For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 12, 2011 USDL-11-1032

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 – MAY 2011

There were 3.0 million job openings on the last business day of May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

reported today. The hires rate (3.1 percent) and separations rate (3.1 percent) were again little changed 

over the month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and 

separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and by geographic region. 

Job Openings

The number of job openings in May was 3.0 million, unchanged from April. (See table 1.) The number 

of job openings in May was 862,000 higher than in July 2009 (the series trough) but remains well below 

the 4.4 million openings when the recession began in December 2007. 

The number of job openings in May (not seasonally adjusted) rose over the last 12 months for total 

private as the number of job openings rose in durable goods manufacturing; transportation, warehousing, 

and utilities; information; and healthcare and social assistance. The level decreased over the year for

federal government due largely to a drop in the number of temporary workers needed to conduct the 

2010 Census. (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

2009 2010 2011

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

June 2008 - May 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,

June 2008 - May 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 May Apr. May May Apr. May May Apr. May

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

Total ...................................................... 2,790 2,953 2,974 4,347 4,001 4,070 3,929 3,833 4,059

Total private 1

..........................................2,423 2,635 2,657 3,613 3,733 3,797 3,603 3,528 3,761

Construction.......................................... 79 90 87 312 355 348 338 357 348

Manufacturing....................................... 189 226 223 251 257 259 235 241 268

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

............ 398 524 474 766 791 801 755 725 800

Retail trade..................................... 249 312 274 527 556 554 531 511 563

Professional and business services............ 574 497 580 755 831 861 745 785 853

Education and health services.................. 516 550 590 467 468 483 429 428 446

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 266 305 293 624 653 633 656 621 645

Arts, entertainment, and recreation......... 41 36 37 105 107 117 112 109 128

Accommodation and food services......... 226 269 256 518 546 516 544 512 518

Government 3

..................................... 367 319 317 734 269 274 326 304 298

 State and local government..................... 239 268 269 239 244 244 259 278 269

Total ...................................................... 2.1 2.2 2.2 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.1

Total private 1

.......................................... 2.2 2.4 2.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.5

Construction.......................................... 1.4 1.6 1.6 5.6 6.4 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.3

Manufacturing....................................... 1.6 1.9 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

............ 1.6 2.1 1.9 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.2

Retail trade.................................... 1.7 2.1 1.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.9

Professional and business services............3.3 2.8 3.3 4.5 4.9 5.0 4.5 4.6 5.0

Education and health services.................. 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.2

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 2.0 2.3 2.2 4.8 4.9 4.8 5.0 4.7 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation......... 2.1 1.9 1.9 5.5 5.6 6.2 5.9 5.7 6.7

Accommodation and food services......... 2.0 2.3 2.2 4.7 4.8 4.6 4.9 4.5 4.6

Government 3

..................................... 1.6 1.4 1.4 3.2 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.3

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

 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 May, the hires rate was unchanged at 3.1 percent for total nonfarm. The hires rate was also essentially 

unchanged for all industries and regions. (See table 2.) At 4.1 million in May, the number of hires is up 

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

recession began in December 2007. 

Over the past 12 months, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) showed no significant over-the-year

increase in any industry or region. The hires rate fell in federal government and in the West. (See table 

6.) 

Separations 

The total separations figure includes voluntary quits, involuntary layoffs and discharges, and other 

separations, including retirements. Total separations is also referred to as turnover.
- 3 - 

The seasonally adjusted total separations rate was essentially unchanged in May for total nonfarm (3.1 

percent) and government (1.3 percent); the rate increased for total private (to 3.5 percent). (See table 3.) 

Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total 

nonfarm, total private, and government. (See table 7.) 

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

rate was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm (1.5 percent), total private (1.7 percent), and 

government (0.6 percent). (See table 4.) Although the number of quits rose from 1.5 million in January 

2010 (the most recent trough) to 2.0 million in May 2011, the number remained below the 2.8 million 

quits when the recession began in December 2007. 

