For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, May 8, 2012 USDL-12-0892

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 – MARCH 2012

There were 3.7 million job openings on the last business day of March, little changed from February but 

up significantly from a year earlier, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate

(3.3 percent) and separations rate (3.1 percent) were unchanged in March. 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 March was 3.7 million, little changed from February. (See table 1.) Job 

openings increased in the manufacturing sector. The number of total nonfarm job openings has increased

by 1.3 million since the end of the recession in June 2009.

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

nonfarm, total private, and government. Job openings increased over the year for durable goods 

manufacturing, nondurable goods manufacturing, retail trade, health care and social assistance, and state 

and local government. Job openings in the Midwest and South regions increased over the year. (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, April 2009 - March 2012

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

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

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

Hires

Separations

Percent

2010 2011 2012

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

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

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

Hires

In March, the hires rate was 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 March 2012 was 4.4 million, up from 

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

Over the 12 months ending in March, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted) was unchanged for total 

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

construction. (See table 6.) Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Industry Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p2011 2012 2012p

Total .........................................................3,189 3,565 3,737 4,293 4,444 4,356 3,988 4,124 4,153

Total private 1................................................... 2,865 3,163 3,361 4,037 4,128 4,049 3,730 3,823 3,853

Construction................................................70 73 96 357 318 286 341 317 282

Manufacturing..........................................239 271 326 270 260 257 246 235 225

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2..................... 515 584 619 846 815 823 793 780 842

Retail trade..................................... 281 365 389 584 551 546 561 543 579

Professional and business services......................... 609 710 729 922 973 905 796 850 833

Education and health services 3.....................590 655 668 464 527 515 437 458 472

 Health care and social assistance... 535 598 605 397 455 436 371 396 410

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 367 408 423 755 794 804 699 747 745

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 42 48 50 133 156 154 125 153 134

Accommodation and food services..........325 360 373 622 639 650 574 594 611

Government 4..................................... 323 402 376 256 316 307 258 301 300

State and local government..................................... 269 338 318 227 284 277 233 269 271

Total ...................................................... 2.4 2.6 2.7 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.1 3.1

Total private 1................................................... 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.5

Construction..........................................1.3 1.3 1.7 6.5 5.7 5.1 6.2 5.7 5.1

Manufacturing................................................ 2.0 2.2 2.7 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2........................ 2.0 2.3 2.4 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.3

Retail trade.................................... 1.9 2.4 2.6 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.9 3.7 3.9

Professional and business services......................... 3.4 3.8 3.9 5.4 5.5 5.1 4.6 4.8 4.7

Education and health services 3.....................2.9 3.1 3.2 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.3 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 3.1 3.4 3.5 2.4 2.7 2.6 2.2 2.3 2.4

Leisure and hospitality .................................... 2.7 2.9 3.0 5.7 5.9 5.9 5.3 5.5 5.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 2.2 2.5 2.5 7.0 8.1 8.0 6.5 7.9 6.9

Accommodation and food services..........2.8 3.0 3.1 5.5 5.5 5.6 5.1 5.1 5.2

Government 4..................................... 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.4

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

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

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

 3 Includes educational services, not show n separately.

 4 Includes federal government, not show n separately.

 p = Preliminary

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)
- 3 -

Separations

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

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

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

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

little changed for total nonfarm and total private, but rose in government. (See table 7.)

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

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

quits was 2.1 million in March 2012, up from 1.8 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in March increased over the year for total nonfarm, total 

private, and government. The number of quits increased over the year in mining and logging, 

accommodation and food services, and state and local government. Quits increased in the South region.

(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 displayed 

little or no change in March for total nonfarm, total private, government and all four regions. (See table 

B.) The number of layoffs and discharges for total nonfarm was 1.7 million in March 2012, down from

2.1 million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

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

government was little changed over the 12 months ending in March 2012. Over the year, the number of 

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

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

Table B. Layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,690 1,728 1,683 1.3 1.3 1.3

Total private............................................................................................ 1,591 1,610 1,577 1.5 1.5 1.4

Government......................................................................................... 99 117 106 0.4 0.5 0.5

Northeast......................................................................................... 314 327 296 1.3 1.3 1.2

South......................................................................................... 659 623 642 1.4 1.3 1.3

Midwest......................................................................................... 368 409 365 1.2 1.4 1.2

West......................................................................................... 349 369 379 1.2 1.3 1.3

 1 For region definitions see footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region1

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

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

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

disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm. In March 2012, there were 323,000 

other separations for total nonfarm, 256,000 for total private, and 67,000 for government. (See table C.)

The number of other separations for total nonfarm in March 2012 increased from 293,000 at the end of 

the recession in June 2009.

Net Change in Employment

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

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

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

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

if the hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in March 2012, hires totaled 50.7 million

and separations totaled 48.8 million, yielding a net employment gain of 1.9 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 April 2012 are scheduled to be released

on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

Table C. Other separations, seasonally adjusted

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 320 325 323 0.2 0.2 0.2

Total private............................................................................................ 262 266 256 0.2 0.2 0.2

Government......................................................................................... 58 58 67 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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,189 3,408 3,274 3,540 3,477 3,565 3,737 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 2,865 3,062 2,925 3,188 3,119 3,163 3,361 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.8 2.9

Construction........................................................................ 70 80 83 78 86 73 96 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.7

Manufacturing................................................................ 239 240 240 252 261 271 326 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 515 594 581 574 584 584 619 2.0 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4

Retail trade................................................................................. 281 334 316 323 315 365 389 1.9 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.4 2.6

Professional and business services......................... 609 644 561 785 695 710 729 3.4 3.6 3.1 4.3 3.8 3.8 3.9

Education and health services 6........................................... 590 622 616 605 630 655 668 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2

 Health care and social assistance... 535 558 552 552 576 598 605 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 367 404 434 441 432 408 423 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.1 2.9 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 42 62 58 44 72 48 50 2.2 3.1 2.9 2.3 3.6 2.5 2.5

Accommodation and food services......................... 325 342 376 397 360 360 373 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.3 3.0 3.0 3.1

Government 7......................................................................................... 323 345 349 352 358 402 376 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.7

State and local government.................................................................................... 269 279 299 301 305 338 318 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.6

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 655 573 557 595 590 671 691 2.6 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.7

South ............................................................................................... 1,100 1,310 1,306 1,443 1,442 1,402 1,496 2.3 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.9 2.8 3.0

Midwest ......................................................................................... 671 715 730 763 738 791 795 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.6

West ...................................................................................... 762 811 682 740 707 702 754 2.6 2.7 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.5

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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 4,293 4,220 4,268 4,188 4,239 4,444 4,356 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 4,037 3,979 3,986 3,889 3,945 4,128 4,049 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7

Construction........................................................................ 357 333 312 315 331 318 286 6.5 6.0 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.7 5.1

Manufacturing................................................................ 270 240 237 269 253 260 257 2.3 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 846 840 849 812 836 815 823 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 584 559 573 517 557 551 546 4.0 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.7

Professional and business services......................... 922 893 858 818 831 973 905 5.4 5.1 4.9 4.6 4.7 5.5 5.1

Education and health services 6........................................... 464 484 483 494 517 527 515 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.5

 Health care and social assistance... 397 414 407 414 441 455 436 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.6

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 755 719 779 743 757 794 804 5.7 5.4 5.8 5.5 5.6 5.9 5.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 133 131 157 141 139 156 154 7.0 6.9 8.2 7.4 7.2 8.1 8.0

Accommodation and food services......................... 622 588 622 602 618 639 650 5.5 5.1 5.4 5.2 5.3 5.5 5.6

Government 7......................................................................................... 256 241 281 299 294 316 307 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 227 215 252 270 275 284 277 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 790 684 691 676 710 756 742 3.2 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 3.0 2.9

South ............................................................................................... 1,642 1,656 1,626 1,634 1,667 1,748 1,682 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.5

Midwest ......................................................................................... 945 960 1,004 986 977 985 1,001 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.3

West ...................................................................................... 916 919 947 891 884 955 931 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.2

 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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 3,988 4,065 4,057 4,023 4,017 4,124 4,153 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 3,730 3,781 3,750 3,695 3,729 3,823 3,853 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5

Construction........................................................................ 341 325 300 303 308 317 282 6.2 5.9 5.4 5.5 5.5 5.7 5.1

Manufacturing................................................................ 246 227 236 239 217 235 225 2.1 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.8 2.0 1.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 793 813 770 773 837 780 842 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.1 3.3

Retail trade................................................................................. 561 539 520 509 579 543 579 3.9 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.9 3.7 3.9

Professional and business services......................... 796 831 807 792 745 850 833 4.6 4.8 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.8 4.7

Education and health services 6........................................... 437 450 462 468 501 458 472 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.3

 Health care and social assistance... 371 386 396 402 412 396 410 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.4

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 699 663 715 695 700 747 745 5.3 5.0 5.3 5.2 5.2 5.5 5.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 125 114 142 133 125 153 134 6.5 6.0 7.4 7.0 6.5 7.9 6.9

Accommodation and food services......................... 574 549 573 562 575 594 611 5.1 4.8 5.0 4.9 5.0 5.1 5.2

Government 7......................................................................................... 258 285 307 328 288 301 300 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.4

State and local government.................................................................................... 233 253 268 292 262 269 271 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.4

REGION 8

Northeast......................................................................... 633 702 667 631 692 703 634 2.5 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.5

South............................................................................................... 1,563 1,537 1,609 1,592 1,598 1,571 1,676 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.3 3.5

Midwest......................................................................................... 929 949 881 905 866 970 926 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.1

West...................................................................................... 863 877 899 895 862 880 916 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1

 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

Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar.

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

Total ........................................................................................................... 1,979 1,983 1,976 2,008 2,002 2,072 2,147 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4............................................................................................ 1,877 1,869 1,860 1,867 1,876 1,947 2,020 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8

Construction........................................................................ 74 80 91 76 70 75 81 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.5

Manufacturing................................................................ 110 105 121 113 97 102 104 .9 .9 1.0 1.0 .8 .9 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5.............................. 439 461 413 447 449 461 469 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 333 330 294 331 342 345 346 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.4

Professional and business services......................... 377 368 380 363 352 371 378 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.1 2.1

Education and health services 6........................................... 259 242 247 265 282 287 285 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4

 Health care and social assistance... 226 215 225 233 251 256 254 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5

Leisure and hospitality ...................................................... 409 374 370 388 398 425 468 3.1 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 45 41 36 48 43 58 44 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.5 2.2 3.0 2.3

Accommodation and food services......................... 364 334 335 340 355 368 424 3.2 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.6

Government 7......................................................................................... 102 114 116 141 125 125 126 .5 .5 .5 .6 .6 .6 .6

State and local government.................................................................................... 94 102 106 131 116 113 115 .5 .5 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6

REGION 8

Northeast ......................................................................... 278 288 275 279 343 314 278 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.2 1.1

South ............................................................................................... 793 782 830 816 827 825 916 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.9

Midwest ......................................................................................... 455 477 443 469 412 493 489 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.6 1.6

West ...................................................................................... 454 436 428 445 419 440 464 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,102 3,363 3,678 2.3 2.5 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 2,782 2,979 3,309 2.5 2.7 2.9

Mining and logging...................................................33 27 12 4.2 3.2 1.4

Construction...................................................................................................... 67 62 96 1.3 1.2 1.8

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 225 264 318 1.9 2.2 2.6

Durable goods.............................................................................. 157 182 204 2.1 2.4 2.7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 67 82 114 1.5 1.8 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 503 524 609 2.0 2.1 2.4

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 119 96 109 2.1 1.7 1.9

Retail trade................................................................................. 257 302 375 1.8 2.0 2.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 127 127 125 2.6 2.5 2.5

Information...................................................................................... 108 88 88 3.9 3.2 3.2

Financial activities........................................................................... 205 176 263 2.6 2.2 3.3

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 173 128 210 2.9 2.2 3.5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 31 48 53 1.6 2.5 2.7

Professional and business services........................................ 580 686 687 3.3 3.8 3.8

Education and health services................................................................. 565 633 656 2.8 3.0 3.1

Educational services................................................................ 49 53 60 1.4 1.5 1.7

Health care and social assistance.................................. 516 579 597 3.0 3.3 3.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 383 383 446 2.9 2.9 3.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 43 48 49 2.4 2.7 2.7

Accommodation and food services............................... 340 335 397 3.0 2.9 3.4

Other services................................................................................. 115 136 134 2.1 2.5 2.4

Government......................................................................................... 320 384 369 1.4 1.7 1.6

Federal................................................................................................ 63 67 67 2.1 2.3 2.3

State and local.................................................................................... 257 317 302 1.3 1.6 1.5

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 613 627 676 2.4 2.4 2.6

South............................................................................................... 1,071 1,338 1,462 2.2 2.7 3.0

Midwest................................................................................................. 683 739 813 2.3 2.4 2.6

West....................................................................................................... 735 659 726 2.5 2.2 2.5

 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 4,036 3,633 4,117 3.1 2.8 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,860 3,406 3,900 3.6 3.1 3.6

Mining and logging...................................................25 28 32 3.3 3.4 3.9

Construction...................................................................................................... 387 253 303 7.5 4.9 5.8

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 267 234 256 2.3 2.0 2.2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 157 142 160 2.2 1.9 2.2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 110 92 96 2.5 2.1 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 830 608 811 3.4 2.4 3.3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 131 101 131 2.4 1.8 2.4

Retail trade................................................................................. 576 395 540 4.0 2.7 3.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 123 112 140 2.6 2.3 2.9

Information...................................................................................... 52 55 53 2.0 2.1 2.0

Financial activities........................................................................... 142 128 150 1.9 1.7 2.0

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 88 83 87 1.5 1.4 1.5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 54 45 64 2.8 2.4 3.3

Professional and business services........................................ 857 891 855 5.0 5.1 4.9

Education and health services................................................................. 392 449 438 2.0 2.2 2.1

Educational services................................................................ 40 62 47 1.2 1.8 1.4

Health care and social assistance.................................. 352 386 390 2.1 2.3 2.3

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 758 635 827 5.9 4.9 6.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 124 101 147 7.0 5.9 8.3

Accommodation and food services............................... 634 534 680 5.7 4.8 5.9

Other services................................................................................. 149 128 175 2.8 2.4 3.3

Government......................................................................................... 176 227 217 .8 1.0 1.0

Federal................................................................................................ 27 23 30 1.0 .8 1.1

State and local.................................................................................... 149 204 188 .8 1.0 1.0

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 707 551 678 2.8 2.2 2.7

South............................................................................................... 1,579 1,506 1,618 3.3 3.2 3.4

Midwest................................................................................................. 905 800 962 3.1 2.7 3.2

West....................................................................................................... 845 777 859 3.0 2.7 3.0

 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

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 3,321 3,264 3,510 2.6 2.5 2.7

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 3,156 3,084 3,316 2.9 2.8 3.0

Mining and logging...................................................12 26 31 1.6 3.2 3.7

Construction...................................................................................................... 291 270 237 5.6 5.3 4.5

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 225 203 206 1.9 1.7 1.7

Durable goods.............................................................................. 127 111 125 1.8 1.5 1.7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 98 92 81 2.2 2.1 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 669 660 733 2.7 2.7 2.9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 100 89 115 1.8 1.6 2.1

Retail trade................................................................................. 461 466 493 3.2 3.2 3.4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 108 105 125 2.3 2.2 2.6

Information...................................................................................... 62 48 70 2.3 1.8 2.7

Financial activities........................................................................... 140 122 141 1.8 1.6 1.8

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 93 75 87 1.6 1.3 1.5

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 47 47 54 2.5 2.5 2.8

Professional and business services........................................ 722 732 763 4.2 4.2 4.3

Education and health services................................................................. 370 368 403 1.9 1.8 2.0

Educational services................................................................ 41 34 39 1.2 1.0 1.1

Health care and social assistance.................................. 329 334 364 2.0 2.0 2.2

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 541 517 591 4.2 4.0 4.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 87 80 97 4.9 4.7 5.5

Accommodation and food services............................... 454 437 494 4.1 3.9 4.3

Other services................................................................................. 125 137 141 2.3 2.6 2.6

Government......................................................................................... 165 181 193 .7 .8 .9

Federal................................................................................................ 19 25 22 .7 .9 .8

State and local.................................................................................... 146 156 171 .7 .8 .9

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 517 529 507 2.1 2.1 2.0

South............................................................................................... 1,340 1,256 1,464 2.8 2.6 3.1

Midwest................................................................................................. 751 770 757 2.5 2.6 2.5

West....................................................................................................... 712 709 782 2.5 2.5 2.7

 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,730 1,638 1,911 1.3 1.2 1.4

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,655 1,549 1,818 1.5 1.4 1.7

Mining and logging...................................................8 13 16 1.0 1.6 1.9

Construction...................................................................................................... 69 56 75 1.3 1.1 1.4

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 101 83 97 .9 .7 .8

Durable goods.............................................................................. 54 44 58 .7 .6 .8

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 47 40 39 1.1 .9 .9

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 390 378 428 1.6 1.5 1.7

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 45 39 52 .8 .7 .9

Retail trade................................................................................. 285 283 305 2.0 2.0 2.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 59 56 70 1.2 1.1 1.4

Information...................................................................................... 26 25 31 1.0 1.0 1.2

Financial activities........................................................................... 89 67 82 1.2 .9 1.1

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 59 45 63 1.0 .8 1.1

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 29 22 19 1.5 1.1 1.0

Professional and business services........................................ 353 316 359 2.1 1.8 2.0

Education and health services................................................................. 229 235 256 1.2 1.2 1.3

Educational services................................................................ 23 20 23 .7 .6 .7

Health care and social assistance.................................. 206 215 234 1.2 1.3 1.4

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 330 312 391 2.6 2.4 3.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 30 34 30 1.7 2.0 1.7

Accommodation and food services............................... 300 278 360 2.7 2.5 3.2

Other services................................................................................. 61 64 83 1.2 1.2 1.6

Government......................................................................................... 75 89 93 .3 .4 .4

Federal................................................................................................ 6 11 9 .2 .4 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 69 78 84 .3 .4 .4

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 254 239 247 1.0 1.0 1.0

South............................................................................................... 703 648 822 1.5 1.4 1.7

Midwest................................................................................................. 390 391 428 1.3 1.3 1.4

West....................................................................................................... 383 360 414 1.3 1.3 1.4

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

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

 3 See footnote 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

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 1,321 1,351 1,326 1.0 1.0 1.0

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 1,272 1,298 1,273 1.2 1.2 1.2

Mining and logging...................................................3 12 12 .4 1.5 1.5

Construction...................................................................................................... 208 201 154 4.0 3.9 2.9

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 105 97 86 .9 .8 .7

Durable goods.............................................................................. 63 56 51 .9 .8 .7

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 42 40 35 .9 .9 .8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 228 219 228 .9 .9 .9

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 42 38 50 .8 .7 .9

Retail trade................................................................................. 151 150 141 1.1 1.0 1.0

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 34 31 38 .7 .6 .8

Information...................................................................................... 33 22 35 1.2 .8 1.3

Financial activities........................................................................... 38 35 49 .5 .5 .6

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 27 19 18 .5 .3 .3

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 11 16 32 .6 .8 1.7

Professional and business services........................................ 312 372 360 1.8 2.1 2.0

Education and health services................................................................. 102 97 112 .5 .5 .5

Educational services................................................................ 14 11 11 .4 .3 .3

Health care and social assistance.................................. 87 86 101 .5 .5 .6

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 197 181 182 1.5 1.4 1.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................................... 54 43 66 3.1 2.5 3.7

Accommodation and food services............................... 143 138 117 1.3 1.2 1.0

Other services................................................................................. 45 62 55 .8 1.2 1.0

Government......................................................................................... 50 52 53 .2 .2 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 6 6 5 .2 .2 .2

State and local.................................................................................... 44 46 47 .2 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 228 237 211 .9 .9 .8

South............................................................................................... 547 501 547 1.2 1.1 1.1

Midwest................................................................................................. 276 321 273 .9 1.1 .9

West....................................................................................................... 271 292 294 .9 1.0 1.0

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

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

employment.

 3 See footnote 8, table 1.

 p = Preliminary

Industry and region

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

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Mar. Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. Mar.

2011 2012 2012p 2011 2012 2012p

Total........................................................................................................... 269 275 273 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private............................................................................................ 229 236 226 .2 .2 .2

Mining and logging...................................................1 1 3 .1 .1 .4

Construction...................................................................................................... 14 13 8 .3 .3 .2

Manufacturing..................................................................................... 18 23 23 .2 .2 .2

Durable goods.............................................................................. 10 11 16 .1 .2 .2

Nondurable goods....................................................................... 9 12 7 .2 .3 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................................................... 51 63 76 .2 .3 .3

Wholesale trade........................................................................... 13 12 13 .2 .2 .2

Retail trade................................................................................. 24 33 47 .2 .2 .3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...................... 14 18 17 .3 .4 .3

Information...................................................................................... 3 1 4 .1 (

4

) .2

Financial activities........................................................................... 14 21 10 .2 .3 .1

Finance and insurance..................................................................................... 7 11 6 .1 .2 .1

Real estate and rental and leasing................................... 7 10 4 .4 .5 .2

Professional and business services........................................ 57 44 45 .3 .2 .3

Education and health services................................................................. 39 36 34 .2 .2 .2

Educational services................................................................ 4 3 5 .1 .1 .2

Health care and social assistance.................................. 36 33 29 .2 .2 .2

Leisure and hospitality.................................................................. 14 24 18 .1 .2 .1

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

Accommodation and food services............................... 11 21 17 .1 .2 .1

Other services................................................................................. 18 11 3 .3 .2 .1

Government......................................................................................... 40 39 47 .2 .2 .2

Federal................................................................................................ 7 8 8 .2 .3 .3

State and local.................................................................................... 33 31 40 .2 .2 .2

REGION 3

Northeast......................................................................................... 35 52 49 .1 .2 .2

South............................................................................................... 90 108 95 .2 .2 .2

Midwest................................................................................................. 85 58 56 .3 .2 .2

West....................................................................................................... 58 57 74 .2 .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