportion of layoffs 

and discharges. Other separations is historically a very small portion of total separations; it has rarely 

been above 10 percent of the total.
- 4 - 

Since the end of the recession, the proportion of layoffs and discharges has declined, while the 

proportion of quits has not returned to pre-recession levels. In March, the proportion of quits for total 

nonfarm was 50 percent and the proportion of layoffs and discharges was 42 percent. The proportion of 

quits for total private was 51 percent and the proportion of layoffs and discharges was 42 percent. For 

government, the proportions were 38 percent quits and 37 percent layoffs and discharges. (See table C 

below.) 

Net Change in Employment

Over the 12 months ending in March, hires (not seasonally adjusted) totaled nearly 47.6 million and 

separations (not seasonally adjusted) totaled 46.4 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.2 million.

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

Nearly half of the hires and nearly half of the separations during these 12 months occurred in three 

industries: retail trade; professional and business services; and accommodation and food services. The 

large share of total hires and separations accounted for by these three industries reflects the size of the 

industries as well as their relatively high hires and separations rates.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for April 2011 are scheduled to be released

on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT). 

Table C. Quits and layoffs and discharges as a percentage of total separations, seasonally adjusted

(Levels in thousands)

Level

Portion 

of total Level

Portion 

of total Level

Portion 

of total Level

Portion 

of total Level

Portion 

of total Level

Portion 

of total

Total .................................... 1,803 47% 1,910 50% 1,934 50% 1,790 46% 1,620 42% 1,604 42%

Total private...........................1,683 47% 1,793 51% 1,829 51% 1,659 47% 1,504 43% 1,502 42%

Government ........................ 120 38% 117 41% 105 38% 131 42% 116 40% 102 37%

 p = Preliminary

Industry

Quits Layoffs and discharges

Mar.

2010

Feb.

2011

Mar.

2011p

Mar.

2010

Feb.

2011

Mar.

2011p
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 2007 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 random sample of 

16,000 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 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 noncertainty 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 poststratified and re-weighted annually to represent the 

most recent sampling frame. Additionally, the out-ofbusiness 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 

monthly to the 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 sepa-
rations 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 to the present using an econometric 

technique known as X-12 ARIMA modeling. 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.

Using 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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p

Total ................................................... 2,697 2,905 2,966 2,921 2,741 3,025 3,124 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.......................................2,248 2,560 2,639 2,500 2,418 2,695 2,770 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.5

Construction.................................... 100 69 94 44 60 55 67 1.8 1.2 1.7 .8 1.1 1.0 1.2

Manufacturing................................. 162 193 213 184 207 209 228 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 429 445 430 463 470 448 471 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.9

Retail trade................................. 294 272 248 268 263 232 249 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7

Professional and business services...... 420 575 647 609 459 606 575 2.5 3.3 3.7 3.5 2.6 3.4 3.3

Education and health services............ 522 569 528 510 482 553 614 2.6 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.7 3.0

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 247 274 253 270 301 378 355 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.3 2.8 2.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 28 27 30 41 39 48 40 1.5 1.4 1.5 2.1 2.0 2.5 2.1

Accommodation and food services... 219 247 224 229 262 330 315 1.9 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.9 2.7

Government 6....................................... 449 345 327 421 323 330 354 2.0 1.5 1.4 1.9 1.4 1.5 1.6

State and local government............... 253 272 244 319 259 260 278 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.4

REGION 7

Northeast ....................................... 534 605 603 548 492 594 664 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.3 2.6

South ............................................. 945 1,084 1,053 1,023 960 1,082 1,069 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.2

Midwest .......................................... 540 584 634 617 513 630 656 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.2

West ............................................. 664 740 769 829 573 715 739 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.0 2.4 2.5

1

 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the 7

 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 federal government, not shown separately. Wyoming.

 p = Preliminary

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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p

Total ................................................... 4,139 3,865 3,943 3,905 3,769 3,986 4,043 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.......................................3,763 3,580 3,668 3,631 3,494 3,729 3,781 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.5

Construction.................................... 382 331 324 356 254 369 336 6.9 6.0 5.9 6.5 4.6 6.7 6.1

Manufacturing................................. 262 259 272 264 246 250 262 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 855 777 799 756 783 816 802 3.5 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2

Retail trade................................. 618 545 548 476 536 547 555 4.3 3.8 3.8 3.3 3.7 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services...... 721 730 761 780 810 791 819 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.8

Education and health services............ 495 465 491 465 437 468 472 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 656 596 590 596 588 632 691 5.1 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.8 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 115 87 94 98 84 101 129 6.1 4.6 5.0 5.2 4.5 5.3 6.8

Accommodation and food services... 542 508 496 498 504 531 563 4.9 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.7 5.0

Government 6....................................... 377 285 275 274 275 257 262 1.7 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

State and local government............... 265 250 243 242 242 218 227 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.2

REGION 7

Northeast ....................................... 727 690 701 680 633 646 720 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.9

South .............................................1,556 1,449 1,572 1,513 1,412 1,466 1,539 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.2

Midwest .......................................... 929 880 879 878 920 901 829 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.8

West ............................................. 913 839 883 806 939 862 830 3.2 2.9 3.1 2.8 3.3 3.0 2.9

 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of not shown separately.

total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal 7 See footnote 7, table 1. 

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

 = Preliminary 4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and 

other services, 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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p

Total ................................................... 3,877 3,702 3,869 3,836 3,612 3,825 3,836 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.................................... 3,561 3,436 3,568 3,539 3,337 3,538 3,562 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3

Construction.................................... 344 323 342 393 281 324 336 6.2 5.9 6.2 7.2 5.1 5.9 6.1

Manufacturing................................. 245 266 265 252 184 234 242 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.2 1.6 2.0 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 819 741 773 718 769 800 796 3.3 3.0 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.2

Retail trade................................. 587 527 541 470 527 549 561 4.1 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.9

Professional and business services...... 680 709 687 735 756 760 706 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.1

Education and health services............ 438 408 460 450 394 441 423 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.1

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 629 613 595 583 596 582 676 4.9 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.6 4.4 5.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 115 106 99 98 92 86 132 6.1 5.6 5.2 5.2 4.9 4.6 6.9

Accommodation and food services... 514 507 497 485 505 495 545 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.8

Government 6.................................... 315 265 300 297 275 287 274 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2

State and local government............... 269 220 263 269 245 255 244 1.4 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3

REGION 7

Northeast....................................... 777 678 715 598 569 703 664 3.1 2.7 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.8 2.7

South............................................. 1,413 1,290 1,407 1,476 1,499 1,451 1,529 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2

Midwest.......................................... 890 822 890 841 912 830 894 3.0 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.0

West............................................. 924 782 829 759 817 857 866 3.2 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.0

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire 5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

month. not shown separately. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

entire month as a percent of total employment. 7

 See footnote 7, 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.

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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011p

Total ................................................... 1,803 1,755 1,756 1,838 1,679 1,910 1,934 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.5

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.................................... 1,683 1,654 1,653 1,731 1,572 1,793 1,829 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7

Construction.................................... 78 77 56 81 56 62 74 1.4 1.4 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.3

Manufacturing................................. 89 95 103 107 83 94 111 .8 .8 .9 .9 .7 .8 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 398 376 388 373 338 442 429 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.7

Retail trade................................. 295 291 292 274 240 317 331 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.7 2.2 2.3

Professional and business services...... 299 342 317 335 361 396 372 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.2

Education and health services............ 241 228 248 244 206 241 248 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.2

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 365 357 335 368 352 353 396 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.7 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 32 43 37 41 28 37 48 1.7 2.2 2.0 2.2 1.5 1.9 2.6

Accommodation and food services... 332 314 297 327 324 317 348 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.1

Government 6.................................... 120 101 102 107 107 117 105 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5

State and local government............... 103 89 91 98 100 108 96 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6 .5

REGION 7

Northeast....................................... 311 266 248 251 214 335 309 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.0 .9 1.3 1.2

South............................................. 714 679 702 761 656 779 799 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.7

Midwest.......................................... 399 415 403 411 368 455 454 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.5

West............................................. 403 377 367 343 366 447 460 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.6

 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a not shown separately.

percent of total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent 7 See footnote 7, table 1. 

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

 = Preliminary 4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 2,687 2,954 3,159 2.0 2.2 2.4

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 2,222 2,641 2,792 2.1 2.4 2.5

Mining and logging.................................... 10 24 32 1.5 3.2 4.1

Construction............................................. 100 52 70 1.9 1.0 1.3

Manufacturing.......................................... 154 203 222 1.3 1.7 1.9

Durable goods....................................... 97 133 151 1.4 1.8 2.1

Nondurable goods.................................... 57 70 71 1.3 1.6 1.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 440 422 501 1.8 1.7 2.0

Wholesale trade....................................... 88 121 133 1.6 2.2 2.4

Retail trade............................................. 294 199 256 2.0 1.4 1.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 58 103 112 1.2 2.1 2.3

Information................................................ 64 83 102 2.3 3.0 3.7

Financial activities...................................... 151 193 208 1.9 2.5 2.7

Finance and insurance.............................. 135 157 166 2.3 2.7 2.9

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 17 36 41 .9 1.9 2.1

Professional and business services............... 389 611 534 2.3 3.5 3.1

Education and health services..................... 511 557 609 2.5 2.7 3.0

Educational services................................. 72 66 56 2.1 1.9 1.7

Health care and social assistance............... 439 492 553 2.6 2.9 3.2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 263 368 390 2.0 2.9 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 29 46 42 1.7 2.7 2.4

Accommodation and food services............ 233 321 348 2.1 2.9 3.1

Other services.......................................... 139 130 125 2.6 2.4 2.3

Government................................................ 465 313 367 2.0 1.4 1.6

Federal................................................... 226 69 95 7.2 2.4 3.2

State and local........................................... 239 244 272 1.2 1.2 1.4

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 502 548 627 2.0 2.2 2.5

South...................................................... 962 1,077 1,093 2.0 2.3 2.3

Midwest................................................... 560 611 693 1.9 2.0 2.3

West...................................................... 664 719 745 2.3 2.5 2.5

 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 7, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 4,005 3,337 4,002 3.1 2.6 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 3,716 3,161 3,815 3.5 3.0 3.6

Mining and logging.................................... 22 18 26 3.4 2.5 3.5

Construction............................................. 419 302 379 8.0 6.0 7.3

Manufacturing.......................................... 257 225 262 2.3 2.0 2.3

Durable goods....................................... 141 137 148 2.0 1.9 2.1

Nondurable goods.................................... 116 88 114 2.6 2.0 2.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 876 638 839 3.6 2.6 3.4

Wholesale trade....................................... 128 123 122 2.4 2.3 2.2

Retail trade............................................. 641 409 596 4.5 2.9 4.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 107 106 121 2.3 2.2 2.6

Information................................................ 48 44 51 1.8 1.6 1.9

Financial activities...................................... 126 116 142 1.7 1.5 1.9

Finance and insurance.............................. 87 74 88 1.5 1.3 1.5

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 39 41 54 2.1 2.2 2.8

Professional and business services............... 697 716 801 4.3 4.3 4.7

Education and health services..................... 428 407 415 2.2 2.0 2.1

Educational services................................. 56 67 45 1.7 2.0 1.3

Health care and social assistance............... 372 341 370 2.3 2.1 2.2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 683 535 752 5.4 4.3 5.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 107 64 125 6.1 3.8 7.2

Accommodation and food services............ 576 471 627 5.3 4.3 5.7

Other services.......................................... 159 159 148 3.0 2.9 2.7

Government................................................ 288 177 187 1.3 .8 .8

Federal................................................... 108 28 35 3.7 1.0 1.2

State and local........................................... 181 149 153 .9 .8 .8

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 672 500 717 2.7 2.0 2.9

South...................................................... 1,506 1,303 1,576 3.2 2.8 3.4

Midwest................................................... 950 787 880 3.3 2.7 3.0

West...................................................... 876 747 829 3.1 2.6 2.9

 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 7, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 3,280 3,110 3,274 2.6 2.4 2.5

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 3,076 2,941 3,105 2.9 2.8 2.9

Mining and logging.................................... 15 16 11 2.2 2.1 1.5

Construction............................................. 284 279 281 5.5 5.5 5.4

Manufacturing.......................................... 218 204 217 1.9 1.8 1.9

Durable goods....................................... 117 115 122 1.7 1.6 1.7

Nondurable goods.................................... 101 89 95 2.3 2.0 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 705 685 699 2.9 2.8 2.9

Wholesale trade....................................... 121 118 95 2.2 2.2 1.7

Retail trade............................................. 488 464 487 3.4 3.3 3.4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 96 103 117 2.1 2.2 2.5

Information................................................ 63 42 62 2.3 1.6 2.3

Financial activities...................................... 146 117 137 1.9 1.6 1.8

Finance and insurance.............................. 102 76 98 1.8 1.4 1.7

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 45 41 38 2.3 2.2 2.0

Professional and business services............... 656 668 665 4.0 4.0 3.9

Education and health services..................... 381 353 365 1.9 1.8 1.8

Educational services................................. 44 42 39 1.3 1.3 1.2

Health care and social assistance............... 337 311 326 2.1 1.9 2.0

Leisure and hospitality................................. 490 424 551 3.9 3.4 4.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 77 42 93 4.4 2.5 5.3

Accommodation and food services............ 413 382 458 3.8 3.5 4.1

Other services.......................................... 119 153 119 2.3 2.8 2.2

Government................................................ 204 169 169 .9 .8 .8

Federal................................................... 38 23 23 1.3 .8 .8

State and local........................................... 166 146 147 .8 .7 .7

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 621 534 521 2.5 2.2 2.1

South...................................................... 1,206 1,201 1,320 2.6 2.6 2.8

Midwest................................................... 701 651 707 2.4 2.2 2.4

West...................................................... 752 724 726 2.7 2.6 2.5

 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 7, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 1,568 1,528 1,722 1.2 1.2 1.3

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 1,480 1,444 1,646 1.4 1.4 1.5

Mining and logging.................................... 6 10 7 .9 1.4 1.0

Construction............................................. 65 49 71 1.2 1.0 1.4

Manufacturing.......................................... 78 75 105 .7 .7 .9

Durable goods....................................... 38 41 59 .5 .6 .8

Nondurable goods.................................... 40 34 46 .9 .8 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 347 364 382 1.4 1.5 1.6

Wholesale trade....................................... 53 54 39 1.0 1.0 .7

Retail trade............................................. 243 255 282 1.7 1.8 2.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 51 55 60 1.1 1.2 1.3

Information................................................ 36 22 26 1.3 .8 1.0

Financial activities...................................... 75 54 90 1.0 .7 1.2

Finance and insurance.............................. 58 40 62 1.0 .7 1.1

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 17 14 27 .9 .7 1.4

Professional and business services............... 288 333 347 1.8 2.0 2.1

Education and health services..................... 215 188 228 1.1 .9 1.1

Educational services................................. 22 20 24 .7 .6 .7

Health care and social assistance............... 194 168 204 1.2 1.0 1.2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 297 273 331 2.4 2.2 2.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 21 22 31 1.2 1.3 1.8

Accommodation and food services............ 276 251 300 2.5 2.3 2.7

Other services.......................................... 72 74 60 1.4 1.4 1.1

Government................................................ 88 84 75 .4 .4 .3

Federal................................................... 14 7 7 .5 .3 .2

State and local........................................... 74 77 69 .4 .4 .3

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 267 223 257 1.1 .9 1.0

South...................................................... 629 613 713 1.4 1.3 1.5

Midwest................................................... 340 337 375 1.2 1.1 1.3

West...................................................... 332 355 377 1.2 1.3 1.3

 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 7, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 1,429 1,287 1,263 1.1 1.0 1.0

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 1,357 1,238 1,212 1.3 1.2 1.1

Mining and logging.................................... 7 4 3 1.1 .5 .4

Construction............................................. 203 224 197 3.9 4.4 3.8

Manufacturing.......................................... 120 107 88 1.1 .9 .8

Durable goods....................................... 70 59 51 1.0 .8 .7

Nondurable goods.................................... 50 48 37 1.1 1.1 .8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 306 251 252 1.3 1.0 1.0

Wholesale trade....................................... 58 48 42 1.1 .9 .8

Retail trade............................................. 218 171 170 1.5 1.2 1.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 30 32 41 .7 .7 .9

Information................................................ 20 16 34 .8 .6 1.3

Financial activities...................................... 54 46 35 .7 .6 .5

Finance and insurance.............................. 31 26 26 .5 .5 .5

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 23 20 9 1.2 1.1 .5

Professional and business services............... 305 285 263 1.9 1.7 1.6

Education and health services..................... 123 111 96 .6 .6 .5

Educational services................................. 13 19 12 .4 .6 .4

Health care and social assistance............... 109 92 84 .7 .6 .5

Leisure and hospitality................................. 174 125 197 1.4 1.0 1.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 55 18 59 3.1 1.0 3.4

Accommodation and food services............ 119 108 138 1.1 1.0 1.3

Other services.......................................... 45 70 45 .9 1.3 .8

Government................................................ 72 49 51 .3 .2 .2

Federal................................................... 15 6 7 .5 .2 .2

State and local........................................... 57 43 45 .3 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 303 267 222 1.2 1.1 .9

South...................................................... 476 470 503 1.0 1.0 1.1

Midwest................................................... 322 250 249 1.1 .9 .8

West...................................................... 328 301 288 1.2 1.1 1.0

 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 7, 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 283 295 290 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 239 258 247 .2 .2 .2

Mining and logging.................................... 1 1 1 .2 .2 .1

Construction............................................. 16 5 13 .3 .1 .2

Manufacturing.......................................... 20 21 24 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods....................................... 10 15 12 .1 .2 .2

Nondurable goods.................................... 11 7 12 .2 .1 .3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 52 71 65 .2 .3 .3

Wholesale trade....................................... 10 16 15 .2 .3 .3

Retail trade............................................. 27 38 35 .2 .3 .2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 14 17 16 .3 .4 .3

Information................................................ 7 4 3 .3 .1 .1

Financial activities...................................... 17 18 12 .2 .2 .2

Finance and insurance.............................. 12 11 10 .2 .2 .2

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 5 7 2 .2 .4 .1

Professional and business services............... 62 50 54 .4 .3 .3

Education and health services..................... 43 54 41 .2 .3 .2

Educational services................................. 9 3 3 .3 .1 .1

Health care and social assistance............... 34 51 38 .2 .3 .2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 19 26 22 .1 .2 .2

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

Accommodation and food services............ 18 23 19 .2 .2 .2

Other services.......................................... 2 9 13 (

4

) .2 .2

Government................................................ 43 36 43 .2 .2 .2

Federal................................................... 9 10 9 .3 .3 .3

State and local........................................... 34 26 34 .2 .1 .2

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 51 44 41 .2 .2 .2

South...................................................... 101 119 104 .2 .3 .2

Midwest................................................... 39 64 83 .1 .2 .3

West...................................................... 92 68 61 .3 .2 .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 7, table 1. 4 Data round to zero. p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates