For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, April 10, 2012 USDL-12-0662

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

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

NOTE: This release was reissued on Tuesday, April 10, 2012, to correct errors in the seasonally 

adjusted January layoffs and discharges rates and levels in Table B on page 3 of the release. All 

seven January levels in Table B have been corrected along with the January rates for Total 

Private and for the South, Midwest, and West regions. Corrections only occur in the PDF version 

of the news release; the HTML version is correct as originally posted.

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – FEBRUARY 2012

There were 3.5 million job openings on the last business day of February, little changed from January,

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.3 percent) and separations rate (3.1

percent) were little changed in February. The job openings rate, at 2.6 percent, has trended upward since 

the end of the recession in June 2009. (Recession dates are determined by the National Bureau of 

Economic Research.) This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and 

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

Job Openings

The number of job openings in February was 3.5 million, little changed from January. (See table 1.) 

Although the number of job openings remained below the 4.3 million openings when the recession 

began in December 2007, the number of job openings has increased 46 percent since the end of the 

recession in June 2009.

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

nonfarm, total private, and government. Retail trade, health care and social assistance, and state and 

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

Percent

2010 2011 2012

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, March 2009 - February 2012

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

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

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Hires

Separations

Percent

2010 2011 2012

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted, March 2009 - February 2012

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

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

local government had increases in the number of job openings over the year. The Midwest and South 

regions also experienced an increase in the number of job openings over the year. (See table 5.)

Hires

In February, the hires rate was essentially unchanged at 3.3 percent for total nonfarm. The hires rate

increased in professional and business services over the month and was little changed in the remaining

industries and regions. (See table 2.) The number of hires in February was 4.4 million, still below the 5.0 Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Industry Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p

Total .........................................................3,012 3,477 3,498 4,089 4,239 4,385 3,877 4,017 4,092

Total private 1................................................... 2,697 3,119 3,125 3,850 3,945 4,075 3,610 3,729 3,787

Construction................................................48 86 84 366 331 310 320 308 322

Manufacturing..........................................214 261 253 258 253 259 230 217 236

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2..................... 479 584 599 854 836 819 813 837 781

Retail trade..................................... 253 315 377 569 557 565 545 579 545

Professional and business services......................... 601 695 691 849 831 959 785 745 833

Education and health services 3.....................542 630 654 467 517 540 440 501 467

 Health care and social assistance... 478 576 597 385 441 469 366 412 404

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 376 432 418 639 757 765 590 700 723

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 48 72 52 101 139 121 94 125 114

Accommodation and food services..........328 360 365 538 618 644 497 575 609

Government 4..................................... 315 358 373 239 294 311 267 288 305

State and local government..................................... 259 305 322 206 275 280 242 262 272

Total ...................................................... 2.3 2.6 2.6 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.1

Total private 1................................................... 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.4

Construction..........................................0.9 1.5 1.5 6.7 5.9 5.6 5.8 5.5 5.8

Manufacturing................................................ 1.8 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.8 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2........................ 1.9 2.3 2.3 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1

Retail trade.................................... 1.7 2.1 2.5 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 3.4 3.8 3.7 5.0 4.7 5.4 4.6 4.2 4.7

Education and health services 3.....................2.7 3.0 3.1 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.2 2.5 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 2.8 3.3 3.4 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.2 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 2.8 3.1 3.0 4.8 5.6 5.6 4.5 5.2 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 2.4 3.6 2.6 5.3 7.2 6.3 4.9 6.5 5.9

Accommodation and food services..........2.8 3.0 3.0 4.8 5.3 5.5 4.4 5.0 5.2

Government 4..................................... 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.4

State and local government..................................... 1.3 1.6 1.7 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.4 1.4

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

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

 3 Includes educational services, not show n separately.

 4 Includes federal government, not show n separately.

 p = Preliminary

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)
- 3 -

million hires at the beginning of the recession (December 2007) but was up 19 percent since the end of 

the recession (June 2009).

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

total nonfarm and total private but increased for government. The hires rate rose over the year in health 

care and social assistance and in state and local government. The hires rate increased in the South region

over the year. (See table 6.)

Separations

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

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

The seasonally adjusted total separations rate was little changed in February for total nonfarm, total 

private, and government. (See table 3.) Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) 

was little changed 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 February, the

quits rate was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See table 4.) The number 

of quits rose to 2.1 million in February from 1.8 million at the end of the recession in June 2009,

although it remained below the 2.9 million recorded when the recession began in December 2007.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in February 2012 increased from February 2011 for total 

nonfarm and was little changed for total private and government. The number of quits over the year was 

little changed in all four regions. (See table 8.)

