For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, July 10, 2012 USDL-12-1379

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

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

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – MAY 2012

There were 3.6 million job openings on the last business day of May, little changed from 3.4 million in 

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

rate (3.3 percent) were essentially unchanged in May. 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 May was 3.6 million, little changed from April. (See table 1.) Job 

openings increased for manufacturing, government, and state and local government. The number of 

openings also increased for the Midwest region. The level of total nonfarm job openings in May was up 

from 2.4 million at the end of the recession in June 2009. (Recession dates are determined by the 

National Bureau of Economic Research.)

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

total private, and government. Job openings increased over the year for several industries and the 

Northeast and South regions. (See table 5.)

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

Percent

2010 2011 2012

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

June 2009 - May 2012

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,

June 2009 - May 2012
- 2 -

Hires

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

little changed in all industries and regions. (See table 2.) The number of hires in May was 4.4 million, up 

from 3.7 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

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

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

construction but rose in transportation, warehousing, and utilities and federal government. (See table 6.) Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Industry May Apr. May May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p

Total .........................................................3,077 3,447 3,642 4,182 4,213 4,361 4,177 4,142 4,349

Total private 1................................................... 2,774 3,093 3,247 3,923 3,916 4,063 3,867 3,838 4,020

Construction................................................ 100 69 77 366 276 284 369 290 327

Manufacturing..........................................227 259 310 269 260 258 258 239 241

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2..................... 513 562 594 833 826 857 793 817 790

Retail trade..................................... 303 338 348 564 556 552 548 560 539

Professional and business services......................... 626 660 688 911 888 925 894 855 961

Education and health services 3.....................575 665 699 468 495 536 438 470 479

 Health care and social assistance... 527 610 640 412 427 462 372 408 416

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 301 419 429 643 717 727 688 710 732

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 33 61 56 120 123 113 151 133 139

Accommodation and food services..........268 358 373 523 594 614 538 577 594

Government 4..................................... 303 354 395 258 297 298 310 304 329

State and local government..................................... 257 282 333 228 263 261 281 271 297

Total ...................................................... 2.3 2.5 2.7 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.3

Total private 1................................................... 2.5 2.7 2.8 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.6

Construction..........................................1.8 1.2 1.4 6.7 5.0 5.2 6.7 5.2 5.9

Manufacturing................................................ 1.9 2.1 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2........................ 2.0 2.2 2.3 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.1

Retail trade.................................... 2.0 2.2 2.3 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 3.5 3.6 3.7 5.3 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.8 5.4

Education and health services 3.....................2.8 3.2 3.3 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.2 2.3 2.4

 Health care and social assistance... 3.1 3.5 3.6 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.2 2.4 2.5

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 2.2 3.0 3.1 4.8 5.3 5.4 5.2 5.2 5.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 1.7 3.1 2.8 6.3 6.4 5.9 7.9 6.9 7.3

Accommodation and food services..........2.3 3.0 3.1 4.6 5.1 5.3 4.7 4.9 5.1

Government 4..................................... 1.4 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5

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

 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 -

Separations

The total separations figure includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total 

separations is also referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the 

employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave 

jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations 

include separations due to retirement, death, and disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the 

same firm.

The seasonally adjusted total separations rate was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm, total private, 

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

was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See table 7.)

In May, the quits rate displayed little or no change for total nonfarm, total private, and government. (See 

table 4.) The number of quits was 2.1 million in May, up from 1.8 million at the end of the recession in 

June 2009.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in May was essentially unchanged over the year for total 

nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of quits increased over the year in several 

industries but decreased in retail trade. (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 for total nonfarm and total private but increased for government. The layoffs and 

discharges rate showed little change in all four regions. (See table B.) The number of layoffs and 

discharges for total nonfarm was 1.9 million in May 2012, down from 2.1 million at the end of the 

recession in June 2009.

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,843 1,743 1,885 1.4 1.3 1.4

Total private............................................................................................ 1,732 1,644 1,749 1.6 1.5 1.6

Government......................................................................................... 111 98 136 0.5 0.4 0.6

Northeast......................................................................................... 377 334 354 1.5 1.3 1.4

South......................................................................................... 612 614 662 1.3 1.3 1.4

Midwest......................................................................................... 399 406 459 1.3 1.3 1.5

West......................................................................................... 455 388 410 1.6 1.3 1.4

 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 over the 12 months ending in May 2012. Over the year, the number of 

layoffs and discharges rose for mining and logging and was essentially unchanged 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. In May 2012, there were 344,000 other separations for total nonfarm, an 

increase from the previous month. Over the 12 months ending in May 2012, the number of other 

separations was little changed. (See tables C and 10.)

