1

Technical information: (202) 691-5870

 http://www.bls.gov/jlt/

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 04-1519

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

December 2000 - June 2004

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Percent

2001 2002 2003 2004

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted,

December 2000 - June 2004

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Percent

Separations

Hires

2001 2002 2003 2004

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JUNE 2004

The number of hires continued to outpace the number of separations in June, the Bureau of Labor

Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. There were 4.3 million hires and 4.1 million

separations in June, little changed from the month before. The job openings rate was unchanged at 2.3

percent in June. The series in this report include estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires,

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

Job Openings

On the last business day of June 2004, there were 3.0 million job openings in the United States, and the

job openings rate (the number of job openings on the last business day of the month divided by employment

plus job openings) was 2.3 percent. (See table 1.) The job openings rate has remained in the range of

2.0 percent to 2.4 percent since October 2001. In June, the job openings rate showed little or no change

for all major industry categories.

Hires and Separations

The hires rate (the number of hires during the month divided by employment) was 3.3 percent in June,

little changed from a month earlier. (See table 2.) Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month.

Most major industries showed little or no change in their hires rates.

The total separations, or turnover, rate (the number of separations during the month divided by employment) was 3.1 percent in June, unchanged from the month before. The total separations rate has remained in
2

Total 1 ......................................................................................... 4,206 4,329 4,002 4,040 4,052

Total private 1 ............................................................ 3,742 3,938 4,028 3,735 3,761

Construction ................................ 88 108 385 406 403 377 367 365

Manufacturing ............................. 178 244 315 336 364 368 377 362

Trade, transportation, and

utilities ...................................... 433 521 500 852 938 917 872 917 914

Professional and business

services ..................................... 516 530 515 629 631 677 545 556 576

Education and health services.... 551 542 516 424 451 429 375 379 357

Leisure and hospitality................ 382 391 413 713 739 735 749 696 700

Government ...................................... 357 360 342 296 272 305 259 268 272

Total 1

......................................................... 2.2 2.3 2.3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1

Total private 1....................................... 2.3 2.4 2.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.4 3.4 3.4

Construction ................................ 1.3 1.5 1.2 5.7 5.9 5.8 5.6 5.3 5.3

Manufacturing ............................. 1.2 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5

Trade, transportation, and

utilities ...................................... 1.7 2.0 1.9 3.4 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.6

Professional and business

services ..................................... 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.9 3.8 4.1 3.4 3.4 3.5

Education and health services.... 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.1

Leisure and hospitality................ 3.1 3.1 3.2 5.9 6.0 6.0 6.2 5.6 5.7

Government ...................................... 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3

 Job openings

Industry

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

Hires Total separations

June May June June May June June May June

2003 2003 2004p 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Levels (in thousands)

Rates (percent)

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

 p = preliminary.

2004

4,035

2,498

2,859

2,746

3,105

3,766

87

256

2,688

3,029

the range of 2.9 percent to 3.3 percent since December 2001. Separations are terminations of employment

that occur at any time during the month. (See table 3.)

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

and other separations (including retirements). The quits rate, which can serve as a barometer of workers’

ability to change jobs, was unchanged at 1.7 percent in June. (See table 4.) The quits rate increased in

professional and business services over the month. Quits as a percent of the total separations increased to

55.2 percent in June. The other two components of total separations, layoffs and discharges (1.1 percent)

and other separations (0.3 percent), are not seasonally adjusted. The layoffs and discharges rate was lower

than a year ago, and the other separations rate was little changed over the year. (See tables 9 and 10.)

Hires and separations help show dynamic flows in the labor market. Over the last 12 months, hires have

averaged 4.2 million per month and separations have averaged 4.0 million per month. (See the Technical

Note for additional information on these measures.) Hires have outpaced separations in each of the last 14

months. In June, hires outpaced separations in every industry.
3

For More Information

For additional information, please see the Technical Note or the JOLTS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/

jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling

(202) 691-5870.

The report on Job Openings and Labor Turnover for July 2004 is scheduled to be released on

Wednesday, September 8, 2004.

______________________________
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

Each month, data are collected in a survey of business

establishments for total employment, job openings, hires, quits,

layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Data collection

methods include computer-assisted telephone interviewing,

touchtone data entry, fax, 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 2002 version of the North

American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In order to

ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Employment

Security 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. Full-time, 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 full-time,

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, full-time 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.

Sample methodology

The JOLTS sample 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 eight million establishments

compiled as part of the operations of the Quarterly Census of

Employment and Wages, or 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. Large firms fall into the sample
with virtual certainty. JOLTS total employment estimates are

controlled 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. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels.

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 with 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.

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.

Data users should note that seasonal adjustment of the

JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data observations than

is customary. The historical data, therefore, may be subject to

larger than normal revisions. Since the seasonal patterns in

economic data series typically emerge over time, the standard

use of moving averages as seasonal filters to capture these

effects requires longer series than are currently available. As

a result, the stable seasonal filter option is used in the seasonal

adjustment of the JOLTS data. When calculating seasonal

factors, this filter takes an average for each calendar month

after detrending the series. The stable seasonal filter assumes

that the seasonal factors are fixed; a necessary assumption

until sufficient data are available. When the stable seasonal

filter is no longer needed, other program features also may be

introduced, such as outlier adjustment and extended

diagnostic testing. Additionally, it is expected that more series,

such as layoffs and discharges and additional industries, may

be seasonally adjusted when more data are available.

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.

JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to

exactly explain net changes in nonfarm payroll employment.

Some reasons why it is problematic to compare changes in

payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations,

especially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period for

payroll employment is the pay period including the 12th of the

month, while the reference period for hires and separations is

the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can vary from

month to month simply because part-time and on-call workers

may not always work during the pay period that includes the

12th of the month. Additionally, research has found that some

reporters systematically underreport separations relative to

hires due to a number of factors, including the nature of their

payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be

about 2 percent or less over a 12-month period.

Other information

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200;

TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p

Total4...................................................... 2,859 2,868 2,906 3,079 3,135 3,105 3,029 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private4

.......................................... 2,498 2,518 2,534 2,740 2,778 2,746 2,688 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.4

Construction....................................... 88 106 99 113 105 108 87 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.2

Manufacturing....................................... 178 233 226 232 251 244 256 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 433 430 458 524 531 521 500 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.9

Professional and business services......... 516 501 491 502 518 530 515 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0

Education and health services.................. 551 549 551 559 576 542 516 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.0

Leisure and hospitality........................... 382 368 383 370 376 391 413 3.1 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2

Government............................................. 357 350 364 353 354 360 342 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6

REGION

Northeast............................................. 517 476 500 569 560 526 543 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1

South................................................ 1,045 1,132 1,112 1,176 1,191 1,164 1,135 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.4

Midwest............................................. 586 679 680 663 692 688 675 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1

West................................................... 690 586 632 655 694 765 659 2.4 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.3

1

 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 

of the month. New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, 

day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, 

 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia,

seasonal adjustment of the various series. and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan,

 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,

and other services, not shown separately. and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii,

 P

 = preliminary. Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington,

 NOTE: The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise and Wyoming.

Table 2. Hires levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p

Total4...................................................... 4,035 4,106 4,103 4,603 4,398 4,206 4,329 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private4

.......................................... 3,742 3,800 3,772 4,256 4,090 3,938 4,028 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.7

Construction....................................... 385 358 382 437 421 406 403 5.7 5.3 5.6 6.4 6.1 5.9 5.8

Manufacturing....................................... 315 349 355 361 354 336 364 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 852 957 945 1,009 1,032 938 917 3.4 3.8 3.7 4.0 4.1 3.7 3.6

Professional and business services......... 629 708 529 713 609 631 677 3.9 4.4 3.3 4.4 3.7 3.8 4.1

Education and health services.................. 424 416 447 444 460 451 429 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5

Leisure and hospitality........................... 713 715 766 810 766 739 735 5.9 5.9 6.3 6.6 6.2 6.0 6.0

Government............................................. 296 295 323 343 300 272 305 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.4

REGION

Northeast............................................. 661 722 689 744 810 708 693 2.7 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.2 2.8 2.8

South................................................ 1,507 1,585 1,608 1,781 1,582 1,606 1,666 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.9 3.4 3.5 3.6

Midwest............................................. 862 921 953 1,040 991 956 971 2.8 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.1

West...................................................1,037 883 876 1,029 1,093 951 1,016 3.7 3.1 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.3 3.5

 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

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.

 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.

 P

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels3 (in thousands) Rates

Levels3

 (in thousands) Rates
Table 3. Total separations levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p

Total4...................................................... 4,002 3,968 4,073 4,134 4,088 4,040 4,052 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private4

.......................................... 3,735 3,716 3,807 3,868 3,843 3,761 3,766 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.4

Construction....................................... 377 436 400 392 391 367 365 5.6 6.4 5.9 5.7 5.7 5.3 5.3

Manufacturing....................................... 368 323 355 377 353 377 362 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 872 936 899 978 1,013 917 914 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.8 4.0 3.6 3.6

Professional and business services......... 545 572 590 597 606 556 576 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.5

Education and health services.................. 375 389 388 382 386 379 357 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.1

Leisure and hospitality........................... 749 709 727 715 679 696 700 6.2 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.5 5.6 5.7

Government............................................. 259 258 268 284 245 268 272 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.3

REGION

Northeast............................................. 695 712 688 666 716 648 670 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.9 2.6 2.7

South................................................ 1,539 1,505 1,499 1,612 1,524 1,504 1,534 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.3

Midwest............................................. 851 903 929 938 877 833 820 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.6

West................................................... 891 896 941 1,003 959 1,008 977 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4

 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

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.

 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.

 P

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Table 4. Quits levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004 2004p

Total4...................................................... 2,052 2,118 2,178 2,271 2,278 2,173 2,238 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7

INDUSTRY

Total private4

.......................................... 1,936 2,002 2,051 2,144 2,151 2,036 2,120 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.9

Construction....................................... 134 148 133 154 149 144 159 2.0 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.3

Manufacturing....................................... 144 165 169 176 189 171 169 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities............ 468 530 493 530 563 525 531 1.9 2.1 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.1

Professional and business services......... 278 261 302 309 323 259 305 1.7 1.6 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.6 1.9

Education and health services.................. 212 237 234 252 245 223 223 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.3

Leisure and hospitality........................... 492 428 447 465 429 455 461 4.1 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.5 3.7 3.7

Government............................................. 121 116 126 129 129 129 118 .6 .5 .6 .6 .6 .6 .5

REGION

Northeast............................................. 304 288 319 314 390 318 318 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.3 1.3

South................................................ 829 852 867 957 888 857 878 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.9

Midwest............................................. 442 513 455 474 479 479 476 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

West................................................... 482 475 520 565 524 521 567 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.8 1.8 2.0

 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

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.

 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.

 P

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels3 (in thousands) Rates

Levels3

 (in thousands) Rates
Table 5. Job openings levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 2,971 3,402 3,139 2.2 2.5 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 2,577 3,008 2,765 2.3 2.7 2.4

Natural resources and mining........................... 5 6 7 .8 1.0 1.1

Construction................................................... 110 145 103 1.6 2.0 1.4

Manufacturing................................................ 186 263 269 1.3 1.8 1.8

Durable goods............................................. 102 165 165 1.1 1.8 1.8

Nondurable goods....................................... 85 98 104 1.5 1.8 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 429 543 496 1.7 2.1 1.9

Wholesale trade.......................................... 81 120 119 1.4 2.1 2.1

Retail trade................................................ 284 346 295 1.9 2.3 1.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 64 77 82 1.3 1.6 1.7

Information................................................... 53 74 83 1.6 2.3 2.5

Financial activities............................................ 181 210 216 2.2 2.6 2.6

Finance and insurance................................. 138 171 166 2.3 2.8 2.7

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 42 39 50 2.0 1.8 2.3

Professional and business services..................... 561 575 558 3.4 3.4 3.2

Education and health services........................... 572 564 530 3.4 3.2 3.1

Educational services.................................... 46 50 39 1.8 1.8 1.5

Health care and social assistance.................. 526 514 491 3.6 3.5 3.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 365 457 404 2.8 3.5 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.................. 44 58 35 2.1 3.0 1.7

Accommodations and food services............... 322 399 369 2.9 3.6 3.3

Other services................................................ 115 170 100 2.1 3.0 1.8

Government...................................................... 394 394 375 1.8 1.8 1.7

Federal......................................................... 38 42 44 1.4 1.5 1.6

State and local.............................................. 356 352 331 1.9 1.8 1.7

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 532 586 560 2.1 2.3 2.2

South............................................................ 1,112 1,255 1,205 2.3 2.6 2.5

Midwest......................................................... 605 722 693 1.9 2.3 2.2

West............................................................ 722 839 682 2.5 2.8 2.3

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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 6. Hires levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 4,859 4,802 5,232 3.7 3.6 4.0

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 4,479 4,513 4,838 4.1 4.1 4.4

Natural resources and mining........................... 22 22 23 3.8 3.8 3.9

Construction................................................... 499 505 520 7.2 7.3 7.3

Manufacturing................................................ 363 383 422 2.5 2.7 2.9

Durable goods............................................. 225 234 259 2.5 2.6 2.9

Nondurable goods....................................... 139 149 163 2.5 2.8 3.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 954 1,034 1,018 3.8 4.1 4.0

Wholesale trade.......................................... 135 139 172 2.4 2.5 3.0

Retail trade................................................ 704 744 686 4.7 5.0 4.6

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 115 152 160 2.4 3.2 3.3

Information................................................... 88 70 89 2.7 2.2 2.8

Financial activities............................................ 203 206 268 2.5 2.6 3.3

Finance and insurance................................. 123 119 151 2.1 2.0 2.5

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 80 87 117 3.8 4.2 5.5

Professional and business services..................... 685 691 753 4.3 4.2 4.5

Education and health services........................... 509 439 507 3.1 2.6 3.0

Educational services.................................... 65 36 68 2.6 1.3 2.7

Health care and social assistance.................. 443 403 439 3.2 2.8 3.1

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 939 981 963 7.4 7.8 7.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.................. 161 165 141 7.9 8.8 7.0

Accommodations and food services............... 778 816 822 7.3 7.6 7.6

Other services................................................ 218 180 274 4.0 3.3 5.0

Government...................................................... 380 289 394 1.8 1.3 1.8

Federal......................................................... 46 36 42 1.7 1.3 1.6

State and local.............................................. 334 253 351 1.8 1.3 1.9

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 906 845 939 3.6 3.3 3.7

South............................................................ 1,728 1,776 1,928 3.7 3.8 4.1

Midwest......................................................... 1,030 1,147 1,163 3.3 3.7 3.7

West............................................................ 1,194 1,034 1,202 4.2 3.6 4.1

 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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 7. Total separations levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 4,207 3,923 4,209 3.2 3.0 3.2

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 3,819 3,633 3,797 3.5 3.3 3.4

Natural resources and mining........................... 15 19 16 2.6 3.3 2.8

Construction................................................... 366 316 344 5.3 4.5 4.8

Manufacturing................................................ 388 361 383 2.7 2.5 2.6

Durable goods............................................. 238 211 251 2.6 2.4 2.8

Nondurable goods....................................... 150 150 132 2.7 2.8 2.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 893 904 907 3.5 3.6 3.5

Wholesale trade.......................................... 121 151 169 2.1 2.7 3.0

Retail trade................................................ 596 623 571 4.0 4.2 3.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 176 130 167 3.7 2.7 3.5

Information................................................... 73 63 65 2.3 2.0 2.0

Financial activities............................................ 162 160 202 2.0 2.0 2.5

Finance and insurance................................. 107 107 112 1.8 1.8 1.9

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 55 53 90 2.6 2.5 4.2

Professional and business services..................... 545 577 560 3.4 3.5 3.4

Education and health services........................... 449 391 424 2.7 2.3 2.5

Educational services.................................... 79 54 73 3.2 1.9 2.9

Health care and social assistance.................. 370 337 351 2.7 2.4 2.5

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 733 657 689 5.8 5.2 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.................. 67 72 80 3.3 3.8 4.0

Accommodations and food services............... 666 585 609 6.3 5.5 5.6

Other services................................................ 194 184 206 3.6 3.4 3.8

Government...................................................... 389 291 412 1.8 1.3 1.9

Federal......................................................... 46 30 41 1.6 1.1 1.5

State and local.............................................. 343 260 371 1.8 1.4 2.0

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 771 577 745 3.1 2.3 2.9

South............................................................ 1,602 1,553 1,597 3.5 3.3 3.4

Midwest......................................................... 947 824 889 3.1 2.6 2.8

West............................................................ 887 968 978 3.1 3.4 3.4

 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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 8. Quits levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 2,186 2,265 2,385 1.7 1.7 1.8

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 2,020 2,116 2,225 1.8 1.9 2.0

Natural resources and mining........................... 6 8 9 1.0 1.3 1.5

Construction................................................... 164 143 194 2.4 2.1 2.7

Manufacturing................................................ 154 181 181 1.1 1.3 1.2

Durable goods............................................. 95 113 118 1.1 1.3 1.3

Nondurable goods....................................... 59 68 63 1.1 1.3 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 468 538 527 1.9 2.1 2.1

Wholesale trade.......................................... 64 92 100 1.1 1.6 1.8

Retail trade................................................ 343 391 363 2.3 2.6 2.4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 61 56 65 1.3 1.2 1.3

Information................................................... 39 33 45 1.2 1.0 1.4

Financial activities............................................ 98 114 120 1.2 1.4 1.5

Finance and insurance................................. 68 76 70 1.1 1.3 1.2

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 30 39 50 1.4 1.8 2.3

Professional and business services..................... 283 273 316 1.8 1.7 1.9

Education and health services........................... 240 235 247 1.5 1.4 1.5

Educational services.................................... 33 24 27 1.3 .8 1.1

Health care and social assistance.................. 207 211 220 1.5 1.5 1.5

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 478 474 457 3.8 3.8 3.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.................. 43 34 36 2.1 1.8 1.8

Accommodations and food services............... 435 440 421 4.1 4.1 3.9

Other services................................................ 90 117 130 1.7 2.2 2.4

Government...................................................... 166 149 160 .8 .7 .7

Federal......................................................... 21 14 9 .8 .5 .3

State and local.............................................. 145 135 151 .8 .7 .8

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 341 327 350 1.4 1.3 1.4

South............................................................ 888 889 944 1.9 1.9 2.0

Midwest......................................................... 473 512 508 1.5 1.6 1.6

West............................................................ 484 538 583 1.7 1.9 2.0

 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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 1,709 1,320 1,483 1.3 1.0 1.1

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 1,567 1,240 1,315 1.4 1.1 1.2

Natural resources and mining........................... 8 8 4 1.4 1.3 .7

Construction................................................... 193 163 138 2.8 2.3 1.9

Manufacturing................................................ 204 146 172 1.4 1.0 1.2

Durable goods............................................. 125 74 113 1.4 .8 1.2

Nondurable goods....................................... 80 72 59 1.4 1.3 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 362 301 300 1.4 1.2 1.2

Wholesale trade.......................................... 49 51 55 .9 .9 1.0

Retail trade................................................ 219 188 155 1.5 1.3 1.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 94 62 90 2.0 1.3 1.9

Information................................................... 29 26 14 .9 .8 .5

Financial activities............................................ 44 33 58 .6 .4 .7

Finance and insurance................................. 23 22 27 .4 .4 .4

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 22 12 31 1.0 .6 1.5

Professional and business services..................... 226 240 199 1.4 1.5 1.2

Education and health services........................... 172 120 148 1.1 .7 .9

Educational services.................................... 40 26 42 1.6 .9 1.6

Health care and social assistance.................. 132 94 106 .9 .7 .7

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 230 154 212 1.8 1.2 1.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.................. 22 34 42 1.1 1.8 2.1

Accommodations and food services............... 208 120 171 2.0 1.1 1.6

Other services................................................ 97 48 69 1.8 .9 1.3

Government...................................................... 142 80 168 .7 .4 .8

Federal......................................................... 12 6 17 .4 .2 .6

State and local.............................................. 131 74 151 .7 .4 .8

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 358 174 322 1.4 .7 1.3

South............................................................ 602 561 535 1.3 1.2 1.1

Midwest......................................................... 417 247 309 1.3 .8 1.0

West............................................................ 331 338 318 1.2 1.2 1.1

 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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates
Table 10. Other separations levels1

 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Industry and region June May June June May June

2003 2004 2004p 2003 2004 2004p

Total.................................................................. 312 338 341 0.2 0.3 0.3

INDUSTRY

Total private...................................................... 231 276 257 .2 .3 .2

Natural resources and mining........................... 1 4 3 .2 .7 .5

Construction................................................... 9 10 13 .1 .1 .2

Manufacturing................................................ 29 34 31 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods............................................. 18 23 20 .2 .3 .2

Nondurable goods....................................... 11 10 10 .2 .2 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities..................... 63 64 80 .2 .3 .3

Wholesale trade.......................................... 8 8 14 .1 .1 .2

Retail trade................................................ 34 44 54 .2 .3 .4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities......... 21 12 12 .4 .2 .3

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

Financial activities............................................ 20 13 25 .3 .2 .3

Finance and insurance................................. 16 10 16 .3 .2 .3

Real estate and rental and leasing.................. 4 3 9 .2 .1 .4

Professional and business services..................... 36 65 45 .2 .4 .3

Education and health services........................... 37 36 29 .2 .2 .2

Educational services.................................... 6 5 4 .3 .2 .2

Health care and social assistance.................. 31 31 25 .2 .2 .2

Leisure and hospitality.................................... 25 29 19 .2 .2 .1

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

Accommodations and food services............... 23 25 17 .2 .2 .2

Other services................................................ 7 18 7 .1 .3 .1

Government...................................................... 81 62 84 .4 .3 .4

Federal......................................................... 13 11 15 .5 .4 .6

State and local.............................................. 68 51 69 .4 .3 .4

REGION

Northeast...................................................... 72 77 73 .3 .3 .3

South............................................................ 111 103 118 .2 .2 .3

Midwest......................................................... 56 66 72 .2 .2 .2

West............................................................ 72 92 78 .3 .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.

 P = preliminary.

 NOTE: See NOTE, table 1.

Levels (in thousands) Rates