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

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

essentially unchanged in February 2012 for total nonfarm, total private, government, and in all four

regions. (See table B.) The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.7 million in 

February, down from 2.1 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,624 1,684 1,673 1.2 1.3 1.3

Total private............................................................................................ 1,517 1,587 1,556 1.4 1.4 1.4

Government......................................................................................... 107 97 117 0.5 0.4 0.5

Northeast......................................................................................... 358 284 314 1.4 1.1 1.2

South......................................................................................... 573 637 629 1.2 1.3 1.3

Midwest......................................................................................... 329 376 363 1.1 1.2 1.2

West......................................................................................... 363 386 367 1.3 1.3 1.3

 1 For region definitions see footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region1

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

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

government was little changed from February 2011 to February 2012. Over the year, the number of 

layoffs and discharges rose for mining and logging. The number of layoffs and discharges was little 

changed over the year in all four regions. (See table 9.)

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

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

disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm. In February 2012, there were 329,000 

other separations for total nonfarm, 270,000 for total private, and 59,000 for government. (See table C.)

The number of other separations for total nonfarm in February 2012 was 12 percent higher than at the 

end of the recession in June 2009.

Net Change in Employment

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

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

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

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

if the hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in February 2012, hires totaled 50.6

million and separations totaled 48.6 million, yielding a net employment gain of 2.0 million. These 

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

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

released on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

Table C. Other separations, seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 335 332 329 0.3 0.3 0.2

Total private............................................................................................ 284 266 270 0.3 0.2 0.2

Government......................................................................................... 51 66 59 0.2 0.3 0.3

 p = Preliminary

Industry

Levels (in thousands) Rates (percent)
Technical Note

 The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover 

Survey (JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly 

from a sample of business establishments by the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Collection

 In a monthly survey of business establishments, data 

are collected for total employment, job openings, hires, 

quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. 

Data collection methods include computer-assisted 

telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, web, fax, 

e-mail, and mail.

Coverage

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

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

states and the District of Columbia.

Concepts

 Industry classification. The industry classifications 

in this release are in accordance with the 2012 version 

of the North American Industry Classification System 

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

employers and update, if necessary, the industry code, 

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

characteristics resulting from the verification process 

are always introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame

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

 Employment. Employment includes persons on the 

payroll who worked or received pay for the pay period 

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

Proprietors or partners of unincorporated businesses, 

unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay 

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

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

consultants are counted by their employer of record, 

not by the establishment where they are working.

 Job openings. Establishments submit job openings 

information for the last business day of the reference 

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

2) work could start within 30 days regardless of 

whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the 

employer is actively recruiting from outside the 

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

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

newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted 

signs, accepting applications, or using other similar 

methods.

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

Also excluded are jobs with start dates more than 30 

days in the future, jobs for which employees have been 

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

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

consultants. The job openings rate is computed by 

dividing the number of job openings by the sum of 

employment and job openings and multiplying that 

quotient by 100.

 Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the 

payroll occurring at any time during the reference 

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

employees, employees recalled to the location after a 

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

employees who returned to work after having been 

formally separated, and transfers from other locations. 

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

from strike, employees of temporary help agencies or 

employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or 

consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the 

number of hires by employment and multiplying that 

quotient by 100.

 Separations. Separations are the total number of 

terminations of employment occurring at any time 

during the reference month, and are reported by type of 

separation—quits, layoffs and discharges, and other 

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

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

include layoffs with no intent to rehire; formal layoffs 

lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges 

resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings 

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

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

transfers within the same location or employees on 

strike.
 The separations rate is computed by dividing the 

number of separations by employment and multiplying 

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

and other separations rates are computed similarly, 

dividing the number by employment and multiplying 

by 100.

 Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and 

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

January news release each year.

 The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, 

layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total 

separations are the sum of the 12 published monthly 

levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by 

dividing the annual level by the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and 

multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be 

approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly 

rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels 

are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual 

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

 Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings 

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

measurement for the last business day of each month. 