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 May 2012, hires totaled 51.1 million

and separations totaled 49.3 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.8 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 June 2012 are scheduled to be released

on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

Upcoming Changes to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover News Release

Effective with the release of June data on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, current tables B and 

C will be moved to the numbered tables section and will become tables 5 and 6, 

respectively. Current tables 5 through 10 will be renumbered tables 7 through 12.

Table C. Other separations, seasonally adjusted

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 338 285 344 0.3 0.2 0.3

Total private............................................................................................ 261 224 286 0.2 0.2 0.3

Government......................................................................................... 77 61 58 0.3 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

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

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,077 3,540 3,477 3,565 3,741 3,447 3,642 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,774 3,188 3,119 3,163 3,362 3,093 3,247 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.8

Construction........................................................................ 100 78 86 73 92 69 77 1.8 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.6 1.2 1.4

Manufacturing................................................................ 227 252 261 271 308 259 310 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.5 2.1 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 513 574 584 584 598 562 594 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 303 323 315 365 368 338 348 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.3

Professional and business services......................... 626 785 695 710 787 660 688 3.5 4.3 3.8 3.8 4.2 3.6 3.7

Education and health services 6........................................... 575 605 630 655 670 665 699 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.3

 Health care and social assistance... 527 552 576 598 605 610 640 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.6

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 301 441 432 408 431 419 429 2.2 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 33 44 72 48 57 61 56 1.7 2.3 3.6 2.5 2.8 3.1 2.8

Accommodation and food services......................... 268 397 360 360 375 358 373 2.3 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.1

Government 7......................................................................................... 303 352 358 402 378 354 395 1.4 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.8

State and local government.................................................................................... 257 301 305 338 310 282 333 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 565 595 590 671 688 679 684 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6

South ............................................................................................... 1,078 1,443 1,442 1,402 1,453 1,370 1,428 2.2 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.9

Midwest ......................................................................................... 706 763 738 791 853 666 758 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.2 2.4

West ...................................................................................... 728 740 707 702 746 732 774 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.6

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

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

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 4,182 4,188 4,239 4,444 4,335 4,213 4,361 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,923 3,889 3,945 4,128 4,041 3,916 4,063 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.7

Construction........................................................................ 366 315 331 318 286 276 284 6.7 5.7 5.9 5.7 5.1 5.0 5.2

Manufacturing................................................................ 269 269 253 260 263 260 258 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 833 812 836 815 827 826 857 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4

Retail trade................................................................................. 564 517 557 551 550 556 552 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 911 818 831 973 888 888 925 5.3 4.6 4.7 5.5 5.0 5.0 5.2

Education and health services 6........................................... 468 494 517 527 523 495 536 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.4 2.6

 Health care and social assistance... 412 414 441 455 442 427 462 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.7

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 643 743 757 794 795 717 727 4.8 5.5 5.6 5.9 5.8 5.3 5.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 120 141 139 156 154 123 113 6.3 7.4 7.2 8.1 7.9 6.4 5.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 523 602 618 639 640 594 614 4.6 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.5 5.1 5.3

Government 7......................................................................................... 258 299 294 316 294 297 298 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 228 270 275 284 264 263 261 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 717 676 710 756 711 673 669 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.6

South ............................................................................................... 1,646 1,634 1,667 1,748 1,677 1,676 1,748 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.6

Midwest ......................................................................................... 942 986 977 985 1,004 938 979 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.2

West ...................................................................................... 876 891 884 955 943 925 965 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.3

 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

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

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 4,177 4,023 4,017 4,124 4,167 4,142 4,349 3.2 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,867 3,695 3,729 3,823 3,869 3,838 4,020 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6

Construction........................................................................ 369 303 308 317 281 290 327 6.7 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.1 5.2 5.9

Manufacturing................................................................ 258 239 217 235 234 239 241 2.2 2.0 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 793 773 837 780 832 817 790 3.2 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 548 509 579 543 566 560 539 3.8 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 894 792 745 850 835 855 961 5.2 4.5 4.2 4.8 4.7 4.8 5.4

Education and health services 6........................................... 438 468 501 458 473 470 479 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4

