For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, December 8, 2009 USDL-09-1499

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, January 12, 2010, to correct an error 

in the “Separations” section on page 3 of the text. The stated change in the number of quits 

between December 2006 and April 2009 was corrected to 1.4 million.

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – OCTOBER 2009 

There were 2.5 million job openings on the last business day of October 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor 

Statistics reported today. The job openings rate was unchanged over the month at 1.9 percent. The 

openings rate has held relatively steady since March 2009. The hires rate (3.0 percent) and the 

separations rate (3.2 percent) were essentially unchanged and remained low. This release includes 

estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by 

industry and geographic region. 

Job Openings 

The job openings rate was unchanged in October at 1.9 percent. After falling steeply from mid-2007 

through February 2009, the job openings rate has been steady at 1.8 percent or 1.9 percent since March 

2009. The number of job openings fell by 2.3 million from the most recent peak in June 2007 to April 

2009 but has declined by only 7,000 since. The job openings rate was essentially unchanged in every 

industry and region in October. (See table 1.) 

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, November 2006 - October 2009

Percent

2007 2008 2009

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

4.2

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted, November 2006 - October 2009

Percent

Separations

Hires

2007 2008 2009
- 2 - 

Over the 12 months ending in October, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) decreased for 

total nonfarm, total private, and government. The job openings rate also decreased in many industries: 

mining and logging; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; retail trade; 

transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; educational services; health care and social 

assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation; accommodation and food services; and state and local 

government. The job openings rate decreased in 3 of the 4 regions—Midwest, Northeast, and South. 

(See table 5.) 

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

Industry Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total 1.........................................................3,390 2,586 2,506 4,486 4,061 3,966 4,910 4,325 4,203

Total private 1................................................... 2,964 2,298 2,186 4,160 3,800 3,684 4,607 4,038 3,919

Construction................................................79 70 57 380 349 342 440 421 402

Manufacturing..........................................230 132 135 290 270 251 404 314 311

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2..................... 564 407 398 933 842 781 1,034 870 834

Retail trade..................................... 363 271 275 624 535 527 680 561 562

Professional and business services......................... 603 501 464 788 724 709 906 740 722

Education and health services........................... 646 546 532 544 526 512 507 502 460

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 417 311 275 769 656 646 794 697 699

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 47 23 20 119 104 81 124 102 107

Accommodation and food services..........370 286 255 651 562 558 670 590 590

Government 3..................................... 427 296 327 318 266 278 294 279 282

 State and local government..................................... 344 240 250 275 244 236 265 260 249

Total 1................................................... 2.4 1.9 1.9 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.6 3.3 3.2

Total private 1................................................... 2.5 2.1 2.0 3.7 3.5 3.4 4.0 3.7 3.6

Construction..........................................1.1 1.2 0.9 5.4 5.8 5.7 6.2 7.0 6.7

Manufacturing................................................ 1.7 1.1 1.1 2.2 2.3 2.2 3.1 2.7 2.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2........................ 2.1 1.6 1.6 3.6 3.4 3.1 4.0 3.5 3.3

Retail trade.................................... 2.3 1.8 1.8 4.1 3.6 3.6 4.5 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services......................... 3.3 2.9 2.7 4.5 4.4 4.3 5.1 4.5 4.3

Education and health services........................... 3.3 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.4

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 3.0 2.3 2.1 5.7 5.0 4.9 5.9 5.3 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 2.4 1.2 1.1 6.1 5.5 4.3 6.4 5.3 5.7

Accommodation and food services..........3.1 2.5 2.2 5.7 5.0 5.0 5.9 5.2 5.3

Government 3..................................... 1.9 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3

 State and local government..................................... 1.7 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3

 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 federal government, not show n separately.

 p = preliminary.

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)
- 3 - 

Hires 

The hires rate was essentially unchanged in October at 3.0 percent. The rate has remained between 3.0 

percent and 3.2 percent since February 2009. The hires level fell by 1.5 million from the most recent 

peak in July 2006 to March 2009 but has declined by only 133,000 since. The hires rate was essentially 

unchanged in every industry and region in October. (See table 2.) 