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

counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be 

cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for 

job openings cannot be created by summing the 

monthly estimates. Hires and separations are flow 

measures and are cumulated over the month with a 

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

Special collection procedures

 An implied measure of employment change can be 

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

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

measured by CES at the total nonfarm level. Research 

into this problem showed that a significant amount of 

the divergence between the CES employment levels 

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

State Government Education industry. In the former 

industry, businesses have a difficult time reporting 

hires and separations of temporary help workers. In 

the latter industry, employers have difficulty reporting 

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

review of data for these industries. BLS analysts more 

closely examine reported data that do not provide a 

consistent picture over time, and re-contact the 

respondents as necessary. Analysts work with the 

respondents to adjust their reporting practices as 

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

replaced by imputed values using standard techniques.

Sample and estimation methodology

 The JOLTS survey design is a stratified random 

sample of 16,400 nonfarm business establishments, 

including factories, offices, and stores, as well as 

federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states 

and the District of Columbia. The establishments are 

drawn from a universe of over 9.1 million 

establishments compiled as part of the operations of the 

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)

program. This program includes all employers subject 

to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal 

agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for 

Federal Employees (UCFE).

 The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, 

industry sector, and establishment size class. The 

JOLTS sample is constructed from individual panels of 

sample units drawn on an annual basis. The full annual 

sample consists of one certainty panel composed of 

only large units selected with virtual certainty based on 

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

new non-certainty panel is rolled into collection, and 

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

that at any given time the JOLTS sample is constructed 

from panels from three different annual sampling 

frames. The entire sample of old plus new panels is 

post-stratified and re-weighted annually to represent 

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

panels. The annual sample is supplemented with a 

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

establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger 

establishments in the JOLTS sample.

 JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked

or ratio adjusted monthly to the strike-adjusted 

employment estimates of the Current Employment 

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

employment is used to adjust the levels for all other 

JOLTS data elements. 

JOLTS business birth/death model

 As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can 

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

from the birth of an establishment until its appearance 

on the sampling frame is approximately one year. In 

addition, many of these new units may fail within the 

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

BLS has developed a model to estimate birth/death 

activity for current months by examining the birth/

death activity from previous years on the QCEW and 

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

employment change. The birth/death model also uses 

historical JOLTS data to estimate the amount of 

“churn” (hires and separations) that exists in 

establishments of various sizes. The model then 

combines the estimated churn with the projected 

employment change to estimate the number of hires 

and separations taking place in these units that cannot 

be measured through sampling. 

 The model-based estimate of total separations is 

distributed to the three components—quits; layoffs and 

discharges; and other separations—in proportion to 

their contribution to the sample-based estimate of total 

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

openings to hires in the collected data and applying that 

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

model are then added to the sample-based estimates 

produced from the survey to arrive at the estimates for 

openings, hires, and separations.

Seasonal adjustment

 BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using 

the X-12 ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. 

Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and 

removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such 

as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of 

the school year. Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to 

observe fundamental changes in the level of the series, 

particularly those associated with general economic 

expansions and contractions. A concurrent seasonal 

adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal 

adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all 

relevant data, up to and including the data for the 

current month.

 JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in 

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

adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the 

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

Alignment procedure

JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable 

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

caused JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit 

the divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS 

hires and separations series, BLS implemented the 

Monthly Alignment Method. The Monthly Alignment 

Method applies the CES employment trends to the 

seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment trend 

(hires minus separations) forcing them to be 

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

seasonally adjusted and the difference between the 

JOLTS implied employment trend and the CES net 

employment change is calculated. Next, the JOLTS 

implied employment trend is adjusted to equal the CES 

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

the two components (hires, separations) proportionally 

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

churn for a given month, they will receive 40 percent 

of the needed adjustment and separations will receive 

60 percent of the needed adjustment. The adjusted hires 

and separations are converted back to not seasonally 

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

Method has been used to adjust the level estimates, rate 

estimates are computed from the adjusted levels. The 

monthly alignment procedure assures a close match of 

the JOLTS implied employment trend with the CES 

trend. The CES series is considered a highly accurate 

measure of net employment change owing to its very

large sample size and annual benchmarking to universe 

counts of employment from the QCEW program.

Historical changes in JOLTS data

 The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and 

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

A full complement of panels for the original data series 

based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification 

(SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the survey 

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

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

sample. Therefore, estimates from earlier months 

should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units 

were reporting data at that time.

In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires 

and separations data were revised to address possible 

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

not be comparable to estimates for March 2002 and 

later.