 

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in May 2011 was higher than 12 months earlier for total 

nonfarm, total private, and government. Several industries experienced a rise in the number of quits over 

the year, and federal government experienced a decline. In the regions, the number of quits rose in the 

South but was little changed in the other three regions. (See table 8.) 

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

nonfarm, total private, and government levels. The layoffs and discharges rate was little changed in May

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

was 1.8 million in May, up slightly from the recent low point of 1.5 million in January 2011, but still 

well below the peak of 2.5 million in February 2009. (See table B below.)

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

ending in May for total nonfarm and total private. The level decreased over the year for federal 

government, returning to a more typical level after a large number of layoffs in May 2010 of temporary 

Census workers. The number of layoffs and discharges was steady in the regions. (See table 9.) 

The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In May, there were 302,000 other separations for 

total nonfarm, 234,000 for total private, and 68,000 for government. Compared to May 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 attributable to the 

individual components has varied over time at the total nonfarm level, but for the majority of the months 

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

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total...............................................................1,816 1,603 1,775 1.4 1.2 1.4

Total private...................................................1,660 1,469 1,663 1.5 1.3 1.5

Government................................................... 157 134 112 0.7 0.6 0.5

 p = Preliminary

Industry

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

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

been above 10 percent of total separations. 

The proportions of quits and layoffs and discharges were last equal in November 2010. Since then, the 

proportion of quits has trended upward, again exceeding the proportion of layoffs and discharges, which 

has trended downward. In May, the proportion of quits for total nonfarm was 49 percent and the 

proportion of layoffs and discharges was 44 percent. The proportions were similar for total private with

50 percent quits and 44 percent layoffs and discharges. For government, the proportions were 41 percent 

quits and 38 percent layoffs and discharges. (See table C below.)

Net Change in Employment

Over the 12 months ending in May, not seasonally adjusted data totaled 47.5 million hires and 46.7 

million separations, yielding a net employment gain of 0.7 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 June 2011 are scheduled to be released

on Wednesday, August 10, 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 .................................... 1,816 46% 1,887 49% 1,997 49% 1,816 46% 1,603 42% 1,775 44%

Total private...........................1,712 48% 1,771 50% 1,875 50% 1,660 46% 1,469 42% 1,663 44%

Government ........................ 105 32% 117 38% 122 41% 157 48% 134 44% 112 38%

 p = Preliminary

Industry

Quits Layoffs and discharges

May

2010

Apr.

2011

May

2011p

May

2010

Apr.

2011

May

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

May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May

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

Total ................................................... 2,790 2,921 2,741 3,025 3,123 2,953 2,974 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.2

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.......................................2,423 2,500 2,418 2,695 2,793 2,635 2,657 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4

Construction.................................... 79 44 60 55 68 90 87 1.4 .8 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.6 1.6

Manufacturing................................. 189 184 207 209 235 226 223 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.9 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 398 463 470 448 472 524 474 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 1.9

Retail trade................................. 249 268 263 232 254 312 274 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.7 2.1 1.8

Professional and business services...... 574 609 459 606 613 497 580 3.3 3.5 2.6 3.4 3.5 2.8 3.3

Education and health services............ 516 510 482 553 609 550 590 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.7 3.0 2.7 2.9

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 266 270 301 378 340 305 293 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 41 41 39 48 41 36 37 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.5 2.1 1.9 1.9

Accommodation and food services... 226 229 262 330 299 269 256 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.2

Government 6....................................... 367 421 323 330 331 319 317 1.6 1.9 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4

State and local government............... 239 319 259 260 274 268 269 1.2 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4

REGION 7

Northeast ....................................... 616 548 492 594 675 531 590 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.1 2.3

South .............................................1,013 1,023 960 1,082 1,082 985 1,026 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1

Midwest .......................................... 538 617 513 630 672 664 723 1.8 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.4

West ............................................. 667 829 573 715 752 681 709 2.3 2.8 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.4