Over the 12 months ending in October, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) declined for total nonfarm

and total private. The hires rate decreased over the 12 months for wholesale trade; retail trade; 

information; accommodation and food services; and state and local government. The rate increased for 

federal government. The hires rate fell over the past 12 months in the Midwest and South. (See table 6.) 

Separations 

The total separations, or turnover, rate was little changed in October and remained low at 3.2 percent. 

The total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) decreased over the 12 months ending in October for 

total nonfarm and total private. Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and 

discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including retirements). (See tables 3 and 7.) 

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

was essentially unchanged in October at 1.3 percent. The quits level remained at 1.8 million in October.

The number of quits has held steady since April 2009 after falling by 1.4 million from the most recent 

peak in December 2006. (See table 4.) 

Over the 12 months ending in October, the quits rate (not seasonally adjusted) was lower for total 

nonfarm, total private, government, and many industries, including mining and logging; durable goods 

manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; professional and 

business services; accommodation and food services; and state and local government. The quits rate 

decreased in 3 of the 4 regions—Midwest, South, and West. (See table 8.) 

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

total private, and government levels. The layoffs and discharges levels for total nonfarm, total private, 

and government were little changed in October at 2.1 million, 2.0 million, and 113,000 respectively. The 

corresponding layoffs and discharges rates were 1.6 percent, 1.8 percent, and 0.5 percent. The number of 

layoffs and discharges at the total nonfarm level peaked at 2.6 million in January 2009; the most recent 

trough was 1.6 million in January 2006. (See table B below.) 

The layoffs and discharges rate (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed over the 12 months ending 

in October for total nonfarm, total private, and government. The layoffs and discharges rate rose in 

mining and logging and in construction; the rate fell in information. The layoffs and discharges rate was 

little changed in all four regions. (See table 9.) 
- 4 - 

The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. In October, there were 327,000 other separations 

for total nonfarm, 278,000 for total private, and 49,000 for government. Compared to October 2008, the 

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

table 10.) 

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

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

level attributable to the individual components has varied over time. The proportion of quits had 

exceeded the proportion of layoffs and discharges every month from the beginning of the series in 

December 2000 until November 2008 when layoffs and discharges became the larger contributor to total 

separations. The proportion of separations due to quits fell to a series low of 38 percent in April 2009 

but has since risen slightly, standing at 42 percent in October 2009. The proportion of separations due to 

layoffs and discharges rose to a series high of 55 percent in July 2009 but has since dropped slightly, 

standing at 50 percent in October 2009. (See tables 3 and 4, and table B above.) 

Net Change in Employment 

Over the 12 months ending in October, hires totaled 49.9 million and separations totaled 54.9 million,

yielding a net employment loss of 5.0 million. 

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for November 2009 are scheduled to be 

released on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. (EST). Scheduled release dates for the 

balance of 2010 are as follows: 

Dec. — Feb. 9 June — Aug. 11 

Jan. — March 9 July — Sept. 8 

Feb. — April 6 Aug. — Oct. 7 

March — May 11 Sept. — Nov. 9 

April — June 8 Oct. — Dec. 7 

May — July 13 

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 2,111 2,128 2,121 1.5 1.6 1.6

Total private............................................................................................ 2,000 2,036 1,999 1.8 1.9 1.8

Government......................................................................................... 103 120 113 0.5 0.5 0.5

 p = preliminary.

Industry

Levels (in thousands) Rates
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, fax, e-mail, and mail. 

Coverage 

 The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm 

establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as 

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

50 states and the District of Columbia. 

Concepts 

 Industry classification. The industry classifications in 

this release are in accordance with the 2007 version of the 

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, 

State Workforce Agencies verify with employers and 

update, if necessary, the industry code, location, and 

ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year 

cycle. Changes in establishment characteristics resulting 

from the verification process are always introduced into 

the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the 

first month of the year. 

 Employment. Employment includes persons on the 

payroll who worked or received pay for the pay period 

that includes the 12th day of the reference month. Fulltime, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried, 

and hourly employees are included, as are employees on 

paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or partners 

of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or 

persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire 

pay period, are not counted as employed. Employees of 

temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, 

outside contractors, and consultants are counted by their 

employer of record, not by the establishment where they 

are working. 