 The federal government reorganization that involved 

transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the 

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

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

March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS 

definitions of hires and separations is intended to cover 

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

inclusion of these intergovernmental transfers would 

distort the federal government time series.

Reliability of the estimates

 JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and 

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

sample estimates may differ from the "true" population 

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

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

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. That 

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

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will 

differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the 

"true" population value because of sampling error. 

Estimates of sampling errors are available upon request.

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

reasons, including the failure to include a segment of 

the population, the inability to obtain data from all 

units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness of 

respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes 

made by respondents, errors made in the collection or 

processing of the data, and errors from the employment 

benchmark data used in estimation.

Other information

 Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice 

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

877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,012 3,501 3,408 3,274 3,540 3,477 3,498 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,697 3,100 3,062 2,925 3,188 3,119 3,125 2.4 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.7

Construction........................................................................ 48 78 80 83 78 86 84 .9 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5

Manufacturing................................................................ 214 249 240 240 252 261 253 1.8 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 479 599 594 581 574 584 599 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 253 359 334 316 323 315 377 1.7 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.5

Professional and business services......................... 601 692 644 561 785 695 691 3.4 3.8 3.6 3.1 4.3 3.8 3.7

Education and health services 6........................................... 542 600 622 616 605 630 654 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1

 Health care and social assistance... 478 530 558 552 552 576 597 2.8 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 376 392 404 434 441 432 418 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 48 56 62 58 44 72 52 2.4 2.8 3.1 2.9 2.3 3.6 2.6

Accommodation and food services......................... 328 336 342 376 397 360 365 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.0

Government 7......................................................................................... 315 400 345 349 352 358 373 1.4 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7

State and local government.................................................................................... 259 345 279 299 301 305 322 1.3 1.8 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 574 606 573 557 595 590 632 2.3 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4

South ............................................................................................... 1,064 1,335 1,310 1,306 1,443 1,442 1,398 2.2 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.8

Midwest ......................................................................................... 630 736 715 730 763 738 766 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.5

West ...................................................................................... 745 824 811 682 740 707 702 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4

1

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

8

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

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

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

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

 

3

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

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

 

4

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

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

 

5

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

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

 

6

 Includes educational services, not shown separately. Wyoming.

 

7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 

p

 = Preliminary

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

Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 4,089 4,276 4,220 4,268 4,188 4,239 4,385 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,850 4,002 3,979 3,986 3,889 3,945 4,075 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.7

Construction........................................................................ 366 360 333 312 315 331 310 6.7 6.5 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.6

Manufacturing................................................................ 258 240 240 237 269 253 259 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 854 810 840 849 812 836 819 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.2

Retail trade................................................................................. 569 567 559 573 517 557 565 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services......................... 849 911 893 858 818 831 959 5.0 5.2 5.1 4.9 4.6 4.7 5.4

Education and health services 6........................................... 467 486 484 483 494 517 540 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

 Health care and social assistance... 385 391 414 407 414 441 469 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.8

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 639 736 719 779 743 757 765 4.8 5.5 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.6 5.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 101 135 131 157 141 139 121 5.3 7.1 6.9 8.2 7.4 7.2 6.3

Accommodation and food services......................... 538 600 588 622 602 618 644 4.8 5.2 5.1 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.5

Government 7......................................................................................... 239 275 241 281 299 294 311 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 206 248 215 252 270 275 280 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 690 664 684 691 676 710 725 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.9

South ............................................................................................... 1,491 1,626 1,656 1,626 1,634 1,667 1,827 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.8

Midwest ......................................................................................... 1,018 996 960 1,004 986 977 925 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.1

West ...................................................................................... 890 990 919 947 891 884 908 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.1

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

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

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

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

total employment. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

3

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

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

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and 

other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels Rates 3 (in thousands)

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,877 4,089 4,065 4,057 4,023 4,017 4,092 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,610 3,808 3,781 3,750 3,695 3,729 3,787 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4

Construction........................................................................ 320 324 325 300 303 308 322 5.8 5.9 5.9 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.8

Manufacturing................................................................ 230 236 227 236 239 217 236 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.8 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 813 811 813 770 773 837 781 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 545 567 539 520 509 579 545 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 785 857 831 807 792 745 833 4.6 4.9 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.7

Education and health services 6........................................... 440 409 450 462 468 501 467 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 366 342 386 396 402 412 404 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 590 716 663 715 695 700 723 4.5 5.4 5.0 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 94 140 114 142 133 125 114 4.9 7.3 6.0 7.4 7.0 6.5 5.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 497 576 549 573 562 575 609 4.4 5.0 4.8 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.2

Government 7......................................................................................... 267 281 285 307 328 288 305 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 242 250 253 268 292 262 272 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast......................................................................... 713 660 702 667 631 692 699 2.9 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.8

South............................................................................................... 1,486 1,607 1,537 1,609 1,592 1,598 1,618 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4

Midwest......................................................................................... 833 897 949 881 905 866 902 2.8 3.0 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0

West...................................................................................... 845 925 877 899 895 862 873 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0

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

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

month. 7

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

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

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

entire month as a percent of total employment. p

 = Preliminary

3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent 

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

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

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

Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Feb. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 1,918 2,015 1,983 1,976 2,008 2,002 2,090 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 1,809 1,902 1,869 1,860 1,867 1,876 1,961 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8

Construction........................................................................ 69 80 80 91 76 70 67 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.2

Manufacturing................................................................ 91 99 105 121 113 97 101 .8 .8 .9 1.0 1.0 .8 .8

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 456 456 461 413 447 449 457 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8

Retail trade................................................................................. 321 336 330 294 331 342 344 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3

Professional and business services......................... 390 395 368 380 363 352 373 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1

Education and health services 6........................................... 236 244 242 247 265 282 295 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

 Health care and social assistance... 205 215 215 225 233 251 262 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 358 403 374 370 388 398 436 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 40 45 41 36 48 43 55 2.1 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.2 2.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 318 358 334 335 340 355 380 2.8 3.1 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.3

Government 7......................................................................................... 109 114 114 116 141 125 129 .5 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6 .6

State and local government.................................................................................... 101 104 102 106 131 116 116 .5 .5 .5 .6 .7 .6 .6

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 304 281 288 275 279 343 324 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.3

South ............................................................................................... 775 877 782 830 816 827 861 1.6 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8

Midwest ......................................................................................... 431 425 477 443 469 412 469 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6

West ...................................................................................... 409 433 436 428 445 419 436 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5

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

 Includes educational services, not shown separately.

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

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

percent of total employment. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 

3

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

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

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

5

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels 3 (in thousands) Rates

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 2,873 3,661 3,306 2.2 2.7 2.5

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,575 3,324 2,959 2.4 3.0 2.6

Mining and logging...................................................21 38 22 2.8 4.4 2.6

Construction...................................................................................................... 45 80 76 .9 1.5 1.5

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 215 267 251 1.8 2.2 2.1

Durable goods.............................................................................. 139 195 166 1.9 2.6 2.2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 76 72 85 1.7 1.6 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 447 594 538 1.8 2.3 2.1

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 122 165 97 2.2 2.9 1.7

Retail trade................................................................................. 208 292 315 1.4 2.0 2.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 117 137 126 2.4 2.7 2.5

Information...................................................................................... 72 87 79 2.6 3.2 2.9

Financial activities........................................................................... 183 254 154 2.3 3.2 2.0

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 152 176 109 2.6 3.0 1.9

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 31 79 45 1.6 4.0 2.3

Professional and business services........................................ 583 798 667 3.3 4.4 3.7

Education and health services................................................................. 526 692 634 2.6 3.3 3.0

Educational services................................................................ 64 54 54 1.9 1.7 1.5

Health care and social assistance.................................. 462 638 580 2.7 3.7 3.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 356 386 395 2.7 2.9 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 48 58 52 2.7 3.3 2.9

Accommodation and food services............................... 308 328 343 2.7 2.9 3.0

Other services................................................................................. 128 128 143 2.4 2.4 2.6

Government......................................................................................... 297 337 347 1.3 1.5 1.5

Federal................................................................................................ 56 49 50 1.9 1.7 1.8

State and local.................................................................................... 242 288 297 1.2 1.5 1.5

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 526 631 594 2.1 2.5 2.3

South............................................................................................... 1,045 1,555 1,340 2.2 3.2 2.7

Midwest................................................................................................. 586 725 712 2.0 2.4 2.3

West....................................................................................................... 716 750 661 2.5 2.6 2.2

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

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

plus job openings.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,335 4,072 3,580 2.6 3.1 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,169 3,782 3,358 3.0 3.5 3.1

Mining and logging...................................................19 42 31 2.6 5.1 3.7