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

May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May

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

Total ................................................... 4,347 3,905 3,769 3,986 4,067 4,001 4,070 3.3 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.......................................3,613 3,631 3,494 3,729 3,807 3,733 3,797 3.4 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.5

Construction.................................... 312 356 254 369 338 355 348 5.6 6.5 4.6 6.7 6.1 6.4 6.3

Manufacturing................................. 251 264 246 250 269 257 259 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 766 756 783 816 803 791 801 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2

Retail trade................................. 527 476 536 547 553 556 554 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services...... 755 780 810 791 840 831 861 4.5 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.9 4.9 5.0

Education and health services............ 467 465 437 468 470 468 483 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 624 596 588 632 681 653 633 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.8 5.2 4.9 4.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 105 98 84 101 120 107 117 5.5 5.2 4.5 5.3 6.3 5.6 6.2

Accommodation and food services... 518 498 504 531 560 546 516 4.7 4.5 4.5 4.7 5.0 4.8 4.6

Government 6....................................... 734 274 275 257 260 269 274 3.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

State and local government............... 239 242 242 218 229 244 244 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.3

REGION 7

Northeast ....................................... 837 680 633 646 717 695 705 3.4 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.8

South .............................................1,626 1,513 1,412 1,466 1,535 1,471 1,600 3.4 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.4

Midwest ..........................................1,025 878 920 901 862 941 941 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.2

West ............................................. 979 806 939 862 851 864 844 3.4 2.8 3.3 3.0 3.0 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

May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May

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

Total ................................................... 3,929 3,836 3,612 3,825 3,805 3,833 4,059 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.................................... 3,603 3,539 3,337 3,538 3,534 3,528 3,761 3.4 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.5

Construction.................................... 338 393 281 324 334 357 348 6.1 7.2 5.1 5.9 6.0 6.5 6.3

Manufacturing................................. 235 252 184 234 245 241 268 2.0 2.2 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 755 718 769 800 772 725 800 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.2

Retail trade................................. 531 470 527 549 541 511 563 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.9

Professional and business services...... 745 735 756 760 719 785 853 4.5 4.3 4.5 4.5 4.2 4.6 5.0

Education and health services............ 429 450 394 441 429 428 446 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 656 583 596 582 650 621 645 5.0 4.5 4.6 4.4 4.9 4.7 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 112 98 92 86 122 109 128 5.9 5.2 4.9 4.6 6.4 5.7 6.7

Accommodation and food services... 544 485 505 495 528 512 518 4.9 4.3 4.5 4.4 4.7 4.5 4.6

Government 6.................................... 326 297 275 287 271 304 298 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3

State and local government............... 259 269 245 255 247 278 269 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4

REGION 7

Northeast....................................... 708 598 569 703 649 763 744 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.8 2.6 3.1 3.0

South............................................. 1,462 1,476 1,499 1,451 1,519 1,402 1,472 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.1

Midwest.......................................... 931 841 912 830 912 947 916 3.2 2.8 3.1 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.1

West............................................. 908 759 817 857 872 898 972 3.2 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.4

 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

May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May May Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May

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

Total ................................................... 1,816 1,838 1,679 1,910 1,924 1,887 1,997 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5

INDUSTRY

Total private 4.................................... 1,712 1,731 1,572 1,793 1,820 1,771 1,875 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7

Construction.................................... 63 81 56 62 72 91 88 1.1 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.7 1.6

Manufacturing................................. 90 107 83 94 115 105 106 .8 .9 .7 .8 1.0 .9 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5...... 413 373 338 442 443 410 472 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.9

Retail trade................................. 313 274 240 317 342 315 365 2.2 1.9 1.7 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.5

Professional and business services...... 307 335 361 396 357 360 375 1.8 2.0 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.2

Education and health services............ 238 244 206 241 251 239 250 1.2 1.2 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3

Leisure and hospitality ..................... 391 368 352 353 382 386 377 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation... 37 41 28 37 46 42 41 1.9 2.2 1.5 1.9 2.4 2.2 2.2