 Health care and social assistance... 372 402 412 396 414 408 416 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 688 695 700 747 753 710 732 5.2 5.2 5.2 5.5 5.5 5.2 5.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 151 133 125 153 128 133 139 7.9 7.0 6.5 7.9 6.6 6.9 7.3

Accommodation and food services......................... 538 562 575 594 625 577 594 4.7 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.4 4.9 5.1

Government 7......................................................................................... 310 328 288 301 299 304 329 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5

State and local government.................................................................................... 281 292 262 269 267 271 297 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.5

REGION 8

Northeast......................................................................... 753 631 692 703 624 697 701 3.0 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.8

South............................................................................................... 1,523 1,592 1,598 1,571 1,678 1,556 1,643 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.4

Midwest......................................................................................... 927 905 866 970 943 971 1,047 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.5

West...................................................................................... 974 895 862 880 923 918 958 3.4 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.3

 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

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

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 1,996 2,008 2,002 2,072 2,159 2,114 2,120 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 1,874 1,867 1,876 1,947 2,025 1,969 1,986 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Construction........................................................................ 91 76 70 75 74 70 64 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2

Manufacturing................................................................ 109 113 97 102 112 114 108 .9 1.0 .8 .9 .9 1.0 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 473 447 449 461 472 455 421 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.7

Retail trade................................................................................. 351 331 342 345 343 332 301 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.0

Professional and business services......................... 366 363 352 371 380 396 430 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.4

Education and health services 6........................................... 247 265 282 287 284 266 262 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3

 Health care and social assistance... 217 233 251 256 253 238 234 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 383 388 398 425 471 445 470 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.3 3.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 39 48 43 58 47 47 55 2.0 2.5 2.2 3.0 2.4 2.5 2.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 344 340 355 368 425 398 415 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.4 3.6

Government 7......................................................................................... 122 141 125 125 134 145 134 .6 .6 .6 .6 .6 .7 .6

State and local government.................................................................................... 113 131 116 113 122 132 121 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6 .7 .6

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 310 279 343 314 278 309 292 1.2 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2

South ............................................................................................... 793 816 827 825 908 855 864 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.9 1.8 1.8

Midwest ......................................................................................... 454 469 412 493 508 495 506 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.7

West ...................................................................................... 440 445 419 440 465 456 458 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,074 3,683 3,669 2.3 2.7 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,766 3,326 3,266 2.5 2.9 2.8

Mining and logging...................................................22 16 19 2.8 1.9 2.2

Construction...................................................................................................... 121 87 97 2.1 1.6 1.7

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 236 268 330 2.0 2.2 2.7

Durable goods.............................................................................. 157 167 220 2.1 2.2 2.9

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 80 101 110 1.8 2.2 2.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 499 580 578 2.0 2.3 2.2

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 84 126 127 1.5 2.2 2.2

Retail trade................................................................................. 293 350 336 2.0 2.3 2.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 123 103 115 2.5 2.1 2.3

Information...................................................................................... 101 110 79 3.6 4.0 2.9

Financial activities........................................................................... 187 226 202 2.4 2.9 2.6

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 142 192 149 2.4 3.2 2.5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 46 34 53 2.3 1.7 2.6

Professional and business services........................................ 607 675 671 3.4 3.7 3.6

Education and health services................................................................. 566 693 701 2.8 3.3 3.3

Educational services................................................................ 51 62 60 1.5 1.8 1.8

Health care and social assistance.................................. 515 631 641 3.0 3.6 3.6

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 319 508 456 2.3 3.6 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 43 77 74 2.1 4.0 3.6

Accommodation and food services............................... 276 430 382 2.3 3.6 3.1

Other services................................................................................. 106 164 135 1.9 3.0 2.4

Government......................................................................................... 309 357 403 1.4 1.6 1.8

Federal................................................................................................ 44 79 59 1.5 2.7 2.0

State and local.................................................................................... 265 278 344 1.3 1.4 1.7

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 563 708 695 2.2 2.7 2.7

South............................................................................................... 1,055 1,447 1,415 2.2 2.9 2.8

Midwest................................................................................................. 718 752 769 2.3 2.4 2.5

West....................................................................................................... 739 776 790 2.5 2.6 2.6

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 4,577 4,490 4,796 3.5 3.4 3.6

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 4,297 4,281 4,469 3.9 3.9 4.0

Mining and logging...................................................32 34 37 4.2 4.2 4.4

Construction...................................................................................................... 460 366 358 8.3 6.8 6.4

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 303 271 292 2.6 2.3 2.4

Durable goods.............................................................................. 181 169 180 2.5 2.3 2.4

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 121 102 113 2.7 2.3 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 864 874 893 3.5 3.5 3.5

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 144 146 127 2.6 2.6 2.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 596 592 585 4.1 4.1 4.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 124 136 180 2.6 2.8 3.7

Information...................................................................................... 61 59 70 2.3 2.2 2.6

Financial activities........................................................................... 173 198 191 2.3 2.6 2.5

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 115 115 123 2.0 2.0 2.1

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 58 83 69 3.0 4.3 3.5

Professional and business services........................................ 958 991 1,000 5.5 5.6 5.6

Education and health services................................................................. 437 457 511 2.2 2.2 2.5

Educational services................................................................ 38 45 48 1.2 1.3 1.4

Health care and social assistance.................................. 399 411 463 2.4 2.4 2.7

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 810 828 896 6.0 6.1 6.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 189 159 171 9.6 8.5 8.6

Accommodation and food services............................... 621 669 725 5.4 5.8 6.1

Other services................................................................................. 199 202 221 3.7 3.8 4.1

Government......................................................................................... 280 209 328 1.2 .9 1.5

Federal................................................................................................ 35 29 48 1.2 1.0 1.7

State and local.................................................................................... 245 180 279 1.2 .9 1.4

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 803 711 738 3.2 2.8 2.9

South............................................................................................... 1,707 1,793 1,852 3.6 3.7 3.8

Midwest................................................................................................. 1,110 1,046 1,144 3.7 3.5 3.8

West....................................................................................................... 957 941 1,062 3.3 3.2 3.6

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,912 4,034 4,092 3.0 3.0 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,549 3,825 3,733 3.2 3.5 3.4

Mining and logging...................................................16 30 28 2.1 3.7 3.3

Construction...................................................................................................... 310 277 280 5.6 5.1 5.0

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 243 246 232 2.1 2.1 1.9

Durable goods.............................................................................. 130 139 134 1.8 1.9 1.8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 113 107 98 2.5 2.4 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 776 770 744 3.1 3.1 2.9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 135 105 104 2.4 1.9 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 543 525 515 3.7 3.6 3.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 98 139 125 2.0 2.9 2.5

Information...................................................................................... 60 57 68 2.2 2.2 2.6

Financial activities........................................................................... 128 190 163 1.7 2.5 2.1

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 94 127 114 1.6 2.2 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 35 64 50 1.8 3.3 2.5

Professional and business services........................................ 803 933 885 4.6 5.2 5.0

Education and health services................................................................. 430 439 472 2.2 2.2 2.3

Educational services................................................................ 76 48 71 2.3 1.4 2.1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 354 392 401 2.1 2.3 2.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 612 683 671 4.5 5.1 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 112 128 108 5.7 6.8 5.5

Accommodation and food services............................... 501 555 563 4.3 4.8 4.8

Other services................................................................................. 169 199 190 3.2 3.7 3.5

Government......................................................................................... 363 209 358 1.6 .9 1.6

Federal................................................................................................ 27 29 31 .9 1.0 1.1

State and local.................................................................................... 337 180 328 1.7 .9 1.7

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 658 644 602 2.6 2.5 2.4

South............................................................................................... 1,503 1,608 1,613 3.1 3.3 3.3

Midwest................................................................................................. 844 879 962 2.8 2.9 3.2

West....................................................................................................... 907 903 915 3.1 3.1 3.1

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 2,010 2,144 2,143 1.5 1.6 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,866 2,036 1,987 1.7 1.8 1.8

Mining and logging...................................................10 18 16 1.3 2.1 1.9

Construction...................................................................................................... 87 70 62 1.6 1.3 1.1

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 113 120 111 1.0 1.0 .9

Durable goods.............................................................................. 59 65 59 .8 .9 .8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 54 56 52 1.2 1.3 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 491 469 426 2.0 1.9 1.7

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 63 51 53 1.1 .9 .9

Retail trade................................................................................. 372 337 310 2.6 2.3 2.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 56 80 64 1.1 1.6 1.3

Information...................................................................................... 34 32 35 1.3 1.2 1.3

Financial activities........................................................................... 76 112 89 1.0 1.5 1.2

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 51 70 61 .9 1.2 1.1

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 24 42 28 1.3 2.2 1.4

Professional and business services........................................ 358 406 437 2.1 2.3 2.5

Education and health services................................................................. 244 262 256 1.2 1.3 1.3

Educational services................................................................ 31 24 28 .9 .7 .8

Health care and social assistance.................................. 213 237 228 1.3 1.4 1.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 372 456 468 2.8 3.4 3.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 36 45 51 1.8 2.4 2.6

Accommodation and food services............................... 337 411 417 2.9 3.5 3.5

Other services................................................................................. 81 94 86 1.5 1.8 1.6

Government......................................................................................... 144 107 156 .6 .5 .7

Federal................................................................................................ 9 11 14 .3 .4 .5

State and local.................................................................................... 135 97 142 .7 .5 .7

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 300 314 277 1.2 1.2 1.1

South............................................................................................... 812 905 887 1.7 1.9 1.8

Midwest................................................................................................. 439 468 495 1.5 1.5 1.6

West....................................................................................................... 459 457 484 1.6 1.6 1.6

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

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

 3 See footnote 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,578 1,618 1,608 1.2 1.2 1.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,443 1,564 1,473 1.3 1.4 1.3

Mining and logging...................................................5 11 10 .7 1.4 1.2

Construction...................................................................................................... 211 196 207 3.8 3.6 3.7

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 110 99 97 .9 .8 .8

Durable goods.............................................................................. 58 58 58 .8 .8 .8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 52 41 39 1.2 .9 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 208 231 237 .8 .9 .9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 62 43 40 1.1 .8 .7

Retail trade................................................................................. 121 143 150 .8 1.0 1.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 25 44 47 .5 .9 .9

Information...................................................................................... 22 21 24 .8 .8 .9

Financial activities........................................................................... 36 53 46 .5 .7 .6

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 26 34 28 .5 .6 .5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 10 18 18 .5 .9 .9

Professional and business services........................................ 402 497 402 2.3 2.8 2.3

Education and health services................................................................. 150 153 181 .8 .7 .9

Educational services................................................................ 38 20 39 1.2 .6 1.1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 112 133 142 .7 .8 .8

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 220 201 175 1.6 1.5 1.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 73 81 54 3.7 4.3 2.8

Accommodation and food services............................... 148 120 121 1.3 1.0 1.0

Other services................................................................................. 77 101 95 1.4 1.9 1.8

Government......................................................................................... 135 54 134 .6 .2 .6

Federal................................................................................................ 7 7 7 .3 .3 .2

State and local.................................................................................... 128 47 128 .7 .2 .7

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 299 280 276 1.2 1.1 1.1

South............................................................................................... 573 614 604 1.2 1.3 1.2

Midwest................................................................................................. 333 348 386 1.1 1.2 1.3

West....................................................................................................... 373 376 341 1.3 1.3 1.2

 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

May Apr. May May Apr. May

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 324 273 341 0.2 0.2 0.3

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 240 225 273 .2 .2 .2

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

Construction...................................................................................................... 12 11 10 .2 .2 .2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 20 27 24 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 13 16 17 .2 .2 .2

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

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 77 71 80 .3 .3 .3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 10 11 11 .2 .2 .2

Retail trade................................................................................. 50 45 55 .3 .3 .4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 18 15 14 .4 .3 .3

Information...................................................................................... 3 4 8 .1 .2 .3

Financial activities........................................................................... 17 26 29 .2 .3 .4

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 16 22 25 .3 .4 .4

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 1 4 4 (

4

) .2 .2

Professional and business services........................................ 43 30 46 .2 .2 .3

Education and health services................................................................. 35 25 36 .2 .1 .2

Educational services................................................................ 7 4 4 .2 .1 .1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 28 21 31 .2 .1 .2

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 20 27 28 .1 .2 .2

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

Accommodation and food services............................... 17 24 26 .1 .2 .2

Other services................................................................................. 11 4 10 .2 .1 .2

Government......................................................................................... 84 47 68 .4 .2 .3

Federal................................................................................................ 11 11 10 .4 .4 .4

State and local.................................................................................... 74 36 58 .4 .2 .3

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 59 50 49 .2 .2 .2

South............................................................................................... 118 90 122 .2 .2 .3

Midwest................................................................................................. 71 62 80 .2 .2 .3

West....................................................................................................... 75 70 91 .3 .2 .3

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

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

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 4 Data round to zero.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates