News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 08-1142 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, August 12, 2008 

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JUNE 2008 

On the last business day of June, there were 3.6 million job openings in the United States, and 

the job openings rate was 2.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor 

reported today. The job openings rate, hires rate, and total separations rate were all essentially 

unchanged in June. 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. 

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

 July 2005 - June 2008

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

Percent

2006 2007 2008

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted,

 July 2005 - June 2008

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Percent

Separations

Hires

2006 2007 2008

Although the month-to-month changes in job openings, hires, and turnover data are often small, 

the trends over time are notable. The job openings rate remained essentially flat from August 2006 

through September 2007, followed by a downward trend until March 2008 when the rate leveled off at 

2.6 percent for four consecutive months. The hires rate has trended downward since July 2006 and 

experienced a large drop in May 2008. The uptick in the hires rate in June 2008 was not statistically 

significant, and the rate remains at the lowest levels since 2003. After remaining essentially flat for 

much of 2007, the separations rate began an overall downward trend in December 2007. (See tables 1, 

2, and 3.) 
2 

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

Industry June May June June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total 1................................................4,267 3,631 3,627 4,843 4,123 4,333 4,609 4,313 4,251

Total private 1

.................................... 3,819 3,185 3,193 4,419 3,871 4,081 4,289 4,046 3,981

Construction.................................... 139 130 108 358 286 284 374 393 373

Manufacturing................................. 336 249 250 370 274 301 378 359 368

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

......... 723 572 541 943 828 900 1,001 868 908

 Retail trade.................................. 414 363 325 602 585 621 685 605 645

Professional and business services............ 717 649 713 884 770 871 737 741 780

Education and health services............... 709 648 689 500 479 492 475 434 428

Leisure and hospitality 3

........................ 577 503 475 874 847 761 839 801 767

 Accommodation and food services...... 504 438 427 735 731 670 715 675 659

Government 4

..................................... 453 451 427 395 329 308 315 269 272

 State and local government.................. 416 407 372 318 304 278 252 240 243

Total 1

................................................ 3.0 2.6 2.6 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.1

Total private 1

.................................... 3.2 2.7 2.7 3.8 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.5

Construction.................................... 1.8 1.8 1.5 4.7 3.9 3.9 4.9 5.4 5.2

Manufacturing................................. 2.4 1.8 1.8 2.7 2.0 2.2 2.7 2.6 2.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

......... 2.6 2.1 2.0 3.5 3.1 3.4 3.8 3.3 3.4

 Retail trade.................................... 2.6 2.3 2.1 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.4 3.9 4.2

Professional and business services............3.8 3.5 3.8 4.9 4.3 4.9 4.1 4.1 4.3

Education and health services............... 3.7 3.3 3.5 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.3

Leisure and hospitality 3

........................ 4.1 3.5 3.3 6.5 6.2 5.5 6.2 5.8 5.6

 Accommodation and food services...... 4.2 3.6 3.5 6.4 6.3 5.7 6.2 5.8 5.6

Government 4

.................................... 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.2

 State and local government.................. 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2

 1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. 2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately. 3 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately. 4 Includes federal government, not shown separately. p = preliminary.

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)

Job Openings

In June, the job openings rate was unchanged at 2.6 percent. Job openings include only those 

jobs open on the last business day of the month. Over the month, the job openings rate changed 

significantly only in state and local government and the West region, falling for both. Since the series 

began in December 2000, three industries consistently have had higher job openings rates than the other 
3 

industries: professional and business services (3.8 percent in June), education and health services (3.5 

percent), and accommodation and food services (3.5 percent). (See table 1.) 

Over the year, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose significantly only in natural 

resources and mining (to 2.2 percent) and federal government (2.0 percent). The rate fell over the year 

for total nonfarm (2.6 percent) and total private (2.7 percent) as well as in most industries, including 

durable goods manufacturing (1.7 percent); nondurable goods manufacturing (2.1 percent); wholesale 

trade (2.1 percent); retail trade (1.9 percent); transportation, warehousing, and utilities (1.8 percent); 

information (2.5 percent); finance and insurance (2.5 percent); real estate and rental and leasing (1.2 

percent); educational services (1.9 percent); arts, entertainment, and recreation (1.8 percent); 

accommodation and food services (3.5 percent); and state and local government (2.1 percent). 

Regionally, the job openings rate fell over the year in the Midwest (2.2 percent), South (2.9 percent), 

and West (2.7 percent). (See table 5.) 

Hires

The hires rate was essentially unchanged in June at 3.1 percent. After dropping in May, the hires 

rate remains at the lowest point since June 2003. Hires are any additions to the payroll during the 

month. The hires rate did not change significantly in any industry or region in June. As occurs nearly 

every month, the seasonally adjusted hires rate was highest in June in accommodation and food services 

(5.7 percent) and lowest in state and local government (1.4 percent). (See table 2.) 

From June 2007 to June 2008, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) increased significantly only in real 

estate and rental and leasing (to 4.7 percent); the rate decreased significantly for total nonfarm (to 3.8 

percent) and total private (4.2 percent), and in construction (4.9 percent); durable goods manufacturing 

(2.3 percent); wholesale trade (2.6 percent); information (1.9 percent); arts, entertainment, and 

recreation (6.5 percent); accommodation and food services (6.8 percent); federal government (1.2 

percent); and state and local government (1.9 percent). Regionally, the hires rate fell over the year in the 

South (3.8 percent) and West (4.0 percent). (See table 6.) 

Separations

The total separations, or turnover, rate was unchanged at 3.1 percent in June. Separations are 

terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. Over the month, the separations 

rate did not change significantly in any industry or region. As often occurs, the seasonally adjusted 

separations rate was highest in June in accommodation and food services (5.6 percent) and lowest in 

state and local government (1.2 percent). From June 2007 to June 2008, the total separations rate did 

not rise in any industry or region. The rate fell for total nonfarm (to 3.2 percent) and total private (3.5 

percent), and in wholesale trade (2.3 percent); finance and insurance (1.6 percent); educational services 

(3.0 percent); other services (2.6 percent); and federal government (0.9 percent); and the West region 

(3.6 percent). (See tables 3 and 7.) 

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

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

barometer of workers’ ability to change jobs, was unchanged in June for total nonfarm (at 1.7 percent) 

and has been stable since November 2007. The quits rate did not change significantly in any industry or 

region in June. As has occurred every month since the series began in December 2000, the seasonally 

adjusted quits rate was highest in the accommodation and food services industry (4.3 percent) and 

lowest in state and local government (0.6 percent). (See table 4.) 
4 

From June 2007 to June 2008, the quits rate (not seasonally adjusted) did not rise significantly 

for any industry. The rate fell for total nonfarm (to 1.9 percent) and total private (2.1 percent), and for 

several industries, including nondurable goods manufacturing (1.3 percent); wholesale trade (1.1 

percent); finance and insurance (1.0 percent); educational services (1.1 percent); and federal government 

(0.3 percent). The quits rate did not change significantly in June in any region. (See table 8.) 

The other two components of total separations—layoffs and discharges, and other separations—

are not seasonally adjusted. For June, the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) and level (1.6 

million) are essentially unchanged from a year earlier. The layoffs and discharges rate did not increase 

significantly in any industry or region; the rate fell for educational services (to 1.8 percent); other 

services (0.7 percent); and federal government (0.4 percent). The layoffs and discharges rate in June 

2008 was highest in construction (2.4 percent) and lowest in federal government (0.4 percent). The 

other separations rate (0.2 percent) and level (295,000) were lower in June than a year earlier. The other 

separations rate was highest in June 2008 for state and local government (0.4 percent). The other 

separations rate for most of the other industries range from 0.1 to 0.3 percent each month. (See tables 9 

and 10.) 

The total separations rate is driven by the relative contribution of its three components (quits, 

layoffs and discharges, and other separations), with quits contributing the largest portion. The 

percentage of total separations attributable to quits has risen and fallen over time. The proportion of total 

separations due to quits (seasonally adjusted) rose from a post-recession low of 50 percent in December 

2003 to a high of 61 percent in December 2006 before trending downward again. The proportion has 

been essentially level in 2008; quits accounted for 56 percent of total separations in June 2008. The 

proportion of separations attributable to quits has varied the most over the history of the series in the 

construction industry (ranging from 26 percent to 55 percent) and in the Northeast region (ranging from 

39 percent to 65 percent). The proportion of separations attributable to quits varies widely by industry 

with the highest proportion regularly occurring in the accommodation and food services industry (76 

percent in June) and the lowest proportion regularly occurring in the construction industry (37 percent in 

June). (See tables 3 and 4.) 

Flows in the Labor Market

Several industries consistently have high rates of both hires and separations. These include 

construction; retail trade; professional and business services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and 

accommodation and food services. In the 12 months ending in June 2008, these 5 industries produced 

32.1 million hires and 31.5 million separations. Therefore, these five industries accounted for 58 

percent of total nonfarm hires and 59 percent of total nonfarm separations while comprising only 40 

percent of total nonfarm employment. 

For More Information

For additional information, please read the Technical Note or visit the JOLTS Web site at 

http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing 

Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870. 

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for July 2008 is scheduled to be issued on 

Tuesday, September 9. 
Technical Note

The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

(JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of

business establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics

(BLS).

Collection

Each month, data are collected in a survey of business

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

layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Data collection

methods include computer-assisted telephone interviewing,

touchtone data entry, fax, and mail.

Coverage

The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm

establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as

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

the District of Columbia.

Concepts

Industry classification. The industry classifications in this

release are in accordance with the 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. Full-time, part-time,

permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly

employees are included, as are employees on paid vacations or

other paid leave. Proprietors or partners of unincorporated

businesses, unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without

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

employed. Employees of temporary help agencies, employee

leasing companies, outside contractors, and consultants are

counted by their employer of record, not by the establishment

where they are working.

Job openings. Establishments submit job openings

information for the last business day of the reference month.

A job opening requires that: 1) a specific position exists and

there is work available for that position, 2) work could start

within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable candidate is

found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from outside

the establishment to fill the position. Included are full-time,

part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings.

Active recruiting means that the establishment is taking steps

to fill a position by advertising in newspapers or on the Internet,

posting help-wanted signs, accepting applications, or using

other similar methods.

Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions,

demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded

are jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs

for which employees have been hired but have not yet reported

for work, and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help

agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or

consultants. The job openings rate is computed by dividing

the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job

openings and multiplying that quotient by 100.

Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll

occurring at any time during the reference month, including

both new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time,

permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees, employees

recalled to the location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days,

on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after

having been formally separated, and transfers from other

locations. The hires count does not include transfers or

promotions within the reporting site, employees returning from

strike, employees of temporary help agencies or employee

leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The

hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by

employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.

Separations. Separations are the total number of

terminations of employment occurring at any time during the

reference month, and are reported by type of separation—

quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits are

voluntary separations by employees (except for retirements,

which are reported as other separations). Layoffs and

discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the

employer and include layoffs with no intent to rehire, formal

layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7 days, discharges

resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings, firings or other

discharges for cause, terminations of permanent or short-term

employees, and terminations of seasonal employees. Other

separations include retirements, transfers to other locations,

deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations do not

include transfers within the same location or employees on

strike.

The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of

separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by

100. The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations

rates are computed similarly, dividing the number by

employment and multiplying by 100.

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

will be 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.

Sample methodology

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

nonfarm business establishments, including factories, offices,

and stores, as well as federal, state, and local governments in

the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The establishments

are drawn from a universe of over eight million establishments

compiled as part of the operations of the Quarterly Census of

Employment and Wages, or QCEW, program. This program

includes all employers subject to state Unemployment

Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to

Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).

The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region,

industry sector, and size class. Large firms fall into the sample

with virtual certainty. JOLTS total employment estimates are

controlled to the employment estimates of the Current

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

employment is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data

elements. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels.

Using JOLTS data

The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and

separations are relatively new. The full sample is divided into

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

of panels for the original data series based on the 1987 Standard

Industrial Classification (SIC) system was not completely

enrolled in the survey until January 2002. The supplemental

panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates

were not completely enrolled until May 2003. The data

collected up until those points are from less than a full sample.

Therefore, estimates from earlier months should be used with

caution, as fewer sampled units were reporting data at that time.

In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and

separations data were revised to address possible

underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations

estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be

comparable with estimates for March 2002 and later.

The federal government reorganization that involved

transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the new

Department of Homeland Security is not reflected in the JOLTS

hires and separations estimates for the federal government.

The Office of Personnel Management’s record shows these

transfers were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of

transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires and separations is

intended to cover ongoing movements of workers between

establishments. The Department of Homeland Security

reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion

of these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal

government time series.

Seasonal adjustment

BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the

X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal

adjustment is the process of estimating and removing periodic

fluctuations caused by events such as weather, holidays,

and the beginning and ending of the school year. Seasonal

adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes in

the level of the series, particularly those associated with

general economic expansions and contractions. A concurrent

seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new

seasonal adjustment factors are calculated each month, using

all relevant data, up to and including the data for the current

month.

Prior to the January 2007 benchmark release in March 2007,

seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS series was conducted using

the stable seasonal filter option since there were not enough

data observations available for the standard use of moving

averages as seasonal filters. Although the seasonal

adjustment of the JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data

observations than is customary, the number of observations is

now above the minimum required by X-12 ARIMA to use the

normal seasonal filters. Therefore, the standard use of moving

averages as seasonal filters is now in place for JOLTS seasonal

adjustment. JOLTS seasonal adjustment now 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.

JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to

exactly explain net changes in nonfarm payroll employment.

Some reasons why it is problematic to compare changes in

payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations,

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

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

month, while the reference period for hires and separations is

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

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

may not always work during the pay period that includes the

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

reporters systematically underreport separations relative to

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

payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be

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

Other information

Information in this release will be made available to sensory

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

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p

Total 4................................................... 4,267 3,889 3,799 3,672 3,612 3,631 3,627 3.0 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4....................................... 3,819 3,449 3,350 3,225 3,192 3,185 3,193 3.2 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.7

Construction....................................... 139 133 123 102 99 130 108 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.8 1.5

Manufacturing.................................... 336 286 239 251 244 249 250 2.4 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 723 643 598 562 550 572 541 2.6 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0

Retail trade....................................... 414 346 326 344 338 363 325 2.6 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.1

Professional and business services......... 717 752 699 714 676 649 713 3.8 4.0 3.7 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.8

Education and health services............... 709 680 737 696 684 648 689 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.5

Leisure and hospitality 6

........................ 577 515 530 501 491 503 475 4.1 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.3

Accommodation and food services...... 504 467 477 450 433 438 427 4.2 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5

Government 7

....................................... 453 439 450 441 422 451 427 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.9

State and local government................... 416 401 413 389 395 407 372 2.1 2.0 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9

REGION 8

Northeast.......................................... 696 662 576 602 618 600 637 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4

South................................................ 1,675 1,536 1,485 1,386 1,364 1,386 1,487 3.3 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.9

Midwest............................................. 798 749 766 781 752 721 703 2.5 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.2

West................................................ 1,105 966 954 918 883 937 825 3.5 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.9 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. Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and 

 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, 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 arts, entertainment, and recreation, 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

June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p

Total 4................................................... 4,843 4,639 4,586 4,569 4,715 4,123 4,333 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4....................................... 4,419 4,227 4,203 4,147 4,311 3,871 4,081 3.8 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.4 3.5

Construction....................................... 358 319 349 350 385 286 284 4.7 4.3 4.7 4.8 5.3 3.9 3.9

Manufacturing.................................... 370 326 285 309 300 274 301 2.7 2.4 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 943 916 882 884 943 828 900 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.1 3.4

Retail trade....................................... 602 656 603 598 642 585 621 3.9 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.2 3.8 4.0

Professional and business services......... 884 897 780 893 858 770 871 4.9 5.0 4.3 5.0 4.8 4.3 4.9

Education and health services............... 500 516 522 501 510 479 492 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.6

Leisure and hospitality 6

........................ 874 824 868 801 841 847 761 6.5 6.0 6.4 5.9 6.1 6.2 5.5

Accommodation and food services...... 735 702 730 654 719 731 670 6.4 6.0 6.3 5.6 6.2 6.3 5.7

Government 7

....................................... 395 394 387 429 407 329 308 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.9 1.8 1.5 1.4

State and local government................... 318 319 306 315 315 304 278 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast.......................................... 691 767 713 715 743 646 733 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.9

South................................................ 1,927 1,814 1,769 1,703 1,725 1,538 1,627 3.9 3.6 3.6 3.4 3.5 3.1 3.3

Midwest.............................................1,076 998 944 986 986 914 987 3.4 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.1

West................................................ 1,126 1,058 1,186 1,170 1,246 1,111 1,018 3.6 3.4 3.8 3.8 4.0 3.6 3.3

 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 arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately. 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal 7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

adjustment of the various series. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and p = preliminary.

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

June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p

Total 4................................................... 4,609 4,477 4,503 4,390 4,404 4,313 4,251 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 4,289 4,188 4,224 4,100 4,112 4,046 3,981 3.7 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.5

Construction....................................... 374 311 329 367 378 393 373 4.9 4.2 4.5 5.0 5.2 5.4 5.2

Manufacturing.................................... 378 348 350 304 390 359 368 2.7 2.5 2.6 2.2 2.9 2.6 2.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

.........1,001 1,005 957 941 1,003 868 908 3.8 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.8 3.3 3.4

Retail trade.................................... 685 689 669 688 716 605 645 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.7 3.9 4.2

Professional and business services......... 737 790 861 806 739 741 780 4.1 4.4 4.8 4.5 4.1 4.1 4.3

Education and health services............... 475 447 459 449 429 434 428 2.6 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3

Leisure and hospitality 6

........................ 839 800 854 776 722 801 767 6.2 5.9 6.2 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.6

Accommodation and food services...... 715 657 718 656 619 675 659 6.2 5.7 6.2 5.6 5.3 5.8 5.6

Government 7

....................................... 315 290 278 291 295 269 272 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2

State and local government................... 252 237 229 228 248 240 243 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2

REGION 8

Northeast.......................................... 677 697 770 737 709 685 654 2.6 2.7 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.5

South................................................1,728 1,699 1,673 1,617 1,666 1,614 1,647 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.3 3.3

Midwest.............................................1,016 975 902 918 949 915 935 3.2 3.1 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.0

West................................................ 1,220 1,107 1,167 1,101 1,094 1,096 1,059 4.0 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.4

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire and other services, not shown separately.

month. 5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the not shown separately.

entire month as a percent of total employment. 6

 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately. 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent 7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

seasonal adjustment of the various series. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, p = preliminary.

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

June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June June Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June

2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008p

Total 4................................................... 2,612 2,493 2,522 2,375 2,444 2,336 2,383 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.7

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 2,460 2,355 2,384 2,258 2,301 2,210 2,249 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0

Construction....................................... 123 113 133 111 127 124 137 1.6 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.9

Manufacturing.................................... 191 183 187 157 182 163 162 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 634 598 532 535 550 495 541 2.4 2.2 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.9 2.0

Retail trade.................................... 470 437 374 399 404 352 400 3.0 2.8 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.6

Professional and business services......... 416 351 492 386 385 391 399 2.3 1.9 2.7 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.2

Education and health services............... 274 276 271 279 270 229 249 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.3

Leisure and hospitality 6

........................ 569 525 539 529 516 547 542 4.2 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.0 3.9

Accommodation and food services...... 534 465 488 494 473 500 501 4.6 4.0 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.3

Government 7

....................................... 148 138 135 126 144 126 133 .7 .6 .6 .6 .6 .6 .6

State and local government................... 124 119 116 101 129 117 122 .6 .6 .6 .5 .7 .6 .6

REGION 8

Northeast.......................................... 382 358 410 334 368 327 335 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3

South................................................1,050 1,045 1,021 996 1,001 937 969 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0

Midwest............................................. 548 502 475 491 500 485 509 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6

West................................................ 634 583 632 568 575 584 573 2.1 1.9 2.0 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9

 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 arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately. 3

 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent 7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

seasonal adjustment of the various series. 8

 See footnote 8, table 1. 4

 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, p = preliminary.

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

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 4,361 3,793 3,712 3.0 2.7 2.6

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 3,853 3,318 3,234 3.2 2.8 2.7

Natural resources and mining........................ 11 16 17 1.5 2.0 2.2

Construction................................................ 159 153 122 2.0 2.1 1.6

Manufacturing............................................. 350 259 259 2.4 1.9 1.9

Durable goods.......................................... 210 152 153 2.3 1.7 1.7

Nondurable goods.................................... 140 106 106 2.7 2.1 2.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 719 598 526 2.6 2.2 1.9

Wholesale trade....................................... 195 134 133 3.1 2.2 2.1

Retail trade............................................. 396 368 299 2.5 2.4 1.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 128 96 95 2.5 1.8 1.8

Information................................................ 148 66 78 4.6 2.1 2.5

Financial activities......................................... 263 184 183 3.0 2.2 2.2

Finance and insurance.............................. 212 127 158 3.3 2.0 2.5

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 51 57 26 2.3 2.6 1.2

Professional and business services.................. 742 656 745 3.9 3.5 4.0

Education and health services........................ 721 660 699 3.8 3.4 3.6

Educational services................................. 79 56 56 2.8 1.8 1.9

Health care and social assistance.................. 642 604 643 4.0 3.7 3.9

Leisure and hospitality................................. 580 588 470 4.0 4.1 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 70 80 41 3.0 3.7 1.8

Accommodation and food services............... 509 508 429 4.1 4.1 3.5

Other services............................................. 160 139 135 2.8 2.4 2.3

Government................................................... 508 474 477 2.2 2.0 2.1

Federal...................................................... 35 43 55 1.2 1.5 2.0

State and local........................................... 473 432 422 2.4 2.1 2.1

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 706 580 659 2.7 2.2 2.5

South......................................................... 1,683 1,468 1,492 3.3 2.9 2.9

Midwest...................................................... 802 753 695 2.5 2.3 2.2

West......................................................... 1,171 991 866 3.6 3.1 2.7

 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.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 6. Hires levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 5,872 4,825 5,316 4.2 3.5 3.8

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 5,340 4,485 4,912 4.6 3.9 4.2

Natural resources and mining........................ 34 31 40 4.6 4.1 5.2

Construction................................................ 472 367 365 6.0 5.0 4.9

Manufacturing............................................. 448 313 368 3.2 2.3 2.7

Durable goods.......................................... 249 176 196 2.8 2.0 2.3

Nondurable goods.................................... 199 137 172 3.9 2.8 3.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 1,044 896 1,000 3.9 3.4 3.8

Wholesale trade....................................... 229 135 159 3.8 2.2 2.6

Retail trade............................................. 659 626 688 4.3 4.1 4.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 155 135 153 3.0 2.7 3.0

Information................................................ 81 54 58 2.7 1.8 1.9

Financial activities......................................... 265 207 284 3.2 2.5 3.4

Finance and insurance.............................. 194 124 183 3.1 2.0 3.0

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 71 84 101 3.2 3.9 4.7

Professional and business services.................. 1,002 834 994 5.5 4.6 5.5

Education and health services........................ 589 472 574 3.2 2.5 3.1

Educational services................................. 85 57 96 3.1 1.9 3.4

Health care and social assistance.................. 504 415 478 3.3 2.6 3.0

Leisure and hospitality................................. 1,139 1,100 968 8.1 7.9 6.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 222 204 149 9.9 9.8 6.5

Accommodation and food services............... 917 896 819 7.8 7.6 6.8

Other services............................................. 265 210 261 4.8 3.8 4.7

Government................................................... 533 340 405 2.4 1.5 1.8

Federal...................................................... 101 24 34 3.7 .9 1.2

State and local........................................... 432 316 371 2.2 1.6 1.9

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 872 752 928 3.4 2.9 3.6

South......................................................... 2,286 1,726 1,920 4.6 3.5 3.8

Midwest...................................................... 1,323 1,140 1,218 4.2 3.6 3.8

West......................................................... 1,391 1,206 1,251 4.5 3.9 4.0

 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.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 7. Total separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 4,905 4,294 4,497 3.5 3.1 3.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 4,432 4,003 4,089 3.8 3.5 3.5

Natural resources and mining........................ 18 18 23 2.4 2.3 3.0

Construction................................................ 353 374 353 4.5 5.1 4.8

Manufacturing............................................. 373 358 369 2.7 2.6 2.7

Durable goods.......................................... 232 216 231 2.6 2.5 2.7

Nondurable goods.................................... 141 143 139 2.8 2.9 2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 1,003 869 905 3.8 3.3 3.4

Wholesale trade....................................... 201 144 140 3.3 2.4 2.3

Retail trade............................................. 677 615 630 4.4 4.0 4.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 124 111 135 2.4 2.2 2.6

Information................................................ 79 53 58 2.6 1.8 1.9

Financial activities......................................... 194 185 152 2.3 2.2 1.8

Finance and insurance.............................. 138 119 98 2.2 1.9 1.6

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 55 66 53 2.5 3.1 2.5

Professional and business services.................. 757 654 779 4.2 3.6 4.3

Education and health services........................ 573 493 506 3.2 2.6 2.7

Educational services................................. 126 95 84 4.6 3.1 3.0

Health care and social assistance.................. 447 398 422 2.9 2.5 2.7

Leisure and hospitality................................. 868 792 798 6.2 5.7 5.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 98 113 88 4.4 5.4 3.9

Accommodation and food services............... 770 679 710 6.5 5.7 5.9

Other services............................................. 215 207 144 3.9 3.7 2.6

Government................................................... 473 290 409 2.1 1.3 1.8

Federal...................................................... 81 23 25 3.0 .8 .9

State and local........................................... 392 267 383 2.0 1.3 1.9

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 743 605 702 2.9 2.3 2.7

South......................................................... 1,806 1,711 1,714 3.6 3.4 3.4

Midwest...................................................... 1,041 867 961 3.3 2.7 3.0

West......................................................... 1,315 1,111 1,120 4.2 3.6 3.6

 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.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 8. Quits levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 2,838 2,471 2,573 2.0 1.8 1.9

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 2,632 2,325 2,388 2.3 2.0 2.1

Natural resources and mining........................ 13 12 16 1.8 1.6 2.1

Construction................................................ 134 136 161 1.7 1.9 2.2

Manufacturing............................................. 199 172 166 1.4 1.3 1.2

Durable goods.......................................... 114 94 101 1.3 1.1 1.2

Nondurable goods.................................... 85 78 65 1.7 1.6 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 634 534 545 2.4 2.0 2.1

Wholesale trade....................................... 106 87 65 1.7 1.4 1.1

Retail trade............................................. 462 387 397 3.0 2.5 2.6

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 66 60 82 1.3 1.2 1.6

Information................................................ 51 36 38 1.7 1.2 1.3

Financial activities......................................... 124 117 89 1.5 1.4 1.1

Finance and insurance.............................. 94 83 64 1.5 1.4 1.0

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 30 34 25 1.4 1.6 1.2

Professional and business services.................. 432 394 413 2.4 2.2 2.3

Education and health services........................ 309 248 279 1.7 1.3 1.5

Educational services................................. 45 36 32 1.6 1.2 1.1

Health care and social assistance.................. 264 213 247 1.7 1.3 1.6

Leisure and hospitality................................. 604 565 578 4.3 4.1 4.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 47 45 51 2.1 2.1 2.2

Accommodation and food services............... 556 520 527 4.7 4.4 4.4

Other services............................................. 131 110 102 2.4 2.0 1.8

Government................................................... 206 146 185 .9 .6 .8

Federal...................................................... 28 7 9 1.0 .3 .3

State and local........................................... 179 138 176 .9 .7 .9

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 404 328 352 1.6 1.3 1.4

South......................................................... 1,133 1,006 1,030 2.3 2.0 2.1

Midwest...................................................... 572 510 536 1.8 1.6 1.7

West......................................................... 729 627 655 2.3 2.0 2.1

 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.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 1,680 1,551 1,629 1.2 1.1 1.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 1,533 1,455 1,495 1.3 1.3 1.3

Natural resources and mining........................ 3 4 6 .5 .5 .7

Construction................................................ 212 213 176 2.7 2.9 2.4

Manufacturing............................................. 135 162 170 1.0 1.2 1.2

Durable goods.......................................... 87 107 107 1.0 1.2 1.2

Nondurable goods.................................... 49 55 64 1.0 1.1 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 287 280 302 1.1 1.1 1.1

Wholesale trade....................................... 80 51 68 1.3 .8 1.1

Retail trade............................................. 164 189 190 1.1 1.2 1.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 43 40 44 .8 .8 .9

Information................................................ 21 13 16 .7 .4 .5

Financial activities......................................... 53 51 55 .6 .6 .7

Finance and insurance.............................. 35 27 31 .6 .4 .5

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 18 24 23 .8 1.1 1.1

Professional and business services.................. 285 221 327 1.6 1.2 1.8

Education and health services........................ 221 207 200 1.2 1.1 1.1

Educational services................................. 75 54 51 2.7 1.8 1.8

Health care and social assistance.................. 146 153 149 .9 1.0 .9

Leisure and hospitality................................. 243 212 205 1.7 1.5 1.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 48 67 33 2.1 3.2 1.4

Accommodation and food services............... 196 145 172 1.7 1.2 1.4

Other services............................................. 73 93 39 1.3 1.7 .7

Government................................................... 147 95 134 .7 .4 .6

Federal...................................................... 23 6 10 .8 .2 .4

State and local........................................... 124 90 125 .6 .4 .6

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 272 228 298 1.1 .9 1.2

South......................................................... 558 609 587 1.1 1.2 1.2

Midwest...................................................... 358 303 346 1.1 1.0 1.1

West......................................................... 492 411 398 1.6 1.3 1.3

 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.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 10. Other separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

June May June June May June

2007 2008 2008p 2007 2008 2008p

Total............................................................... 387 272 295 0.3 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 268 223 206 .2 .2 .2

Natural resources and mining........................ 1 2 2 .2 .2 .2

Construction................................................ 7 25 16 .1 .3 .2

Manufacturing............................................. 38 24 33 .3 .2 .2

Durable goods.......................................... 31 15 23 .3 .2 .3

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

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 82 56 58 .3 .2 .2

Wholesale trade....................................... 16 6 7 .3 .1 .1

Retail trade............................................. 52 39 43 .3 .3 .3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 15 10 8 .3 .2 .2

Information................................................ 7 4 4 .2 .1 .1

Financial activities......................................... 16 17 8 .2 .2 .1

Finance and insurance.............................. 9 8 4 .2 .1 .1

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 7 8 4 .3 .4 .2

Professional and business services.................. 40 39 40 .2 .2 .2

Education and health services........................ 43 37 27 .2 .2 .1

Educational services................................. 6 5 2 .2 .2 .1

Health care and social assistance.................. 37 32 25 .2 .2 .2

Leisure and hospitality................................. 21 16 15 .1 .1 .1

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

Accommodation and food services............... 18 14 12 .2 .1 .1

Other services............................................. 11 3 2 .2 .1 (

4

)

Government................................................... 119 49 89 .5 .2 .4

Federal...................................................... 30 10 7 1.1 .4 .2

State and local........................................... 89 39 83 .5 .2 .4

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 67 48 51 .3 .2 .2

South......................................................... 115 97 97 .2 .2 .2

Midwest...................................................... 110 54 79 .3 .2 .2

West......................................................... 94 74 68 .3 .2 .2

 1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month. 2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 8, table 1. 4 Data round to zero.

 p = preliminary.

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region