Construction...................................................................................................... 287 280 240 5.7 5.4 4.7

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 229 276 233 2.0 2.3 2.0

Durable goods.............................................................................. 139 170 141 1.9 2.3 1.9

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 91 106 92 2.1 2.4 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 652 723 617 2.7 2.9 2.5

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 127 152 103 2.3 2.8 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 407 434 409 2.9 3.0 2.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 119 137 105 2.5 2.8 2.2

Information...................................................................................... 38 57 47 1.4 2.2 1.8

Financial activities........................................................................... 114 164 124 1.5 2.1 1.6

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 75 117 78 1.3 2.0 1.4

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 40 47 46 2.1 2.5 2.4

Professional and business services........................................ 769 913 874 4.6 5.3 5.0

Education and health services................................................................. 390 522 456 2.0 2.6 2.2

Educational services................................................................ 71 78 60 2.1 2.4 1.8

Health care and social assistance.................................. 319 445 396 1.9 2.6 2.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 515 611 614 4.1 4.8 4.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 64 109 71 3.8 6.4 4.1

Accommodation and food services............................... 450 502 543 4.1 4.5 4.8

Other services................................................................................. 156 193 120 2.9 3.6 2.3

Government......................................................................................... 166 290 222 .7 1.3 1.0

Federal................................................................................................ 22 19 22 .8 .7 .8

State and local.................................................................................... 143 271 201 .7 1.4 1.0

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 499 671 529 2.0 2.7 2.1

South............................................................................................... 1,277 1,656 1,573 2.7 3.5 3.3

Midwest................................................................................................. 839 918 741 2.9 3.1 2.5

West....................................................................................................... 720 827 737 2.5 2.9 2.6

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

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

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,075 4,543 3,260 2.4 3.5 2.5

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,920 4,283 3,076 2.7 3.9 2.8

Mining and logging...................................................17 33 27 2.3 4.1 3.3

Construction...................................................................................................... 270 402 274 5.4 7.8 5.4

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 198 243 205 1.7 2.1 1.7

Durable goods.............................................................................. 112 137 108 1.6 1.9 1.5

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 86 106 97 2.0 2.4 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 689 1,086 663 2.8 4.3 2.7

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 113 153 90 2.1 2.8 1.6

Retail trade................................................................................. 471 774 470 3.3 5.3 3.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 105 160 102 2.2 3.3 2.1

Information...................................................................................... 44 92 52 1.7 3.6 2.0

Financial activities........................................................................... 120 214 123 1.6 2.8 1.6

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 76 142 74 1.3 2.5 1.3

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 44 73 50 2.3 3.8 2.6

Professional and business services........................................ 664 822 717 3.9 4.7 4.1

Education and health services................................................................. 354 504 377 1.8 2.5 1.9

Educational services................................................................ 42 75 36 1.2 2.3 1.0

Health care and social assistance.................................. 312 429 341 1.9 2.6 2.0

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 415 700 509 3.3 5.5 3.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 48 101 57 2.8 5.9 3.3

Accommodation and food services............................... 366 599 452 3.4 5.4 4.0

Other services................................................................................. 149 184 129 2.8 3.5 2.4

Government......................................................................................... 155 260 184 .7 1.2 .8

Federal................................................................................................ 19 31 25 .7 1.1 .9

State and local.................................................................................... 136 229 159 .7 1.2 .8

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 534 788 524 2.2 3.2 2.1

South............................................................................................... 1,200 1,823 1,325 2.6 3.9 2.8

Midwest................................................................................................. 650 982 699 2.2 3.3 2.3

West....................................................................................................... 691 950 711 2.4 3.3 2.5

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

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

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,514 1,965 1,664 1.2 1.5 1.3

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,437 1,849 1,572 1.3 1.7 1.4

Mining and logging...................................................11 15 14 1.6 1.8 1.7

Construction...................................................................................................... 52 60 49 1.0 1.2 1.0

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 75 90 84 .6 .8 .7

Durable goods.............................................................................. 42 47 41 .6 .6 .6

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 33 43 43 .8 1.0 1.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 369 448 377 1.5 1.8 1.5

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 52 47 39 .9 .8 .7

Retail trade................................................................................. 258 338 284 1.8 2.3 2.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 59 63 53 1.3 1.3 1.1

Information...................................................................................... 23 49 24 .9 1.9 .9

Financial activities........................................................................... 54 85 67 .7 1.1 .9