 Job openings. Establishments submit job openings 

information for the last business day of the reference 

month. A job opening requires that: 1) a specific position 

exists and there is work available for that position, 2) 

work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a 

suitable candidate is found, and 3) the employer is 

actively recruiting from outside the establishment to fill 

the position. Included are 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. 

 Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and levels 
of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, 

and total separations are released with the January news 

release each year. 

 The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, 

layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total 

separations are the sum of the 12 published monthly 

levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by 

dividing the annual level by the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and 

multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be 

approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly rates. 

Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels are 

rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual 

estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, 

annual estimates are published only for not seasonally 

adjusted data. 

 Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings 

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

measurement for the last business day of each month. 

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

counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be 

cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job 

openings cannot be created by summing the monthly 

estimates. Hires and separations are flow measures and 

are cumulated over the month with a total reported for the 

month. Therefore, the annual figures can be created by 

summing the monthly estimates. 

Special Collection Procedures 

 An implied measure of employment change can be 

derived from the JOLTS data by subtracting separations 

from hires for a given month. Aggregating these monthly 

changes historically produced employment levels that 

overstated employment change as measured by CES at the 

total nonfarm level. Research into this problem showed 

that a significant amount of the divergence between the 

CES employment levels and the derived JOLTS 

employment levels was traceable to the Employment 

Services industry and to the State Government Education 

industry. In the former industry, businesses have a 

difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary 

help workers. In the latter industry, employers have 

difficulty reporting hires and separations of student 

workers. BLS now devotes additional resources to the 

collection, editing, and review of data for these 

industries. BLS analysts more closely examine reported 

data that do not provide a consistent picture over time, 

and re-contact the respondents as necessary. Analysts 

work with the respondents to adjust their reporting 

practices as possible. Units that cannot be reconciled but 

are clearly incorrect on a consistent basis are not used, 

they are replaced by imputed values using standard 

techniques. 

Sample and estimation methodology 

 The JOLTS survey design is a random sample of 16,000 

nonfarm business establishments, including factories, 

offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local 

governments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The establishments are drawn from a universe of over 9.1 

million establishments compiled as part of the operations 

of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 

(QCEW) program. This program includes all employers 

subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and 

federal agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation 

for Federal Employees (UCFE). 

 The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, 

industry sector, and size class. The JOLTS sample is 

constructed from individual panels of sample units drawn 

on an annual basis. The full annual sample consists of one 

certainty panel composed of only large units selected with 

virtual certainty based on their size and 24 non-certainty 

panels. Each month a new 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 out-of-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 

monthly to the employment estimates of the Current 

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

JOLTS employment is used to adjust the levels for all 

other JOLTS data elements. 

 JOLTS Business Birth/Death Model 

 As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only 

be as current as its sampling frame. The time lag from the 

birth of an establishment until its appearance on the 

sampling frame is approximately one year. In addition, 

many of these new units may fail within the first year. 

Since these universe units cannot be reflected on the 

sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS sample cannot 

capture job openings, hires, and 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 to the present using 

an econometric technique known as X-12 ARIMA 

modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical 

JOLTS data to estimate the amount of “churn” (hires and 

separations) that exists in establishments of various sizes. 

The model then combines the estimated churn with the 

projected employment change to estimate the number of 

hires and separations taking place in these units that 

cannot be measured through sampling. 
 The model-based estimate of total separations is 

distributed to the three components – quits; layoffs and 

discharges; and other separations - in proportion to their 

contribution to the sample-based estimate of total 

separations. Additionally, job openings for the modeled 

units are estimated by computing the ratio of openings to 

hires in the collected data and applying that ratio to the 

modeled hires. The estimates of job openings, hires, and 

separations produced by the birth/death model are then 

added to the sample-based estimates produced from the 

survey to arrive at the estimates for openings, hires, and 

separations. 

Seasonal adjustment 

 BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the 

X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal 

adjustment is the process of estimating and removing 

periodic fluctuations caused by events such as weather, 

holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year. 

Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe 

fundamental changes in the level of the series, particularly 

those associated with general economic expansions and 

contractions. A concurrent seasonal adjustment 

methodology is used in which new seasonal adjustment 

factors are calculated each month, using all relevant data, 

up to and including the data for the current month. 

Alignment procedure 

 JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable to 

the CES net employment change. However, definitional 

differences as well as sampling and non-sampling errors 

between the two surveys historically caused JOLTS to 

diverge from CES over time. To limit the divergence, and 

improve the quality of the JOLTS hires and separations 

series, BLS implemented the Monthly Alignment Method. 

The Monthly Alignment Method applies the CES 

employment trends to the seasonally adjusted JOLTS 

implied employment trend (hires minus separations) 

forcing them to be approximately the same, while 

preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data. First, the 

two series are seasonally adjusted and the difference 

between the JOLTS implied employment trend and the 

CES net employment change is calculated. Next, the 

JOLTS implied employment trend is adjusted to equal the 

CES net employment change through a proportional 

adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure 

adjusts the two components (hires, separations) 

proportionally to their contribution to the total churn 

(hires plus separations). For example, if hires are 40 

percent of the churn for a given month, they will receive 

40 percent of the needed adjustment and separations will 

receive 60 percent of the needed adjustment. The adjusted 

hires and separations are converted back to not seasonally 

adjusted data by reversing the application of the original 

seasonal factors. After the monthly alignment method has 

been used to adjust the level estimates, rate estimates are 

computed from the adjusted levels. The Monthly 

Alignment procedure assures a close match of the JOLTS 

implied employment trend with the CES trend. The CES 

series is considered a highly accurate measure of net 

employment change owing to its very large sample size 

and annual benchmarking to universe counts of 

employment from the QCEW program. 

Using JOLTS data 

 The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and 

separations are relatively new. The full sample is divided 

into panels, with one panel enrolled each month. A full 

complement of panels for the original data series based on 

the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system 

was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 

2002. The supplemental panels of establishments needed 

to create NAICS estimates were not completely enrolled 

until May 2003. The data collected up until those points 

are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates 

from earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer 

sampled units were reporting data at that time. 

 In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and 

separations data were revised to address possible 

underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations 

estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be 

comparable to estimates for March 2002 and later. 

 The federal government reorganization that involved 

transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the new 

Department of Homeland Security is not reflected in the 

JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal 

government. The Office of Personnel Management's 

record shows these transfers were completed in March 

2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions 

of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing 

movements of workers between establishments. The 

Department of Homeland Security reorganization was a 

massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these 

intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal 

government time series. 

 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. 

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; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 
Table 1. Job openings levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p

Total 4........................................................................................................... 3,390 2,523 2,513 2,408 2,423 2,586 2,506 2.4 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,964 2,191 2,163 2,090 2,128 2,298 2,186 2.5 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.1 2.0

Construction........................................................................ 79 39 56 47 65 70 57 1.1 .6 .9 .8 1.1 1.2 .9

Manufacturing................................................................ 230 105 113 110 122 132 135 1.7 .9 .9 .9 1.0 1.1 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 564 466 469 393 422 407 398 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6

Retail trade................................................................................. 363 319 308 260 273 271 275 2.3 2.1 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8

Professional and business services......................... 603 451 445 431 438 501 464 3.3 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.7

Education and health services................................................. 646 530 531 553 520 546 532 3.3 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 417 265 276 256 238 311 275 3.0 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.8 2.3 2.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 47 20 19 17 22 23 20 2.4 1.0 1.0 .9 1.1 1.2 1.1

Accommodation and food services......................... 370 239 254 237 216 286 255 3.1 2.1 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.2

Government 6......................................................................................... 427 310 322 314 300 296 327 1.9 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 344 267 273 266 269 240 250 1.7 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.3

REGION 7

Northeast......................................................................... 636 554 609 508 513 539 496 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.0

South............................................................................................... 1,314 888 882 870 911 930 898 2.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9

Midwest......................................................................................... 698 512 496 509 476 556 515 2.2 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.7

West...................................................................................... 734 544 561 517 533 575 599 2.3 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0

1

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

7

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

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

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

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

 

3

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

adjustment of the various series. Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and 

 

4

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

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

 

5

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

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

 

6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. Wyoming.

 

p

 = preliminary.

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

Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p

Total 4........................................................................................................... 4,486 3,942 3,919 4,228 4,040 4,061 3,966 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 4,160 3,739 3,654 3,930 3,779 3,800 3,684 3.7 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.4

Construction........................................................................ 380 365 277 355 297 349 342 5.4 5.8 4.5 5.8 4.9 5.8 5.7

Manufacturing................................................................ 290 206 225 272 243 270 251 2.2 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 933 842 744 819 818 842 781 3.6 3.3 2.9 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 624 575 519 547 557 535 527 4.1 3.9 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.6

Professional and business services......................... 788 721 644 686 715 724 709 4.5 4.3 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.4 4.3

Education and health services................................................. 544 473 530 522 538 526 512 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.6

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 769 695 695 716 695 656 646 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.0 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 119 83 107 138 107 104 81 6.1 4.4 5.7 7.3 5.7 5.5 4.3

Accommodation and food services......................... 651 606 590 582 591 562 558 5.7 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.0 5.0

Government 6......................................................................................... 318 273 262 282 261 266 278 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2

State and local government.................................................................................... 275 257 237 253 233 244 236 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2

REGION 7

Northeast......................................................................... 759 712 735 714 720 693 746 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0

South............................................................................................... 1,652 1,423 1,428 1,544 1,493 1,502 1,425 3.4 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.0

Midwest......................................................................................... 1,051 867 839 885 947 911 889 3.4 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.0

West...................................................................................... 1,043 995 917 1,042 884 939 909 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.5 3.0 3.2 3.1

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

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of not shown separately.

total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

3

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

adjustment of the various series. p

 = preliminary.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and 

other services, not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels Rates 3 (in thousands)

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p

Total 4........................................................................................................... 4,910 4,356 4,306 4,430 4,284 4,325 4,203 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.2

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 4,607 4,066 3,939 4,147 3,976 4,038 3,919 4.0 3.7 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.6

Construction........................................................................ 440 411 355 444 342 421 402 6.2 6.5 5.7 7.2 5.6 7.0 6.7

Manufacturing................................................................ 404 367 352 329 313 314 311 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 1,034 951 816 874 850 870 834 4.0 3.8 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 680 601 549 578 567 561 562 4.5 4.1 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.8

Professional and business services......................... 906 771 698 738 728 740 722 5.1 4.6 4.2 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.3

Education and health services................................................. 507 419 489 500 509 502 460 2.7 2.2 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 794 684 696 713 704 697 699 5.9 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.3 5.3 5.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 124 88 115 121 111 102 107 6.4 4.6 6.1 6.4 5.9 5.3 5.7

Accommodation and food services......................... 670 596 594 594 593 590 590 5.9 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.3

Government 6......................................................................................... 294 288 340 298 293 279 282 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.3

State and local government.................................................................................... 265 250 272 274 271 260 249 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3

REGION 7

Northeast......................................................................... 743 774 799 716 759 744 723 2.9 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.0 2.9

South............................................................................................... 1,782 1,565 1,535 1,602 1,490 1,521 1,529 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.1 3.2 3.2

Midwest......................................................................................... 1,168 1,016 958 958 951 985 936 3.8 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.1

West...................................................................................... 1,209 980 1,053 1,181 1,086 1,036 1,013 4.0 3.3 3.6 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.5

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

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

month. not shown separately.

 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

entire month as a percent of total employment. 7

 See footnote 7, table 1. 

3

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

seasonal adjustment of the various series.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

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

Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Oct. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009p

Total 4........................................................................................................... 2,436 1,788 1,787 1,778 1,779 1,804 1,754 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,305 1,682 1,680 1,673 1,680 1,713 1,655 2.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5

Construction........................................................................ 107 84 70 68 67 90 72 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.5 1.2

Manufacturing................................................................ 143 86 93 82 85 94 80 1.1 .7 .8 .7 .7 .8 .7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 548 398 391 415 407 445 372 2.1 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.5

Retail trade................................................................................. 377 296 299 295 309 342 275 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.3 1.9

Professional and business services......................... 477 281 257 265 269 276 282 2.7 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.7

Education and health services................................................. 294 249 264 235 249 269 267 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 516 396 429 411 413 351 372 3.8 3.0 3.3 3.1 3.1 2.7 2.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 39 45 46 38 38 17 36 2.0 2.4 2.4 2.0 2.0 .9 1.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 476 351 378 372 374 339 339 4.2 3.1 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.0

Government 6......................................................................................... 132 107 111 107 106 98 103 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .4 .5

State and local government.................................................................................... 122 97 99 101 97 95 97 .6 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5 .5

REGION 7

Northeast......................................................................... 347 303 279 234 270 297 290 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.2

South............................................................................................... 949 718 693 724 687 701 691 1.9 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

Midwest......................................................................................... 595 397 403 435 374 405 385 1.9 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.3

West...................................................................................... 541 398 434 404 460 414 391 1.8 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.3

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

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a not shown separately.

percent of total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

3

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

seasonal adjustment of the various series. p

 = preliminary.

4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, 

and other services, not shown separately.

Industry and region

Industry and region

Levels 3 (in thousands) Rates

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,580 2,664 2,700 2.5 2.0 2.0

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,151 2,381 2,361 2.7 2.1 2.1

Mining and logging...................................................15 11 6 1.8 1.5 .8

Construction...................................................................................................... 69 84 51 .9 1.3 .8

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 243 144 160 1.8 1.2 1.3

Durable goods.............................................................................. 131 71 74 1.5 1.0 1.0

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 112 73 86 2.2 1.6 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 647 429 457 2.4 1.7 1.8

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 104 68 74 1.7 1.2 1.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 432 307 326 2.8 2.1 2.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 110 54 57 2.1 1.1 1.2

Information...................................................................................... 107 64 74 3.5 2.2 2.5

Financial activities........................................................................... 173 211 162 2.1 2.7 2.1

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 128 147 109 2.1 2.5 1.9

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 45 64 53 2.1 3.1 2.6

Professional and business services........................................ 643 489 502 3.5 2.8 2.9

Education and health services................................................................. 671 537 556 3.4 2.7 2.8

Educational services................................................................ 65 35 46 2.0 1.1 1.4

Health care and social assistance.................................. 606 502 510 3.7 3.0 3.0

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 426 325 288 3.1 2.4 2.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 53 21 23 2.7 1.1 1.2

Accommodation and food services............................... 373 304 265 3.2 2.6 2.3

Other services................................................................................. 158 87 105 2.8 1.6 1.9

Government......................................................................................... 429 283 339 1.8 1.3 1.5

Federal................................................................................................ 89 53 93 3.1 1.8 3.2

State and local.................................................................................... 340 230 246 1.7 1.2 1.2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 732 552 566 2.8 2.2 2.2

South............................................................................................... 1,342 958 945 2.6 2.0 1.9

Midwest................................................................................................. 755 583 570 2.4 1.9 1.9

West....................................................................................................... 751 572 620 2.4 1.9 2.1

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

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

plus job openings.

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 6. Hires levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 4,866 4,253 4,272 3.5 3.2 3.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 4,565 3,876 3,998 4.0 3.6 3.7

Mining and logging...................................................32 17 20 3.9 2.4 2.8

Construction...................................................................................................... 373 323 338 5.1 5.1 5.4

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 309 290 264 2.3 2.4 2.2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 171 136 124 2.1 1.9 1.7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 138 154 140 2.8 3.3 3.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 1,116 899 921 4.2 3.6 3.7

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 169 149 123 2.8 2.6 2.2

Retail trade................................................................................. 775 564 648 5.1 3.9 4.4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 172 186 150 3.4 3.9 3.1

Information...................................................................................... 87 54 64 2.9 1.9 2.3

Financial activities........................................................................... 217 151 216 2.7 2.0 2.8

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 136 83 140 2.3 1.4 2.5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 81 69 76 3.8 3.4 3.8

Professional and business services........................................ 867 706 789 4.9 4.2 4.7

Education and health services................................................................. 599 606 566 3.1 3.2 2.9

Educational services................................................................ 78 112 81 2.4 3.7 2.5

Health care and social assistance.................................. 521 495 485 3.3 3.0 3.0

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 772 633 640 5.8 4.7 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 91 91 63 4.8 4.6 3.4

Accommodation and food services............................... 681 542 578 6.0 4.8 5.1

Other services................................................................................. 194 195 181 3.5 3.6 3.4

Government......................................................................................... 300 377 275 1.3 1.7 1.2

Federal................................................................................................ 29 25 41 1.0 .9 1.4

State and local.................................................................................... 272 352 234 1.3 1.8 1.2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 803 777 797 3.1 3.1 3.2

South............................................................................................... 1,797 1,527 1,530 3.6 3.2 3.2

Midwest................................................................................................. 1,151 960 980 3.7 3.2 3.3

West....................................................................................................... 1,115 990 964 3.6 3.4 3.3

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

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

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 7. Total separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 5,251 4,379 4,468 3.8 3.3 3.4

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 5,012 4,030 4,238 4.4 3.7 3.9

Mining and logging...................................................36 19 25 4.5 2.7 3.6

Construction...................................................................................................... 511 414 465 7.0 6.6 7.5

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 453 289 344 3.4 2.4 2.9

Durable goods.............................................................................. 279 155 179 3.3 2.2 2.5

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 174 134 165 3.5 2.9 3.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 1,054 854 842 4.0 3.4 3.3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 187 142 121 3.1 2.5 2.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 683 543 564 4.5 3.7 3.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 185 170 157 3.6 3.6 3.3

Information...................................................................................... 90 47 68 3.0 1.7 2.4

Financial activities........................................................................... 254 143 220 3.1 1.9 2.9

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 150 74 139 2.5 1.3 2.4

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 104 68 81 4.9 3.4 4.1

Professional and business services........................................ 963 717 776 5.4 4.3 4.6

Education and health services................................................................. 494 496 447 2.6 2.6 2.3

Educational services................................................................ 60 68 47 1.9 2.3 1.5

Health care and social assistance.................................. 434 428 400 2.7 2.6 2.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 956 835 844 7.2 6.3 6.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 173 176 152 9.0 9.0 8.2

Accommodation and food services............................... 783 658 692 6.9 5.8 6.2

Other services................................................................................. 201 216 208 3.6 4.0 3.9

Government......................................................................................... 239 349 230 1.0 1.6 1.0

Federal................................................................................................ 18 23 24 .6 .8 .8

State and local.................................................................................... 221 325 206 1.1 1.7 1.0

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 780 849 752 3.0 3.4 3.0

South............................................................................................... 1,869 1,448 1,614 3.8 3.1 3.4

Midwest................................................................................................. 1,252 1,030 992 4.0 3.5 3.3

West....................................................................................................... 1,349 1,051 1,110 4.4 3.6 3.8

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

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

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 8. Quits levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 2,626 1,925 1,907 1.9 1.5 1.4

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,517 1,815 1,819 2.2 1.7 1.7

Mining and logging...................................................21 6 7 2.7 .8 1.0

Construction...................................................................................................... 133 92 83 1.8 1.5 1.3

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 166 100 91 1.2 .8 .8

Durable goods.............................................................................. 98 46 36 1.2 .6 .5

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 68 54 55 1.4 1.2 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 581 470 398 2.2 1.9 1.6

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 84 55 38 1.4 1.0 .7

Retail trade................................................................................. 401 358 290 2.6 2.4 2.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 96 57 69 1.9 1.2 1.4

Information...................................................................................... 33 29 34 1.1 1.0 1.2

Financial activities........................................................................... 134 63 102 1.7 .8 1.3

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 89 34 70 1.5 .6 1.2

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 45 30 32 2.1 1.5 1.6

Professional and business services........................................ 467 275 318 2.6 1.6 1.9

Education and health services................................................................. 298 281 276 1.6 1.5 1.4

Educational services................................................................ 28 31 25 .9 1.0 .8

Health care and social assistance.................................. 270 250 251 1.7 1.5 1.5

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 585 403 418 4.4 3.0 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 46 25 40 2.4 1.3 2.1

Accommodation and food services............................... 539 378 379 4.7 3.3 3.4

Other services................................................................................. 98 95 92 1.8 1.8 1.7

Government......................................................................................... 109 110 88 .5 .5 .4

Federal................................................................................................ 4 7 3 .2 .3 .1

State and local.................................................................................... 104 103 85 .5 .5 .4

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 367 342 317 1.4 1.4 1.3

South............................................................................................... 1,030 689 756 2.1 1.5 1.6

Midwest................................................................................................. 652 451 420 2.1 1.5 1.4

West....................................................................................................... 577 443 413 1.9 1.5 1.4

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

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

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 2,295 2,145 2,234 1.7 1.6 1.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,208 1,959 2,141 1.9 1.8 2.0

Mining and logging...................................................12 12 17 1.5 1.6 2.4

Construction...................................................................................................... 353 315 374 4.8 5.0 6.0

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 253 172 233 1.9 1.5 2.0

Durable goods.............................................................................. 157 99 132 1.9 1.4 1.8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 96 73 100 1.9 1.6 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 403 300 348 1.5 1.2 1.4

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 93 63 61 1.6 1.1 1.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 239 138 219 1.6 .9 1.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 71 99 67 1.4 2.1 1.4

Information...................................................................................... 54 13 24 1.8 .4 .8

Financial activities........................................................................... 93 62 95 1.2 .8 1.2

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 41 25 51 .7 .4 .9

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 53 37 45 2.5 1.9 2.2

Professional and business services........................................ 442 394 414 2.5 2.4 2.5

Education and health services................................................................. 147 173 146 .8 .9 .7

Educational services................................................................ 27 31 21 .8 1.0 .7

Health care and social assistance.................................. 120 143 125 .8 .9 .8

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 354 401 398 2.7 3.0 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 126 149 104 6.6 7.6 5.7

Accommodation and food services............................... 229 252 293 2.0 2.2 2.6

Other services................................................................................. 96 118 92 1.7 2.2 1.7

Government......................................................................................... 88 186 94 .4 .8 .4

Federal................................................................................................ 8 7 8 .3 .3 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 79 178 85 .4 .9 .4

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 346 463 376 1.3 1.9 1.5

South............................................................................................... 711 653 765 1.4 1.4 1.6

Midwest................................................................................................. 528 511 503 1.7 1.7 1.7

West....................................................................................................... 709 517 590 2.3 1.8 2.0

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

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

employment.

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 10. Other separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Oct. Sept. Oct. Oct. Sept. Oct.

2008 2009 2009p 2008 2009 2009p

Total........................................................................................................... 331 309 327 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 288 256 278 .3 .2 .3

Mining and logging...................................................2 2 1 .3 .2 .2

Construction...................................................................................................... 25 7 8 .3 .1 .1

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 34 17 20 .3 .1 .2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 24 10 10 .3 .1 .1

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 10 7 10 .2 .1 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 71 84 96 .3 .3 .4

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 9 23 22 .2 .4 .4

Retail trade................................................................................. 43 47 54 .3 .3 .4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 18 14 21 .4 .3 .4

Information...................................................................................... 4 5 9 .1 .2 .3

Financial activities........................................................................... 27 18 23 .3 .2 .3

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 21 16 19 .3 .3 .3

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 6 2 4 .3 .1 .2

Professional and business services........................................ 53 48 44 .3 .3 .3

Education and health services................................................................. 49 41 25 .3 .2 .1

Educational services................................................................ 5 7 1 .2 .2 (

4

)

Health care and social assistance.................................. 44 35 24 .3 .2 .1

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 17 31 28 .1 .2 .2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 1 3 8 .1 .1 .4

Accommodation and food services............................... 15 28 20 .1 .2 .2

Other services................................................................................. 7 2 24 .1 (

4

) .4

Government......................................................................................... 42 53 49 .2 .2 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 5 9 13 .2 .3 .5

State and local.................................................................................... 37 44 36 .2 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 67 44 58 .3 .2 .2

South............................................................................................... 129 106 93 .3 .2 .2

Midwest................................................................................................. 72 68 69 .2 .2 .2

West....................................................................................................... 62 91 106 .2 .3 .4

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

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

 3 See footnote 7, table 1.

 4 Data round to zero.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region