Accommodation and food services... 355 327 324 317 337 344 336 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.0

Government 6.................................... 105 107 107 117 104 117 122 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6

State and local government............... 91 98 100 108 97 108 114 .5 .5 .5 .6 .5 .6 .6

REGION 7

Northeast....................................... 306 251 214 335 293 266 330 1.2 1.0 .9 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.3

South............................................. 730 761 656 779 779 741 813 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7

Midwest.......................................... 450 411 368 455 437 456 489 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6

West............................................. 433 343 366 447 455 400 458 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.6 1.6 1.4 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 2,840 3,221 3,039 2.1 2.4 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 2,472 2,884 2,722 2.3 2.6 2.4

Mining and logging.................................... 17 23 20 2.4 3.0 2.5

Construction............................................. 86 116 104 1.5 2.1 1.8

Manufacturing.......................................... 198 234 237 1.7 2.0 2.0

Durable goods....................................... 130 162 165 1.8 2.2 2.2

Nondurable goods.................................... 68 72 72 1.5 1.6 1.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 413 550 484 1.7 2.2 1.9

Wholesale trade....................................... 104 100 93 1.9 1.8 1.7

Retail trade............................................. 251 333 279 1.7 2.3 1.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 58 117 111 1.2 2.4 2.3

Information................................................ 77 107 106 2.7 3.8 3.8

Financial activities...................................... 198 238 176 2.5 3.0 2.3

Finance and insurance.............................. 162 178 124 2.8 3.1 2.1

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 36 60 52 1.8 3.0 2.6

Professional and business services............... 569 538 579 3.3 3.0 3.3

Education and health services..................... 505 587 590 2.5 2.8 2.9

Educational services................................. 71 66 57 2.2 1.9 1.7

Health care and social assistance............... 435 521 533 2.6 3.0 3.1

Leisure and hospitality................................. 294 380 317 2.2 2.8 2.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 51 46 47 2.5 2.4 2.3

Accommodation and food services............ 243 334 271 2.1 2.9 2.3

Other services.......................................... 115 112 109 2.1 2.0 1.9

Government................................................ 368 336 318 1.5 1.5 1.4

Federal................................................... 127 61 45 3.6 2.1 1.6

State and local........................................... 241 275 273 1.2 1.4 1.4

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 602 581 570 2.4 2.3 2.2

South...................................................... 1,022 1,070 1,025 2.1 2.2 2.1

Midwest................................................... 528 763 727 1.7 2.5 2.4

West...................................................... 689 807 716 2.3 2.7 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 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 4,746 4,319 4,531 3.6 3.3 3.4

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 3,998 4,126 4,250 3.7 3.8 3.9

Mining and logging.................................... 34 32 30 4.9 4.3 3.9

Construction............................................. 383 500 430 6.9 9.3 7.7

Manufacturing.......................................... 290 266 296 2.5 2.3 2.5

Durable goods....................................... 167 150 174 2.4 2.1 2.4

Nondurable goods.................................... 123 116 122 2.8 2.6 2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 812 822 859 3.3 3.3 3.5

Wholesale trade....................................... 124 120 145 2.3 2.2 2.6

Retail trade............................................. 558 581 594 3.9 4.0 4.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 130 121 120 2.8 2.5 2.5

Information................................................ 47 67 60 1.7 2.5 2.2

Financial activities...................................... 184 121 158 2.4 1.6 2.1

Finance and insurance.............................. 108 71 106 1.9 1.3 1.9

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 77 50 52 3.9 2.6 2.7

Professional and business services............... 802 933 933 4.8 5.5 5.4

Education and health services..................... 437 436 460 2.2 2.2 2.3

Educational services................................. 44 49 45 1.4 1.4 1.4

Health care and social assistance............... 393 387 415 2.4 2.3 2.5

Leisure and hospitality................................. 799 772 815 6.0 5.9 6.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 152 139 179 7.7 7.5 9.1

Accommodation and food services............ 647 633 636 5.8 5.6 5.5

Other services.......................................... 209 177 208 3.9 3.2 3.8

Government................................................ 748 194 281 3.2 .9 1.2

Federal................................................... 501 26 36 14.7 .9 1.3

State and local........................................... 247 167 245 1.2 .8 1.2

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 875 760 783 3.5 3.0 3.1

South...................................................... 1,654 1,571 1,686 3.5 3.3 3.5

Midwest................................................... 1,163 1,064 1,123 3.9 3.6 3.8

West...................................................... 1,054 925 940 3.7 3.2 3.2

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 3,634 3,603 3,856 2.8 2.7 2.9

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 3,283 3,397 3,519 3.1 3.1 3.2

Mining and logging.................................... 16 19 18 2.3 2.5 2.3

Construction............................................. 286 343 295 5.1 6.4 5.3

Manufacturing.......................................... 203 234 243 1.8 2.0 2.1

Durable goods....................................... 111 122 132 1.6 1.7 1.8

Nondurable goods.................................... 92 112 111 2.1 2.5 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 707 654 764 2.9 2.6 3.1

Wholesale trade....................................... 105 88 131 1.9 1.6 2.4

Retail trade............................................. 501 469 543 3.5 3.3 3.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 101 97 90 2.1 2.0 1.9

Information................................................ 45 57 60 1.7 2.1 2.2

Financial activities...................................... 169 124 124 2.2 1.6 1.6

Finance and insurance.............................. 105 83 91 1.8 1.5 1.6

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 64 42 33 3.3 2.2 1.7

Professional and business services............... 662 825 789 4.0 4.8 4.6

Education and health services..................... 411 389 434 2.1 1.9 2.2

Educational services................................. 71 48 69 2.2 1.4 2.1

Health care and social assistance............... 340 340 365 2.1 2.0 2.2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 619 575 623 4.7 4.4 4.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 89 97 111 4.5 5.2 5.6

Accommodation and food services............ 530 478 512 4.7 4.2 4.5

Other services.......................................... 166 176 170 3.1 3.2 3.1

Government................................................ 351 206 337 1.5 .9 1.5

Federal................................................... 63 24 26 1.8 .8 .9

State and local........................................... 288 182 311 1.4 .9 1.6

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 580 647 630 2.3 2.6 2.5

South...................................................... 1,407 1,353 1,448 3.0 2.9 3.0

Midwest................................................... 824 798 836 2.8 2.7 2.8

West...................................................... 823 806 941 2.9 2.8 3.2

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 1,809 1,885 2,051 1.4 1.4 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 1,693 1,795 1,906 1.6 1.7 1.7

Mining and logging.................................... 6 10 10 .8 1.4 1.3

Construction............................................. 61 93 89 1.1 1.7 1.6

Manufacturing.......................................... 88 105 105 .8 .9 .9

Durable goods....................................... 39 56 57 .6 .8 .8

Nondurable goods.................................... 48 49 48 1.1 1.1 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 418 408 491 1.7 1.7 2.0

Wholesale trade....................................... 47 42 52 .9 .8 .9

Retail trade............................................. 327 314 389 2.3 2.2 2.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 44 51 50 .9 1.1 1.0

Information................................................ 20 32 36 .7 1.2 1.3

Financial activities...................................... 83 76 74 1.1 1.0 1.0

Finance and insurance.............................. 53 57 55 .9 1.0 1.0

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 29 19 19 1.5 1.0 1.0

Professional and business services............... 298 360 366 1.8 2.1 2.1

Education and health services..................... 229 238 247 1.2 1.2 1.2

Educational services................................. 28 27 29 .9 .8 .9

Health care and social assistance............... 201 211 218 1.2 1.3 1.3

Leisure and hospitality................................. 393 393 391 3.0 3.0 2.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 36 41 41 1.8 2.2 2.1

Accommodation and food services............ 357 353 350 3.2 3.1 3.1

Other services.......................................... 98 79 96 1.8 1.5 1.8

Government................................................ 116 90 146 .5 .4 .6

Federal................................................... 14 7 8 .4 .2 .3

State and local........................................... 102 83 137 .5 .4 .7

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 254 265 292 1.0 1.1 1.2

South...................................................... 721 782 828 1.5 1.6 1.7

Midwest................................................... 413 432 467 1.4 1.4 1.6

West...................................................... 421 406 465 1.5 1.4 1.6

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 1,523 1,413 1,503 1.2 1.1 1.1

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 1,356 1,344 1,380 1.3 1.2 1.3

Mining and logging.................................... 9 8 6 1.3 1.0 .8

Construction............................................. 216 235 201 3.9 4.4 3.6

Manufacturing.......................................... 95 107 115 .8 .9 1.0

Durable goods....................................... 59 53 61 .8 .7 .8

Nondurable goods.................................... 36 54 55 .8 1.2 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 221 187 196 .9 .8 .8

Wholesale trade....................................... 55 32 69 1.0 .6 1.3

Retail trade............................................. 125 126 104 .9 .9 .7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 41 29 23 .9 .6 .5

Information................................................ 23 21 21 .8 .8 .8

Financial activities...................................... 66 28 32 .9 .4 .4

Finance and insurance.............................. 40 11 23 .7 .2 .4

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 26 17 8 1.3 .9 .4

Professional and business services............... 310 401 378 1.9 2.3 2.2

Education and health services..................... 157 105 151 .8 .5 .8

Educational services................................. 40 16 32 1.2 .5 1.0

Health care and social assistance............... 118 88 119 .7 .5 .7

Leisure and hospitality................................. 199 161 212 1.5 1.2 1.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 49 54 67 2.5 2.9 3.4

Accommodation and food services............ 150 107 145 1.3 .9 1.3

Other services.......................................... 60 92 68 1.1 1.7 1.2

Government................................................ 167 69 123 .7 .3 .5

Federal................................................... 39 9 8 1.1 .3 .3

State and local........................................... 128 61 115 .6 .3 .6

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 283 329 287 1.1 1.3 1.1

South...................................................... 564 466 527 1.2 1.0 1.1

Midwest................................................... 342 307 296 1.2 1.0 1.0

West...................................................... 335 311 393 1.2 1.1 1.4

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2010 2011 2011p 2010 2011 2011p

Total............................................................ 303 305 302 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................ 235 258 234 .2 .2 .2

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

Construction............................................. 9 16 5 .2 .3 .1

Manufacturing.......................................... 19 22 22 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods....................................... 12 13 14 .2 .2 .2

Nondurable goods.................................... 7 9 8 .2 .2 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 68 58 77 .3 .2 .3

Wholesale trade....................................... 2 13 10 (

4

) .2 .2

Retail trade............................................. 50 28 50 .3 .2 .3

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

Information................................................ 3 5 4 .1 .2 .1

Financial activities...................................... 20 21 18 .3 .3 .2

Finance and insurance.............................. 12 14 13 .2 .3 .2

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 9 6 5 .5 .3 .3

Professional and business services............... 54 64 45 .3 .4 .3

Education and health services..................... 25 46 36 .1 .2 .2

Educational services................................. 3 5 8 .1 .1 .3

Health care and social assistance............... 22 41 28 .1 .2 .2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 27 21 20 .2 .2 .2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............ 4 2 3 .2 .1 .2

Accommodation and food services............ 23 19 17 .2 .2 .1

Other services.......................................... 8 5 6 .1 .1 .1

Government................................................ 68 47 68 .3 .2 .3

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

State and local........................................... 57 38 58 .3 .2 .3

REGION 3

Northeast................................................ 43 52 51 .2 .2 .2

South...................................................... 123 105 93 .3 .2 .2

Midwest................................................... 70 59 74 .2 .2 .2

West...................................................... 66 89 84 .2 .3 .3

 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