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 39 48 44 .7 .8 .8

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 15 37 22 .8 1.9 1.2

Professional and business services........................................ 327 341 320 1.9 2.0 1.8

Education and health services................................................................. 188 283 241 .9 1.4 1.2

Educational services................................................................ 20 30 21 .6 .9 .6

Health care and social assistance.................................. 168 253 220 1.0 1.5 1.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 266 377 325 2.1 2.9 2.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 23 29 33 1.4 1.7 1.9

Accommodation and food services............................... 243 347 292 2.2 3.1 2.6

Other services................................................................................. 71 103 71 1.3 1.9 1.3

Government......................................................................................... 77 116 92 .3 .5 .4

Federal................................................................................................ 6 11 11 .2 .4 .4

State and local.................................................................................... 71 105 81 .4 .5 .4

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 223 329 247 .9 1.3 1.0

South............................................................................................... 617 855 687 1.3 1.8 1.4

Midwest................................................................................................. 334 382 370 1.1 1.3 1.2

West....................................................................................................... 340 399 360 1.2 1.4 1.3

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

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

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,276 2,135 1,310 1.0 1.6 1.0

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,232 2,059 1,258 1.2 1.9 1.2

Mining and logging...................................................4 16 12 .5 2.0 1.5

Construction...................................................................................................... 211 319 213 4.2 6.2 4.2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 105 120 96 .9 1.0 .8

Durable goods.............................................................................. 57 70 55 .8 .9 .7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 48 50 41 1.1 1.1 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 249 537 223 1.0 2.1 .9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 47 86 39 .9 1.5 .7

Retail trade................................................................................. 173 369 153 1.2 2.5 1.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 30 82 31 .6 1.7 .6

Information...................................................................................... 17 39 26 .6 1.5 1.0

Financial activities........................................................................... 48 64 29 .6 .8 .4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 27 32 20 .5 .6 .3

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 21 32 9 1.1 1.7 .5

Professional and business services........................................ 291 405 355 1.7 2.3 2.0

Education and health services................................................................. 110 182 98 .6 .9 .5

Educational services................................................................ 19 40 11 .6 1.2 .3

Health care and social assistance.................................. 92 142 87 .6 .8 .5

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 126 307 158 1.0 2.4 1.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 23 70 21 1.3 4.1 1.2

Accommodation and food services............................... 104 237 137 .9 2.1 1.2

Other services................................................................................. 69 70 48 1.3 1.3 .9

Government......................................................................................... 44 76 52 .2 .3 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 5 8 6 .2 .3 .2

State and local.................................................................................... 39 68 46 .2 .4 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 269 374 224 1.1 1.5 .9

South............................................................................................... 462 799 521 1.0 1.7 1.1

Midwest................................................................................................. 254 481 270 .9 1.6 .9

West....................................................................................................... 291 482 294 1.0 1.7 1.0

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

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

employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Feb. Jan. Feb. Feb. Jan. Feb.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 285 443 286 0.2 0.3 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 251 374 246 .2 .3 .2

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

4

) .2 .3 (

4

)

Construction...................................................................................................... 6 23 12 .1 .4 .2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 18 33 26 .2 .3 .2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 13 21 12 .2 .3 .2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 5 12 13 .1 .3 .3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 71 101 63 .3 .4 .3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 15 20 12 .3 .4 .2

Retail trade................................................................................. 40 67 33 .3 .5 .2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 16 14 18 .3 .3 .4

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

Financial activities........................................................................... 18 66 28 .2 .9 .4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 10 61 9 .2 1.1 .2

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 8 5 18 .4 .2 1.0

Professional and business services........................................ 46 76 42 .3 .4 .2

Education and health services................................................................. 56 40 37 .3 .2 .2

Educational services................................................................ 3 5 3 .1 .2 .1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 53 35 34 .3 .2 .2

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 22 17 27 .2 .1 .2

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

Accommodation and food services............................... 20 15 24 .2 .1 .2

Other services................................................................................. 8 12 9 .2 .2 .2

Government......................................................................................... 34 68 40 .1 .3 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 8 12 8 .3 .4 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 25 57 32 .1 .3 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 42 85 52 .2 .3 .2

South............................................................................................... 121 171 117 .3 .4 .2

Midwest................................................................................................. 62 118 59 .2 .4 .2

West....................................................................................................... 60 69 57 .2 .2 .2

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

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

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 4 Data round to zero.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates