News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 09-0245 

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

 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, March 10, 2009 

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JANUARY 2009 

On the last business day of January, there were 3.0 million job openings in the United States, and 

the job openings rate was 2.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor 

reported today. The job openings rate fell in January, while the hires rate (3.3 percent) and the total 

separations rate (3.6 percent) were essentially unchanged. 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. This release also includes annual estimates for hires and separations. The annual rate for hires, 

total separations, and quits decreased in 2008 while the annual layoffs and discharges rate increased. 

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted,

 February 2006 - January 2009

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

2007 2008 2009

Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted,

 February 2006 - January 2009

2.6

2.8

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

4.2

Percent

Separations

Hires

2007 2008 2009

Revisions to the JOLTS data 

The job openings, hires, and separations data in this release have been revised to incorporate annual 

updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the Job Openings and Labor 

Turnover Survey (JOLTS) seasonal adjustment factors. See page 4 for more information. 

Also with this release, BLS is implementing improvements to the methodology used to generate 

estimates of hires, separations, and job openings from the JOLTS program. These changes are designed to 

improve the measurement, and more closely align the hires and separations estimates with monthly payroll 

employment change as measured by the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey. All JOLTS historical 

series have been revised to incorporate the new methods. See the JOLTS web page (http://www.bls.gov/jlt/) 

for a detailed description of these changes. 
2 

From January 2008 to January 2009, the rates for job openings, hires, and quits all fell 

significantly for both the total nonfarm and total private sectors. The rates for layoffs and discharges 

and other separations moved the other direction, rising significantly over the year. (See tables 5, 6, 8, 9 

and 10.) 

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

Industry Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

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

Total 1................................................4,332 3,224 2,991 4,995 4,508 4,399 4,920 4,958 4,906

Total private 1

.................................... 3,873 2,861 2,525 4,657 4,214 4,090 4,625 4,673 4,631

Construction.................................... 131 66 43 368 366 384 418 452 515

Manufacturing................................. 302 188 123 349 252 232 371 419 429

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

......... 734 495 479 1,030 891 919 1,050 1,041 1,046

Retail trade..................................... 367 337 366 714 595 589 725 664 656

Professional and business services............ 759 562 523 897 786 764 918 898 856

Education and health services............... 740 685 684 562 528 534 515 498 485

Leisure and hospitality ........................ 596 315 280 880 711 721 894 755 743

Arts, entertainment, and recreation......... 54 40 28 136 111 115 136 106 119

Accommodation and food services......... 539 274 250 747 605 612 758 647 627

Government 3

..................................... 406 345 406 324 271 295 307 278 282

 State and local government.................. 372 312 311 290 253 263 260 251 269

Total 1

................................................ 3.0 2.3 2.2 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.7 3.6

Total private 1

.................................... 3.2 2.5 2.2 4.0 3.7 3.7 4.0 4.1 4.1

Construction.................................... 1.7 0.9 0.6 4.9 5.3 5.7 5.6 6.6 7.6

Manufacturing................................. 2.1 1.4 1.0 2.5 2.0 1.8 2.7 3.2 3.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities 2

......... 2.7 1.9 1.8 3.9 3.4 3.6 3.9 4.0 4.1

Retail trade.................................... 2.3 2.2 2.4 4.6 4.0 3.9 4.7 4.4 4.4

Professional and business services............4.0 3.1 2.9 5.0 4.5 4.4 5.1 5.2 5.0

Education and health services............... 3.8 3.5 3.4 3.0 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.5

Leisure and hospitality ........................ 4.2 2.3 2.1 6.5 5.3 5.4 6.6 5.7 5.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.........2.6 2.0 1.4 6.8 5.7 5.9 6.8 5.4 6.1

Accommodation and food services.........4.5 2.4 2.2 6.5 5.3 5.4 6.6 5.7 5.5

Government 3

..................................... 1.8 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.2

 State and local government.................. 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4

 1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. 2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately. 3 Includes federal government, not shown separately. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics 

employment estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.

Rates (percent)

Job openings Hires Total separations

Levels (in thousands)
3 

Job Openings

The job openings rate fell to a new series low of 2.2 percent in January, continuing a 16-month 

downward trend. At 3.0 million in January, monthly openings were down 1.6 million, or 35 percent, 

since the starting point of the downward trend in September 2007. (See table 1.) 

Over the 12 months ending in January, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted) was 

essentially unchanged in five industries: mining and logging; retail trade; information; educational 

services; and other services. In the remaining 12 industries, at the total nonfarm and total private level, 

and in all four regions, the job openings rate fell significantly over the year. The job openings rate rose 

significantly over the year only in the federal government. (See table 5.) 

Hires

Although the hires rate of 3.3 percent was unchanged from December to January, the rate has 

trended downward over the last 15 months. At 4.4 million in January, monthly hires were down 

928,000, or 17 percent, since the starting point of the downward trend in October 2007. (See table 2.) 

Over the 12 months ending in January, the hires rate did not increase significantly in any 

industry or region. The rate decreased for total nonfarm and total private and in several industries, 

including mining and logging; durable goods manufacturing; retail trade; accommodation and food 

services; and state and local government. Regionally, the hires rate fell over the year in the South and 

West and was essentially unchanged in the Midwest and Northeast. (See table 6.) 

Separations

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

separations), and other separations (including retirements). The total separations, or turnover, rate 

(seasonally adjusted) remained essentially unchanged in January at 3.6 percent. The total separations 

rate (not seasonally adjusted) was also essentially unchanged over the 12 months ending in January 

since quits fell while layoffs and discharges rose. (See tables 3, 7, 8 and 9.) 

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

Although the quits rate was essentially unchanged in January at 1.5 percent, the rate was at the lowest 

point in the 8-year series. Quits have been trending downward since December 2006, declining by 1.2 

million, or 37 percent, in that time. Comparing January 2009 to January 2008, the quits rate was 

significantly lower for total nonfarm and total private, in most industries, and in all four regions. The 

rate was essentially unchanged in mining and logging; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; 

information; and other services. The rate did not rise significantly in the past 12 months in any industry 

or region. (See tables 4 and 8.) 

Beginning with this release, the layoffs and discharges component of total separations is 

seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and government levels. Seasonally adjusted 

layoffs and discharges in January were 2.5 million for total nonfarm, 2.4 million for total private, and 

131,000 for government, corresponding to layoffs and discharges rates of 1.9 percent, 2.1 percent, and 

0.6 percent, respectively. Over the 12 months ending in January, the layoffs and discharges rate (not 

seasonally adjusted) rose for total nonfarm and total private, in all four regions, and in many industries, 

including construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; wholesale 

trade; transportation, warehousing, and utilities; information; finance and insurance; real estate and 

rental and leasing; professional and business services; other services; and state and local government. 

The rate fell significantly over the year only in the federal government. In the remaining six industries, 

the rate was essentially unchanged. (See table 9 for not seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges. 
4 

Seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges are not presented in a table but are available through the 

JOLTS web site.) 

The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted. Comparing January 2008 to January 

2009, the number of other separations increased significantly for total nonfarm (to 505,000) and total 

private (435,000) and decreased significantly for government (70,000). (See table 10.) 

Net Change in Employment

In the 12 months ending in January, hires totaled 55.9 million and separations totaled 59.4 

million, yielding a net employment loss over the year of 3.5 million. The loss resulted from total 

separations remaining level over the year, while hires trended sharply downward. 

Annual Levels and Rates

This release contains the 2008 annual rates and levels for hires, total separations, quits, layoffs 

and discharges, and other separations. Note that annual figures for job openings are not calculated 

because job openings are measured on a stock, or point-in-time, basis rather than on a flow basis over a 

specified time period. The annual figures and additional tables are published with the release of January 

data each year. (See the Technical Note for additional information on these measures.) 

Calculating annual levels and rates allows additional comparisons across years. For the second 

year in a row, annual levels for hires, total separations, quits, and other separations fell in 2008, while 

annual levels for layoffs and discharges rose. In 2008, annual hires fell to 56.5 million (41.2 percent of 

employment), annual total separations fell to 59.3 million (43.3 percent of employment), annual quits 

declined steeply to 31.0 million (22.6 percent of employment), and annual other separations decreased to 

4.0 million (2.9 percent of employment). Annual layoffs and discharges rose to 24.4 million (17.8 

percent of employment) in 2008. (See tables 11 through 20.) 

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 February 2009 is scheduled to be issued on 

Tuesday, April 7. 

Revisions to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Data

In accordance with annual practice, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data 

have been revised to reflect annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics (CES), or 

establishment survey, employment estimates. The JOLTS employment levels are ratio-adjusted to the 

CES employment levels, and the resulting ratios are applied to all JOLTS data elements. This annual 

benchmark process resulted in revisions to all not seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series from April 

2007 forward, the time period since the last benchmark was established. Additionally, the seasonally 

adjusted JOLTS data series have been recalculated from December 2000 forward to reflect updated 

seasonal adjustment factors. 
5 

Also with this release, BLS is implementing improvements to the methodology used to generate 

estimates of hires, separations, and job openings from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey 

(JOLTS) program. These changes are designed to improve the measurement of hires, separations, and 

openings and to more closely align the hires and separations estimates with monthly payroll employment 

change as measured by the BLS Current Employment Statistics survey. All JOLTS historical series 

have been revised to incorporate the new methods. 

Tables summarizing the effects of the above revisions for December 2000 through December 

2008 can be found on the JOLTS homepage. The revised data for the year 2008 incorporate the effect of 

applying the new benchmark level and the methodology improvements. The December 2008 revisions 

also reflect the routine incorporation of additional sample receipts into the final December estimates. 

Table B through table G present revised total nonfarm data. Table B (job openings), table C (hires), 

table D (total separations), and table E (quits) present revised data on a seasonally adjusted basis, 

incorporating the new seasonal adjustment factors as well as the new benchmark level and the 

methodology improvements. Table F (layoffs and discharges) presents revisions on a not seasonally 

adjusted basis since layoffs and discharges are released on a seasonally adjusted basis for the first time 

this year. Table G (other separations) presents revisions on a not seasonally adjusted basis since this 

series is not seasonally adjusted. Note that the revised estimates are generally higher than the previously 

published estimates. This is primarily due to the addition of a birth/death model for JOLTS. For more 

information on this and other methodology changes, see the technical note included in this release, or 

see the JOLTS homepage. 

LABSTAT, the BLS public database on the Internet, contains all revised historical seasonally 

adjusted and not seasonally adjusted JOLTS data. The data can be accessed through the JOLTS 

homepage. Further information on the revisions released today may be obtained by contacting the 

JOLTS program. 
Technical Note 

 The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover 

Survey (JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly from 

a sample of business establishments by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics (BLS). 

Collection 

 In a monthly survey of business establishments, data are 

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

layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Data 

collection methods include computer-assisted telephone 

interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, e-mail, and mail. 

Coverage 

 The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm 

establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as 

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

50 states and the District of Columbia. 

Concepts 

 Industry classification. The industry classifications in 

this release are in accordance with the 2007 version of the 

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 

In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, 

State Workforce Agencies verify with employers and 

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

ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year 

cycle. Changes in establishment characteristics resulting 

from the verification process are always introduced into 

the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the 

first month of the year. 

 Employment. Employment includes persons on the 

payroll who worked or received pay for the pay period 

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

and hourly employees are included, as are employees on 

paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or partners 

of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or 

persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire 

pay period, are not counted as employed. Employees of 

temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, 

outside contractors, and consultants are counted by their 

employer of record, not by the establishment where they 

are working. 

 Job openings. Establishments submit job openings 

information for the last business day of the reference 

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

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

work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a 

suitable candidate is found, and 3) the employer is 

actively recruiting from outside the establishment to fill 

the position. Included are full-time, part-time, permanent, 

short-term, and seasonal openings. Active recruiting 

means that the establishment is taking steps to fill a 

position by advertising in newspapers or on the Internet, 

posting help-wanted signs, accepting applications, or 

using other similar methods. 

 Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions, 

demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also 

excluded are jobs with start dates more than 30 days in 

the future, jobs for which employees have been hired but 

have not yet reported for work, and jobs to be filled by 

employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing 

companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The job 

openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job 

openings by the sum of employment and job openings and 

multiplying that quotient by 100. 

 Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the 

payroll occurring at any time during the reference month, 

including both new and rehired employees, full-time and 

part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal employees, 

employees recalled to the location after a layoff lasting 

more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who 

returned to work after having been formally separated, 

and transfers from other locations. The hires count does 

not include transfers or promotions within the reporting 

site, employees returning from strike, employees of 

temporary help agencies or employee leasing companies, 

outside contractors, or consultants. The hires rate is 

computed by dividing the number of hires by employment 

and multiplying that quotient by 100. 

 Separations. Separations are the total number of 

terminations of employment occurring at any time during 

the reference month, and are reported by type of 

separation--quits, layoffs and discharges, and other 

separations. Quits are voluntary separations by 

employees (except for retirements, which are reported as 

other separations). Layoffs and discharges are 

involuntary separations initiated by the employer and 

include layoffs with no intent to rehire; formal layoffs 

lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges 

resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or 

other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or 

short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal 

employees. Other separations include retirements, 

transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to 

disability. Separations do not include transfers within the 

same location or employees on strike. 

 The separations rate is computed by dividing the number 

of separations by employment and multiplying that 

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

other separations rates are computed similarly, dividing 

the number by employment and multiplying by 100. 

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

and total separations are released with the January news 

release each year. 

 The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, 

layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total 

separations are the sum of the 12 published monthly 

levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by 

dividing the annual level by the Current Employment 

Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and 

multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be 

approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly rates. 

Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels are 

rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual 

estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, 

annual estimates are published only for not seasonally 

adjusted data. 

 Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings 

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

measurement for the last business day of each month. 

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

counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be 

cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job 

openings cannot be created by summing the monthly 

estimates. Hires and separations are flow measures and 

are cumulated over the month with a total reported for the 

month. Therefore, the annual figures can be created by 

summing the monthly estimates. 

Special Collection Procedures 

 An implied measure of employment change can be 

derived from the JOLTS data by subtracting separations 

from hires for a given month. Aggregating these monthly 

changes historically produced employment levels that 

overstated employment change as measured by CES at the 

total nonfarm level. Research into this problem showed 

that a significant amount of the divergence between the 

CES employment levels and the derived JOLTS 

employment levels was traceable to the Employment 

Services industry and to the State Government Education 

industry. In the former industry, businesses have a 

difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary 

help workers. In the latter industry, employers have 

difficulty reporting hires and separations of student 

workers. BLS now devotes additional resources to the 

collection, editing, and review of data for these 

industries. BLS analysts more closely examine reported 

data that do not provide a consistent picture over time, 

and re-contact the respondents as necessary. Analysts 

work with the respondents to adjust their reporting 

practices as possible. Units that cannot be reconciled but 

are clearly incorrect on a consistent basis are not used, 

they are replaced by imputed values using standard 

techniques. 

Sample and estimation methodology 

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

nonfarm business establishments, including factories, 

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

governments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 

The establishments are drawn from a universe of over 9.1 

million establishments compiled as part of the operations 

of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 

(QCEW), program. This program includes all employers 

subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and 

federal agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation 

for Federal Employees (UCFE). 

 The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, 

industry sector, and size class. The JOLTS sample is 

constructed from individual panels of sample units drawn 

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

certainty panel composed of only large units selected with 

virtual certainty based on their size and 24 non-certainty 

panels. Each month a new non-certainty panel is rolled 

into collection, and the oldest non-certainty panel is rolled 

out. This means that at any given time the JOLTS sample 

is constructed from panels from three different annual 

sampling frames. The entire sample of old plus new 

panels is post-stratified and re-weighted annually to 

represent the most recent sampling frame. Additionally, 

the out-of-business establishments are removed from the 

old panels. The annual sample is supplemented with a 

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

establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger 

establishments in the JOLTS sample. 

 JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked 

monthly to the employment estimates of the Current 

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

JOLTS employment is used to adjust the levels for all 

other JOLTS data elements. 

 JOLTS Business Birth/Death Model 

 As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only 

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

birth of an establishment until its appearance on the 

sampling frame is approximately one year. In addition, 

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

Since these universe units cannot be reflected on the 

sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS sample cannot 

capture job openings, hires, and separations from these 

units during their early existence. BLS has developed a 

model to estimate birth/death activity for current months 

by examining the birth/death activity from previous years 

on the QCEW and projecting forward to the present using 

an econometric technique known as X-12 ARIMA 

modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical 

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

separations) that exists in establishments of various sizes. 

The model then combines the estimated churn with the 

projected employment change to estimate the number of 

hires and separations taking place in these units that 

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

distributed to the three components – quits; layoffs and 

discharges; and other separations - in proportion to their 

contribution to the sample-based estimate of total 

separations. Additionally, job openings for the modeled 

units are estimated by computing the ratio of openings to 

hires in the collected data and applying that ratio to the 

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

separations produced by the birth/death model are then 

added to the sample-based estimates produced from the 

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

separations. 

Seasonal adjustment 

 BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the 

X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal 

adjustment is the process of estimating and removing 

periodic fluctuations caused by events such as weather, 

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

Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe 

fundamental changes in the level of the series, particularly 

those associated with general economic expansions and 

contractions. A concurrent seasonal adjustment 

methodology is used in which new seasonal adjustment 

factors are calculated each month, using all relevant data, 

up to and including the data for the current month. 

Alignment procedure 

 JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable to 

the CES net employment change. However, definitional 

differences as well as sampling and non-sampling errors 

between the two surveys historically caused JOLTS to 

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

improve the quality of the JOLTS hires and separations 

series, BLS implemented the Monthly Alignment Method. 

The Monthly Alignment Method applies the CES 

employment trends to the seasonally adjusted JOLTS 

implied employment trend (hires minus separations) 

forcing them to be approximately the same, while 

preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data. First, the 

two series are seasonally adjusted and the difference 

between the JOLTS implied employment trend and the 

CES net employment change is calculated. Next, the 

JOLTS implied employment trend is adjusted to equal the 

CES net employment change through a proportional 

adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure 

adjusts the two components (hires, separations) 

proportionally to their contribution to the total churn 

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

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

40 percent of the needed adjustment and separations will 

receive 60 percent of the needed adjustment. The adjusted 

hires and separations are converted back to not seasonally 

adjusted data by reversing the application of the original 

seasonal factors. After the monthly alignment method has 

been used to adjust the level estimates, rate estimates are 

computed from the adjusted levels. The Monthly 

Alignment procedure assures a close match of the JOLTS 

implied employment trend with the CES trend. The CES 

series is considered a highly accurate measure of net 

employment change owing to its very large sample size 

and annual benchmarking to universe counts of 

employment from the QCEW program. 

Using JOLTS data 

 The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and 

separations are relatively new. The full sample is divided 

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

complement of panels for the original data series based on 

the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system 

was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 

2002. The supplemental panels of establishments needed 

to create NAICS estimates were not completely enrolled 

until May 2003. The data collected up until those points 

are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates 

from earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer 

sampled units were reporting data at that time. 

 In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and 

separations data were revised to address possible 

underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations 

estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be 

comparable to estimates for March 2002 and later. 

 The federal government reorganization that involved 

transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the new 

Department of Homeland Security is not reflected in the 

JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal 

government. The Office of Personnel Management's 

record shows these transfers were completed in March 

2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions 

of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing 

movements of workers between establishments. The 

Department of Homeland Security reorganization was a 

massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these 

intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal 

government time series. 

 JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in 

seasonal adjustment. JOLTS seasonal adjustment 

includes both additive and multiplicative seasonal 

adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression with 

autocorrelated errors) modeling to improve the seasonal 

adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the series 

and to detect and adjust for outliers in the series. 

Reliability of the estimates 

 JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and 

nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire 

population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the "true" population values 

they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, 

varies depending on the particular sample selected, and 

this variability is measured by the standard error of the 

estimate. BLS analysis is generally conducted at the 90-

percent level of confidence. That means that there is a 
90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate 

based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 

standard errors from the "true" population value because 

of sampling error. Estimates of sampling errors are 

available upon request. 

 The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling 

error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, 

including the failure to include a segment of the 

population, the inability to obtain data from all units in 

the sample, the inability or unwillingness of respondents 

to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by 

respondents, errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data, and errors from the employment benchmark 

data used in estimation. 

Other information 

 Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 
Table 1. Job openings levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.

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

Total 4................................................... 4,332 3,722 3,346 3,390 3,311 3,224 2,991 3.0 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.2

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 3,873 3,314 2,913 2,964 2,928 2,861 2,525 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.2

Construction....................................... 131 84 152 79 76 66 43 1.7 1.2 2.1 1.1 1.1 .9 .6

Manufacturing.................................... 302 300 236 230 203 188 123 2.1 2.2 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 734 638 525 564 624 495 479 2.7 2.4 2.0 2.1 2.3 1.9 1.8

Retail trade....................................... 367 393 297 363 410 337 366 2.3 2.5 1.9 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.4

Professional and business services......... 759 692 608 603 505 562 523 4.0 3.8 3.3 3.3 2.8 3.1 2.9

Education and health services............... 740 707 624 646 697 685 684 3.8 3.6 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.4

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 596 438 427 417 302 315 280 4.2 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.2 2.3 2.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation...... 54 56 44 47 35 40 28 2.6 2.8 2.2 2.4 1.8 2.0 1.4

Accommodation and food services......... 539 378 374 370 284 274 250 4.5 3.2 3.2 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.2

Government 6....................................... 406 421 431 427 378 345 406 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.8

State and local government................... 372 357 352 344 337 312 311 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.5

REGION 7

Northeast.......................................... 706 707 644 636 582 633 542 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.1

South................................................ 1,687 1,409 1,269 1,314 1,267 1,245 1,161 3.3 2.8 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.3

Midwest............................................. 881 794 674 698 644 607 570 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.8

West................................................ 984 864 785 734 767 689 670 3.1 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.2 2.2

1

 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the 7 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the 

month. regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and 

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

 3

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

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

 4

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

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

 5

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

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

 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. Wyoming.

 p

 = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the 

Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS 

seasonal adjustment factors.

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

Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.

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

Total 4................................................... 4,995 4,654 4,505 4,486 4,226 4,508 4,399 3.6 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.1 3.3 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 4,657 4,378 4,263 4,160 3,928 4,214 4,090 4.0 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.7 3.7

Construction....................................... 368 424 365 380 340 366 384 4.9 5.9 5.1 5.4 4.9 5.3 5.7

Manufacturing.................................... 349 285 305 290 257 252 232 2.5 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.0 2.0 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 1,030 973 959 933 852 891 919 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.4 3.6

Retail trade....................................... 714 662 649 624 576 595 589 4.6 4.3 4.2 4.1 3.8 4.0 3.9

Professional and business services......... 897 810 787 788 783 786 764 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.4

Education and health services............... 562 554 506 544 528 528 534 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8

Leisure and hospitality ........................... 880 838 814 769 706 711 721 6.5 6.2 6.1 5.7 5.3 5.3 5.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation...... 136 161 117 119 92 111 115 6.8 8.2 6.0 6.1 4.7 5.7 5.9

Accommodation and food services......... 747 692 708 651 620 605 612 6.5 6.0 6.2 5.7 5.4 5.3 5.4

Government 6....................................... 324 305 278 318 281 271 295 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.3

State and local government................... 290 279 259 275 251 253 263 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3

REGION 7

Northeast.......................................... 794 800 742 759 661 726 733 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.0 2.6 2.9 2.9

South................................................ 1,906 1,714 1,643 1,652 1,572 1,659 1,618 3.8 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.4 3.3

Midwest............................................. 1,092 1,034 1,038 1,051 934 1,009 995 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.2

West................................................ 1,158 1,124 1,088 1,043 1,043 1,053 1,011 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.4

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

 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of not shown separately.

total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 3

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

adjustment of the various series. p

 = preliminary. 4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the 

other services, not shown separately. Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS 

seasonal adjustment factors.

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

Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.

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

Total 4................................................... 4,920 4,888 4,852 4,910 4,863 4,958 4,906 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.6

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 4,625 4,587 4,553 4,607 4,571 4,673 4,631 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1

Construction....................................... 418 436 412 440 472 452 515 5.6 6.1 5.8 6.2 6.8 6.6 7.6

Manufacturing.................................... 371 348 371 404 384 419 429 2.7 2.6 2.8 3.1 2.9 3.2 3.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

.........1,050 1,031 1,046 1,034 1,030 1,041 1,046 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1

Retail trade.................................... 725 699 684 680 680 664 656 4.7 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4

Professional and business services......... 918 871 809 906 909 898 856 5.1 4.9 4.6 5.1 5.2 5.2 5.0

Education and health services............... 515 505 488 507 466 498 485 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.5

Leisure and hospitality ........................ 894 857 830 794 773 755 743 6.6 6.4 6.2 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation...... 136 152 115 124 98 106 119 6.8 7.7 5.9 6.4 5.0 5.4 6.1

Accommodation and food services...... 758 708 714 670 673 647 627 6.6 6.2 6.2 5.9 5.9 5.7 5.5

Government 6

....................................... 307 290 294 294 282 278 282 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2

State and local government................... 260 268 280 265 258 251 269 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4

REGION 7

Northeast.......................................... 807 824 734 743 767 799 806 3.1 3.2 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.2

South................................................1,840 1,799 1,767 1,782 1,841 1,815 1,882 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.9

Midwest.............................................1,086 1,026 1,116 1,168 1,105 1,088 1,102 3.5 3.3 3.6 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.6

West................................................ 1,237 1,258 1,184 1,209 1,205 1,227 1,150 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.8

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire 5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 

month. not shown separately. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately.

entire month as a percent of total employment. 7

 See footnote 7, table 1. 3

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

seasonal adjustment of the various series. NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the 4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS 

and other services, not shown separately. seasonal adjustment factors.

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

Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan.

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

Total 4................................................... 2,926 2,453 2,454 2,436 2,201 2,114 2,000 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.5

INDUSTRY

Total private 4

....................................... 2,770 2,322 2,319 2,305 2,076 1,984 1,887 2.4 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.7

Construction....................................... 151 151 128 107 109 92 82 2.0 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.3 1.2

Manufacturing.................................... 206 146 147 143 122 87 90 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.1 .9 .7 .7

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5

......... 643 541 580 548 489 518 490 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.0 1.9

Retail trade.................................... 474 397 414 377 352 379 366 3.0 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.4

Professional and business services......... 443 361 368 477 349 297 287 2.5 2.0 2.1 2.7 2.0 1.7 1.7

Education and health services............... 319 285 290 294 251 256 244 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3

Leisure and hospitality ........................ 598 529 514 516 469 461 425 4.4 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation...... 57 45 52 39 35 29 29 2.9 2.3 2.7 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.5

Accommodation and food services...... 531 487 467 476 437 435 389 4.6 4.2 4.1 4.2 3.8 3.8 3.4

Government 6

....................................... 151 139 134 132 122 130 109 .7 .6 .6 .6 .5 .6 .5

State and local government................... 134 131 133 122 117 121 103 .7 .7 .7 .6 .6 .6 .5

REGION 7

Northeast.......................................... 445 337 338 347 321 302 269 1.7 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1

South................................................1,197 978 971 949 879 847 774 2.4 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6

Midwest............................................. 588 567 577 595 491 452 471 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.5

West................................................ 678 566 560 541 510 498 470 2.2 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.6

 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a not shown separately.

percent of total employment. 6

 Includes federal government, not shown separately. 3

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

seasonal adjustment of the various series. p

 = preliminary. 4

 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the 

and other services, not shown separately. Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS 

seasonal adjustment factors.

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

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 4,466 2,796 3,091 3.2 2.0 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 4,059 2,492 2,686 3.5 2.2 2.4

Mining and logging....................................... 16 17 20 2.2 2.1 2.6

Construction................................................ 117 54 39 1.6 .8 .6

Manufacturing............................................. 308 161 127 2.2 1.2 1.0

Durable goods.......................................... 187 83 64 2.1 1.0 .8

Nondurable goods.................................... 122 78 63 2.4 1.6 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 719 399 465 2.6 1.5 1.8

Wholesale trade....................................... 209 85 50 3.4 1.4 .9

Retail trade............................................. 349 252 345 2.2 1.6 2.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 161 62 70 3.1 1.2 1.4

Information................................................ 95 62 83 3.1 2.1 2.8

Financial activities......................................... 412 190 222 4.8 2.3 2.7

Finance and insurance.............................. 291 144 186 4.6 2.4 3.1

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 121 46 36 5.4 2.2 1.7

Professional and business services.................. 849 522 585 4.6 2.9 3.3

Education and health services........................ 777 651 720 4.0 3.3 3.6

Educational services................................. 65 68 75 2.2 2.1 2.4

Health care and social assistance.................. 712 584 645 4.4 3.5 3.9

Leisure and hospitality................................. 583 268 271 4.3 2.0 2.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 49 27 25 2.7 1.5 1.4

Accommodation and food services............... 534 242 246 4.6 2.1 2.2

Other services............................................. 182 168 154 3.2 3.0 2.8

Government................................................... 407 304 405 1.8 1.3 1.8

Federal...................................................... 44 33 109 1.6 1.2 3.8

State and local........................................... 363 271 295 1.8 1.3 1.5

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 786 560 602 3.0 2.1 2.4

South......................................................... 1,708 1,131 1,160 3.4 2.3 2.4

Midwest...................................................... 904 539 583 2.8 1.7 1.9

West......................................................... 1,068 567 746 3.4 1.8 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 7, table 1.

 p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 6. Hires levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 4,834 3,124 4,221 3.6 2.3 3.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 4,516 2,963 3,936 4.0 2.6 3.6

Mining and logging....................................... 39 18 29 5.3 2.3 3.7

Construction................................................ 321 222 335 4.6 3.3 5.3

Manufacturing............................................. 359 165 237 2.6 1.3 1.9

Durable goods.......................................... 219 95 120 2.5 1.2 1.5

Nondurable goods.................................... 140 70 116 2.8 1.5 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 923 689 823 3.5 2.6 3.2

Wholesale trade....................................... 200 113 206 3.3 1.9 3.6

Retail trade............................................. 578 467 475 3.7 3.0 3.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 145 109 142 2.9 2.2 2.9

Information................................................ 92 48 90 3.1 1.6 3.1

Financial activities......................................... 272 141 242 3.3 1.8 3.1

Finance and insurance.............................. 193 84 162 3.2 1.4 2.8

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 79 57 80 3.7 2.7 4.0

Professional and business services.................. 968 629 816 5.5 3.6 4.8

Education and health services........................ 578 372 550 3.1 1.9 2.9

Educational services................................. 80 31 71 2.8 1.0 2.3

Health care and social assistance.................. 498 341 480 3.2 2.1 3.0

Leisure and hospitality................................. 758 522 618 5.9 4.0 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 114 80 96 6.4 4.5 5.5

Accommodation and food services............... 644 442 522 5.8 3.9 4.8

Other services............................................. 206 157 196 3.8 2.9 3.6

Government................................................... 318 161 285 1.4 .7 1.3

Federal...................................................... 36 19 34 1.3 .7 1.2

State and local........................................... 281 141 252 1.4 .7 1.3

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 764 534 701 3.0 2.1 2.8

South......................................................... 1,925 1,129 1,636 3.9 2.3 3.4

Midwest...................................................... 1,077 703 979 3.5 2.3 3.3

West......................................................... 1,068 758 905 3.5 2.5 3.1

 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 7, table 1. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 7. Total separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 6,527 4,579 6,456 4.8 3.4 4.9

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 6,163 4,367 6,126 5.4 3.9 5.6

Mining and logging....................................... 48 29 43 6.5 3.7 5.6

Construction................................................ 548 465 675 7.8 6.9 10.7

Manufacturing............................................. 533 345 623 3.9 2.7 5.0

Durable goods.......................................... 315 214 389 3.6 2.6 4.9

Nondurable goods.................................... 217 131 234 4.4 2.7 5.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 1,504 1,078 1,497 5.7 4.1 5.9

Wholesale trade....................................... 272 204 313 4.5 3.5 5.4

Retail trade............................................. 1,041 697 938 6.7 4.5 6.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 190 177 246 3.8 3.5 5.1

Information................................................ 140 74 165 4.7 2.5 5.7

Financial activities......................................... 453 166 457 5.5 2.1 5.8

Finance and insurance.............................. 324 97 311 5.4 1.6 5.3

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 128 69 147 6.1 3.3 7.2

Professional and business services.................. 1,065 1,019 986 6.0 5.9 5.8

Education and health services........................ 695 387 655 3.8 2.0 3.4

Educational services................................. 84 48 52 2.9 1.5 1.7

Health care and social assistance.................. 611 339 603 3.9 2.1 3.8

Leisure and hospitality................................. 943 624 778 7.3 4.8 6.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 129 78 114 7.3 4.4 6.6

Accommodation and food services............... 814 545 663 7.3 4.9 6.1

Other services............................................. 236 181 247 4.3 3.3 4.6

Government................................................... 364 212 330 1.6 .9 1.5

Federal...................................................... 75 24 33 2.8 .9 1.2

State and local........................................... 288 187 297 1.5 .9 1.5

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 1,116 768 1,108 4.4 3.0 4.5

South......................................................... 2,343 1,604 2,389 4.8 3.3 5.0

Midwest...................................................... 1,484 1,103 1,506 4.8 3.6 5.0

West......................................................... 1,584 1,104 1,453 5.2 3.6 4.9

 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 7, table 1. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 8. Quits levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 3,380 1,659 2,287 2.5 1.2 1.7

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 3,210 1,568 2,167 2.8 1.4 2.0

Mining and logging....................................... 24 9 20 3.3 1.2 2.6

Construction................................................ 143 58 72 2.0 .9 1.1

Manufacturing............................................. 257 60 112 1.9 .5 .9

Durable goods.......................................... 132 34 59 1.5 .4 .7

Nondurable goods.................................... 125 25 53 2.5 .5 1.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 784 448 598 3.0 1.7 2.3

Wholesale trade....................................... 125 53 72 2.1 .9 1.3

Retail trade............................................. 568 332 437 3.7 2.1 2.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 91 64 89 1.8 1.3 1.8

Information................................................ 78 21 63 2.6 .7 2.2

Financial activities......................................... 251 52 124 3.1 .7 1.6

Finance and insurance.............................. 185 42 81 3.1 .7 1.4

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 66 10 43 3.1 .5 2.1

Professional and business services.................. 481 274 308 2.7 1.6 1.8

Education and health services........................ 428 193 323 2.3 1.0 1.7

Educational services................................. 43 14 19 1.5 .4 .6

Health care and social assistance.................. 385 179 304 2.5 1.1 1.9

Leisure and hospitality................................. 611 369 431 4.7 2.8 3.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 54 16 26 3.1 .9 1.5

Accommodation and food services............... 557 352 405 5.0 3.1 3.7

Other services............................................. 153 84 116 2.8 1.5 2.2

Government................................................... 171 91 121 .8 .4 .5

Federal...................................................... 21 5 8 .8 .2 .3

State and local........................................... 150 86 112 .8 .4 .6

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 530 230 322 2.1 .9 1.3

South......................................................... 1,381 661 887 2.8 1.3 1.9

Midwest...................................................... 703 355 556 2.3 1.2 1.8

West......................................................... 766 412 523 2.5 1.4 1.8

 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 7, table 1. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 2,701 2,631 3,664 2.0 1.9 2.8

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 2,589 2,550 3,525 2.3 2.3 3.2

Mining and logging....................................... 17 18 21 2.3 2.4 2.8

Construction................................................ 386 389 582 5.5 5.8 9.2

Manufacturing............................................. 229 269 468 1.7 2.1 3.7

Durable goods.......................................... 154 169 296 1.8 2.1 3.8

Nondurable goods.................................... 75 100 171 1.5 2.1 3.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 636 563 792 2.4 2.1 3.1

Wholesale trade....................................... 130 143 233 2.2 2.4 4.0

Retail trade............................................. 418 331 436 2.7 2.1 2.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 88 89 123 1.7 1.8 2.5

Information................................................ 53 42 87 1.8 1.4 3.0

Financial activities......................................... 179 95 280 2.2 1.2 3.5

Finance and insurance.............................. 121 47 182 2.0 .8 3.1

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 58 48 98 2.7 2.3 4.8

Professional and business services.................. 518 679 616 2.9 3.9 3.6

Education and health services........................ 219 168 234 1.2 .9 1.2

Educational services................................. 35 31 30 1.2 1.0 1.0

Health care and social assistance.................. 184 137 203 1.2 .9 1.3

Leisure and hospitality................................. 273 238 322 2.1 1.8 2.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 71 60 81 4.0 3.3 4.7

Accommodation and food services............... 202 178 241 1.8 1.6 2.2

Other services............................................. 80 88 123 1.5 1.6 2.3

Government................................................... 112 82 139 .5 .4 .6

Federal...................................................... 26 14 11 1.0 .5 .4

State and local........................................... 86 68 128 .4 .3 .7

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 498 466 686 2.0 1.8 2.8

South......................................................... 845 853 1,312 1.7 1.7 2.7

Midwest...................................................... 645 690 823 2.1 2.2 2.7

West......................................................... 714 623 843 2.3 2.0 2.8

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

employment.

 3 See footnote 7, table 1. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 10. Other separations levels 1

 and rates 2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

Jan. Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. Jan.

2008 2008 2009p 2008 2008 2009p

Total............................................................... 446 289 505 0.3 0.2 0.4

INDUSTRY

Total private................................................... 365 250 435 .3 .2 .4

Mining and logging....................................... 7 1 2 1.0 .2 .2

Construction................................................ 19 19 22 .3 .3 .3

Manufacturing............................................. 47 16 43 .3 .1 .3

Durable goods.......................................... 29 10 34 .3 .1 .4

Nondurable goods.................................... 17 6 9 .3 .1 .2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.................. 84 67 106 .3 .3 .4

Wholesale trade....................................... 17 9 7 .3 .1 .1

Retail trade............................................. 55 34 64 .4 .2 .4

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...... 11 24 35 .2 .5 .7

Information................................................ 9 11 15 .3 .4 .5

Financial activities......................................... 23 19 54 .3 .2 .7

Finance and insurance.............................. 19 8 47 .3 .1 .8

Real estate and rental and leasing............... 5 10 6 .2 .5 .3

Professional and business services.................. 67 65 63 .4 .4 .4

Education and health services........................ 48 26 98 .3 .1 .5

Educational services................................. 6 3 2 .2 .1 .1

Health care and social assistance.................. 42 23 96 .3 .1 .6

Leisure and hospitality................................. 59 17 25 .5 .1 .2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation............... 3 2 7 .2 .1 .4

Accommodation and food services............... 56 15 17 .5 .1 .2

Other services............................................. 3 10 8 (

4

) .2 .2

Government................................................... 80 39 70 .4 .2 .3

Federal...................................................... 28 6 14 1.0 .2 .5

State and local........................................... 52 33 56 .3 .2 .3

REGION 3

Northeast................................................... 89 71 99 .3 .3 .4

South......................................................... 116 94 190 .2 .2 .4

Midwest...................................................... 137 54 127 .4 .2 .4

West......................................................... 104 71 88 .3 .2 .3

 1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month. 2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 7, table 1. 4 Data round to zero. p = preliminary.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Levels (in thousands) Rates

Industry and region
Table 11. Annual hires levels 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Total..................................................................... 63,768 59,800 57,788 61,615 64,502 64,911 63,381 56,496

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 59,373 55,665 54,083 57,526 60,455 60,478 58,833 52,807

Mining and logging............................................. 281 237 260 284 303 312 347 382

Construction...................................................... 5,435 5,104 5,235 5,439 5,885 5,398 4,811 4,618

Manufacturing................................................... 4,879 4,681 4,242 4,676 4,540 4,605 4,617 3,651

Durable goods................................................ 2,670 2,733 2,580 2,961 2,896 2,737 2,687 2,089

Nondurable goods.......................................... 2,208 1,945 1,661 1,715 1,643 1,869 1,930 1,561

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 13,192 12,235 11,838 13,292 13,688 13,802 13,215 11,602

Wholesale trade............................................. 1,910 1,930 1,868 2,068 2,010 2,044 2,212 1,892

Retail trade................................................... 9,439 8,564 8,251 9,130 9,443 9,596 9,121 7,876

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 1,843 1,743 1,720 2,092 2,234 2,160 1,881 1,833

Information...................................................... 1,479 1,096 940 984 1,044 1,121 983 814

Financial activities............................................... 2,840 2,680 2,597 2,861 2,865 3,098 3,158 2,649

Finance and insurance.................................... 1,937 1,723 1,579 1,770 1,849 1,992 2,089 1,704

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 904 952 1,018 1,089 1,017 1,105 1,070 945

Professional and business services........................ 11,454 11,353 10,632 11,032 12,153 11,955 11,475 10,112

Education and health services.............................. 6,176 5,772 5,733 5,791 6,210 6,385 6,438 6,553

Educational services....................................... 780 708 824 755 826 879 910 939

Health care and social assistance..................... 5,390 5,064 4,906 5,037 5,386 5,506 5,529 5,616

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 11,204 9,991 9,975 10,556 10,948 11,245 11,194 9,965

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 1,765 1,576 1,604 1,633 1,641 1,572 1,639 1,473

Accommodation and food services................. 9,441 8,413 8,371 8,921 9,306 9,674 9,554 8,492

Other services................................................... 2,438 2,519 2,630 2,615 2,817 2,560 2,600 2,462

Government......................................................... 4,393 4,134 3,705 4,090 4,046 4,434 4,549 3,688

Federal............................................................ 502 597 531 507 511 711 844 335

State and local.................................................... 3,892 3,538 3,175 3,585 3,537 3,721 3,705 3,351

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 10,624 9,724 10,013 10,722 10,678 10,245 10,010 9,237

South............................................................... 23,041 22,452 21,822 23,524 24,614 25,299 24,360 20,846

Midwest............................................................ 15,727 14,064 12,909 13,753 14,124 14,030 14,239 12,690

West............................................................... 14,372 13,556 13,049 13,618 15,087 15,337 14,774 13,721

 1 The annual hires level is the total number of hires during the entire year.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 12. Annual hires rates 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Total..................................................................... 48.4 45.9 44.5 46.9 48.2 47.7 46.1 41.2

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 53.6 51.1 49.9 52.4 54.0 53.0 51.0 46.1

Mining and logging............................................. 46.4 40.7 45.5 48.1 48.2 45.6 47.9 49.4

Construction...................................................... 79.6 76.0 77.7 78.0 80.2 70.2 63.1 64.0

Manufacturing................................................... 29.7 30.7 29.2 32.7 31.9 32.5 33.3 27.2

Durable goods................................................ 25.8 28.8 28.8 33.2 32.3 30.5 30.5 24.6

Nondurable goods.......................................... 36.2 33.7 29.9 31.8 31.2 36.1 38.1 31.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 50.8 48.0 46.8 52.1 52.7 52.5 49.6 44.0

Wholesale trade............................................. 33.1 34.1 33.3 36.5 34.9 34.6 36.8 31.7

Retail trade................................................... 61.9 57.0 55.3 60.6 61.8 62.5 58.8 51.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 37.1 36.2 36.1 43.5 45.5 43.0 36.9 36.2

Information......................................................... 40.8 32.3 29.5 31.6 34.1 36.9 32.4 27.2

Financial activities............................................... 36.4 34.2 32.6 35.6 35.1 37.2 38.0 32.5

Finance and insurance.................................... 33.6 29.6 26.7 29.8 30.7 32.4 34.1 28.3

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 44.4 46.8 49.5 52.2 47.7 50.9 49.3 44.4

Professional and business services........................ 69.5 71.1 66.5 67.3 71.7 68.1 64.0 56.9

Education and health services.............................. 39.5 35.6 34.6 34.2 35.7 35.8 35.1 34.8

Educational services....................................... 31.1 26.8 30.6 27.3 29.1 30.3 30.9 30.9

Health care and social assistance........................ 41.0 37.4 35.3 35.5 37.1 36.9 35.9 35.5

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 93.1 83.4 81.9 84.5 85.4 85.8 83.4 74.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 96.8 88.4 88.5 88.3 86.7 81.5 83.2 74.8

Accommodation and food services................. 92.5 82.5 80.8 83.8 85.2 86.5 83.4 73.9

Other services................................................... 46.4 46.9 48.7 48.3 52.2 47.1 47.3 44.5

Government......................................................... 20.8 19.2 17.2 18.9 18.6 20.2 20.5 16.4

Federal............................................................ 18.2 21.6 19.2 18.6 18.7 26.0 30.9 12.1

State and local.................................................... 21.2 18.9 16.9 19.0 18.5 19.3 19.0 17.0

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 42.0 39.0 40.4 43.2 42.7 40.4 39.0 36.0

South............................................................... 49.6 48.8 47.3 50.2 51.4 51.6 49.0 42.1

Midwest............................................................ 50.1 45.5 42.1 44.8 45.6 45.0 45.4 40.7

West............................................................... 50.2 47.7 45.8 46.9 50.6 50.2 47.8 44.6

 1 The annual hires rate is the number of hires during the entire year as a percent of annual average employment.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 13. Annual total separations levels 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Total..................................................................... 65,611 60,410 57,849 59,671 62,087 62,626 62,104 59,343

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 61,705 56,499 54,025 55,666 58,221 58,435 57,860 55,808

Mining and logging............................................. 279 259 270 262 253 256 311 334

Construction...................................................... 5,422 5,183 5,102 5,136 5,484 5,220 4,971 5,242

Manufacturing................................................... 6,345 5,473 4,892 4,674 4,630 4,750 4,871 4,475

Durable goods................................................ 3,724 3,306 2,993 2,853 2,883 2,766 2,880 2,695

Nondurable goods.......................................... 2,622 2,170 1,902 1,821 1,745 1,985 1,988 1,780

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 13,958 12,480 12,042 12,871 13,299 13,454 12,889 12,488

Wholesale trade............................................. 2,112 1,988 1,913 1,940 1,914 1,894 2,126 2,093

Retail trade................................................... 9,765 8,709 8,331 8,947 9,235 9,522 8,928 8,424

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 2,082 1,782 1,800 1,983 2,149 2,034 1,835 1,970

Information......................................................... 1,694 1,357 1,090 1,037 1,076 1,139 999 897

Financial activities............................................... 2,779 2,619 2,506 2,742 2,712 2,946 3,259 2,870

Finance and insurance.................................... 1,878 1,663 1,528 1,701 1,736 1,866 2,181 1,856

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 901 956 978 1,039 976 1,081 1,078 1,013

Professional and business services........................ 12,173 11,564 10,354 10,627 11,467 11,415 11,183 10,823

Education and health services.............................. 5,551 5,317 5,408 5,400 5,767 5,907 5,911 6,055

Educational services....................................... 659 621 774 692 754 834 850 858

Health care and social assistance........................ 4,891 4,696 4,636 4,711 5,012 5,070 5,060 5,199

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 11,190 9,789 9,739 10,278 10,709 10,856 10,938 10,158

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 1,746 1,524 1,578 1,640 1,587 1,491 1,601 1,509

Accommodation and food services................. 9,444 8,266 8,160 8,637 9,123 9,365 9,341 8,648

Other services................................................... 2,319 2,457 2,629 2,639 2,825 2,493 2,529 2,467

Government......................................................... 3,905 3,912 3,823 4,007 3,868 4,191 4,242 3,534

Federal............................................................ 513 560 577 544 502 721 825 322

State and local.................................................... 3,391 3,352 3,246 3,460 3,363 3,470 3,420 3,210

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 10,856 10,008 9,701 10,277 10,197 9,856 9,530 9,742

South............................................................... 22,760 22,364 22,109 22,390 23,517 24,340 23,852 21,891

Midwest............................................................ 17,057 14,198 13,094 13,521 14,075 13,958 13,862 13,024

West............................................................... 14,938 13,840 12,943 13,485 14,300 14,473 14,857 14,686

 1 The annual total separations level is the total number of total separations during the entire year.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 14. Annual total separations rates 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Total..................................................................... 49.8 46.3 44.5 45.4 46.4 46.0 45.1 43.3

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 55.7 51.9 49.8 50.7 52.0 51.2 50.1 48.7

Mining and logging............................................. 46.0 44.4 47.2 44.3 40.3 37.4 43.0 43.2

Construction...................................................... 79.4 77.2 75.8 73.6 74.8 67.9 65.2 72.7

Manufacturing................................................... 38.6 35.9 33.7 32.7 32.5 33.6 35.1 33.3

Durable goods................................................ 36.0 34.9 33.4 32.0 32.2 30.8 32.7 31.8

Nondurable goods.......................................... 42.9 37.6 34.3 33.8 33.1 38.4 39.2 35.9

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 53.7 48.9 47.6 50.4 51.2 51.2 48.4 47.3

Wholesale trade............................................. 36.6 35.2 34.1 34.3 33.2 32.1 35.3 35.1

Retail trade................................................... 64.1 58.0 55.8 59.4 60.4 62.0 57.5 54.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 41.9 37.0 37.8 41.2 43.7 40.5 36.0 38.9

Information......................................................... 46.7 40.0 34.2 33.3 35.2 37.5 32.9 29.9

Financial activities............................................... 35.6 33.4 31.4 34.1 33.3 35.4 39.3 35.2

Finance and insurance.................................... 32.6 28.6 25.8 28.6 28.8 30.3 35.6 30.9

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 44.2 47.0 47.5 49.8 45.7 49.8 49.7 47.6

Professional and business services........................ 73.9 72.4 64.8 64.8 67.6 65.0 62.3 60.9

Education and health services.............................. 35.5 32.8 32.6 31.9 33.2 33.1 32.3 32.1

Educational services....................................... 26.2 23.5 28.7 25.1 26.6 28.7 28.9 28.3

Health care and social assistance........................ 37.2 34.6 33.4 33.2 34.5 34.0 32.9 32.9

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 93.0 81.7 80.0 82.3 83.6 82.8 81.5 75.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 95.7 85.5 87.0 88.6 83.9 77.3 81.3 76.6

Accommodation and food services................. 92.5 81.0 78.8 81.2 83.5 83.8 81.5 75.3

Other services................................................... 44.1 45.7 48.7 48.8 52.4 45.8 46.0 44.6

Government......................................................... 18.5 18.2 17.7 18.5 17.7 19.1 19.1 15.7

Federal............................................................ 18.6 20.2 20.9 19.9 18.4 26.4 30.2 11.6

State and local.................................................... 18.5 17.9 17.2 18.3 17.6 18.0 17.6 16.3

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 43.0 40.1 39.2 41.4 40.8 38.9 37.1 38.0

South............................................................... 49.0 48.6 47.9 47.7 49.1 49.6 48.0 44.2

Midwest............................................................ 54.3 45.9 42.7 44.0 45.5 44.8 44.2 41.8

West............................................................... 52.1 48.7 45.5 46.5 47.9 47.4 48.1 47.8

 1 The annual total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire year as a percent of annual average employment.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 15. Annual quits levels 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Total..................................................................... 36,404 32,377 29,354 31,859 34,958 36,323 35,103 31,004

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 34,352 30,474 27,594 30,020 33,110 34,239 33,095 29,344

Mining and logging............................................. 133 111 98 110 120 140 183 187

Construction...................................................... 1,961 1,850 1,777 1,961 2,359 2,243 1,903 1,664

Manufacturing................................................... 2,518 2,290 2,106 2,327 2,361 2,506 2,512 1,929

Durable goods................................................ 1,369 1,324 1,273 1,399 1,423 1,452 1,423 1,072

Nondurable goods.......................................... 1,149 968 828 927 935 1,054 1,088 855

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 8,553 7,046 6,387 7,108 7,862 8,166 7,652 6,824

Wholesale trade............................................. 1,141 1,014 929 963 1,033 1,054 1,170 999

Retail trade................................................... 6,232 5,175 4,699 5,324 5,847 6,002 5,553 4,861

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 1,181 856 762 821 985 1,111 927 965

Information......................................................... 1,013 720 592 569 700 795 581 465

Financial activities............................................... 1,619 1,422 1,404 1,613 1,566 1,766 1,896 1,528

Finance and insurance.................................... 1,073 905 869 1,009 1,046 1,174 1,400 1,047

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 543 516 535 604 520 592 500 481

Professional and business services........................ 6,332 5,965 4,667 5,051 5,591 5,987 5,797 5,145

Education and health services.............................. 3,605 3,286 3,243 3,362 3,697 3,794 3,732 3,531

Educational services....................................... 324 326 365 356 401 445 414 386

Health care and social assistance........................ 3,279 2,961 2,880 3,004 3,297 3,353 3,315 3,148

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 7,184 6,332 5,920 6,289 7,111 7,482 7,443 6,685

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 715 682 564 543 658 618 632 570

Accommodation and food services................. 6,471 5,646 5,355 5,746 6,456 6,866 6,810 6,115

Other services................................................... 1,435 1,459 1,403 1,623 1,741 1,358 1,400 1,387

Government......................................................... 2,055 1,903 1,758 1,840 1,845 2,083 2,008 1,661

Federal............................................................ 244 268 255 206 193 328 287 105

State and local.................................................... 1,809 1,635 1,501 1,634 1,653 1,756 1,722 1,555

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 5,654 4,907 4,272 4,670 5,225 5,314 4,708 4,616

South............................................................... 13,550 12,437 11,904 12,845 14,049 15,115 14,478 12,393

Midwest............................................................ 9,499 7,592 6,616 7,061 7,528 7,754 7,552 6,800

West............................................................... 7,703 7,444 6,561 7,282 8,160 8,142 8,366 7,191

 1 The annual quits level is the total number of quits during the entire year.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 16. Annual quits rates 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Total..................................................................... 27.6 24.8 22.6 24.2 26.1 26.7 25.5 22.6

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 31.0 28.0 25.5 27.3 29.6 30.0 28.7 25.6

Mining and logging............................................. 21.9 19.0 17.1 18.6 19.1 20.5 25.3 24.2

Construction...................................................... 28.7 27.5 26.4 28.1 32.2 29.2 24.9 23.1

Manufacturing................................................... 15.3 15.0 14.5 16.3 16.6 17.7 18.1 14.4

Durable goods................................................ 13.2 14.0 14.2 15.7 15.9 16.2 16.2 12.6

Nondurable goods.......................................... 18.8 16.8 14.9 17.2 17.7 20.4 21.5 17.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 32.9 27.6 25.3 27.8 30.3 31.1 28.7 25.9

Wholesale trade............................................. 19.8 17.9 16.6 17.0 17.9 17.8 19.5 16.8

Retail trade................................................... 40.9 34.4 31.5 35.4 38.3 39.1 35.8 31.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 23.8 17.8 16.0 17.1 20.0 22.1 18.2 19.1

Information......................................................... 27.9 21.2 18.6 18.2 22.9 26.2 19.2 15.5

Financial activities............................................... 20.7 18.1 17.6 20.1 19.2 21.2 22.8 18.8

Finance and insurance.................................... 18.6 15.6 14.7 17.0 17.4 19.1 22.8 17.4

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 26.6 25.4 26.0 29.0 24.4 27.3 23.1 22.6

Professional and business services........................ 38.4 37.3 29.2 30.8 33.0 34.1 32.3 28.9

Education and health services.............................. 23.0 20.3 19.6 19.8 21.3 21.3 20.4 18.7

Educational services....................................... 12.9 12.3 13.5 12.9 14.1 15.3 14.1 12.7

Health care and social assistance........................ 25.0 21.8 20.7 21.2 22.7 22.5 21.6 19.9

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 59.7 52.8 48.6 50.3 55.5 57.1 55.4 49.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 39.2 38.3 31.1 29.4 34.8 32.1 32.1 28.9

Accommodation and food services................. 63.4 55.3 51.7 54.0 59.1 61.4 59.4 53.2

Other services................................................... 27.3 27.2 26.0 30.0 32.3 25.0 25.5 25.1

Government......................................................... 9.7 8.8 8.1 8.5 8.5 9.5 9.0 7.4

Federal............................................................ 8.8 9.7 9.2 7.5 7.1 12.0 10.5 3.8

State and local.................................................... 9.9 8.7 8.0 8.6 8.7 9.1 8.8 7.9

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 22.4 19.7 17.3 18.8 20.9 21.0 18.3 18.0

South............................................................... 29.1 27.0 25.8 27.4 29.3 30.8 29.1 25.0

Midwest............................................................ 30.2 24.6 21.6 23.0 24.3 24.9 24.1 21.8

West............................................................... 26.9 26.2 23.1 25.1 27.4 26.7 27.1 23.4

 1 The annual quits rate is the number of quits during the entire year as a percent of annual average employment.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 17. Annual layoff and discharges levels 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Total..................................................................... 24,351 23,325 23,959 23,387 22,766 21,433 22,539 24,370

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 23,206 22,123 22,665 22,012 21,468 20,069 21,176 23,146

Mining and logging............................................. 106 106 107 82 78 74 91 117

Construction...................................................... 3,193 3,118 3,143 2,944 2,925 2,623 2,848 3,347

Manufacturing................................................... 3,309 2,689 2,328 1,997 1,842 1,814 1,963 2,217

Durable goods................................................ 1,993 1,653 1,414 1,215 1,150 1,019 1,205 1,413

Nondurable goods.......................................... 1,319 1,038 914 781 691 796 757 801

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 4,557 4,537 4,783 4,807 4,639 4,181 4,284 4,691

Wholesale trade............................................. 854 810 835 789 762 646 821 973

Retail trade................................................... 2,986 2,992 3,142 3,072 2,919 2,853 2,753 2,907

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 717 735 806 947 958 682 707 811

Information......................................................... 572 537 426 390 273 257 315 365

Financial activities............................................... 838 951 772 787 861 869 1,107 1,100

Finance and insurance.................................... 539 577 422 428 473 466 605 640

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 301 375 348 359 389 405 500 461

Professional and business services........................ 4,850 4,637 4,923 4,908 5,080 4,581 4,744 5,110

Education and health services.............................. 1,538 1,626 1,732 1,656 1,679 1,685 1,737 2,069

Educational services....................................... 264 246 359 287 299 340 387 426

Health care and social assistance........................ 1,274 1,380 1,372 1,371 1,381 1,348 1,350 1,644

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 3,552 3,090 3,407 3,582 3,231 3,050 3,174 3,152

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 964 806 966 1,058 904 833 910 898

Accommodation and food services................. 2,590 2,285 2,442 2,524 2,328 2,217 2,262 2,256

Other services................................................... 686 839 1,043 860 857 937 914 977

Government......................................................... 1,146 1,205 1,294 1,374 1,297 1,363 1,364 1,227

Federal............................................................ 113 142 160 159 161 191 225 109

State and local.................................................... 1,032 1,057 1,134 1,215 1,139 1,172 1,137 1,114

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 4,329 4,201 4,531 4,687 4,198 3,671 3,996 4,326

South............................................................... 7,541 8,297 8,547 7,944 7,968 7,460 7,909 8,162

Midwest............................................................ 6,371 5,507 5,453 5,500 5,545 5,073 5,276 5,302

West............................................................... 6,108 5,317 5,429 5,255 5,058 5,229 5,357 6,582

 1 The annual layoffs and discharges level is the total number of layoffs and discharges during the entire year.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 18. Annual layoffs and discharges rates 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Total..................................................................... 18.5 17.9 18.4 17.8 17.0 15.7 16.4 17.8

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 21.0 20.3 20.9 20.0 19.2 17.6 18.4 20.2

Mining and logging............................................. 17.5 18.2 18.7 13.9 12.4 10.8 12.6 15.1

Construction...................................................... 46.8 46.4 46.7 42.2 39.9 34.1 37.3 46.4

Manufacturing................................................... 20.1 17.6 16.0 14.0 12.9 12.8 14.1 16.5

Durable goods................................................ 19.3 17.4 15.8 13.6 12.8 11.3 13.7 16.7

Nondurable goods.......................................... 21.6 18.0 16.5 14.5 13.1 15.4 14.9 16.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 17.5 17.8 18.9 18.8 17.9 15.9 16.1 17.8

Wholesale trade............................................. 14.8 14.3 14.9 13.9 13.2 10.9 13.6 16.3

Retail trade................................................... 19.6 19.9 21.1 20.4 19.1 18.6 17.7 18.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 14.4 15.2 16.9 19.7 19.5 13.6 13.9 16.0

Information......................................................... 15.8 15.8 13.4 12.5 8.9 8.5 10.4 12.2

Financial activities............................................... 10.7 12.1 9.7 9.8 10.6 10.4 13.3 13.5

Finance and insurance.................................... 9.3 9.9 7.1 7.2 7.9 7.6 9.9 10.6

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 14.8 18.4 16.9 17.2 18.2 18.6 23.1 21.6

Professional and business services........................ 29.4 29.0 30.8 29.9 30.0 26.1 26.4 28.7

Education and health services.............................. 9.8 10.0 10.4 9.8 9.7 9.5 9.5 11.0

Educational services....................................... 10.5 9.3 13.3 10.4 10.5 11.7 13.2 14.0

Health care and social assistance........................ 9.7 10.2 9.9 9.7 9.5 9.0 8.8 10.4

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 29.5 25.8 28.0 28.7 25.2 23.3 23.6 23.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 52.9 45.2 53.3 57.2 47.8 43.2 46.2 45.6

Accommodation and food services................. 25.4 22.4 23.6 23.7 21.3 19.8 19.7 19.6

Other services................................................... 13.0 15.6 19.3 15.9 15.9 17.2 16.6 17.7

Government......................................................... 5.4 5.6 6.0 6.4 5.9 6.2 6.1 5.5

Federal............................................................ 4.1 5.1 5.8 5.8 5.9 7.0 8.2 3.9

State and local.................................................... 5.6 5.6 6.0 6.4 6.0 6.1 5.8 5.6

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 17.1 16.8 18.3 18.9 16.8 14.5 15.6 16.9

South............................................................... 16.2 18.0 18.5 16.9 16.6 15.2 15.9 16.5

Midwest............................................................ 20.3 17.8 17.8 17.9 17.9 16.3 16.8 17.0

West............................................................... 21.3 18.7 19.1 18.1 17.0 17.1 17.3 21.4

 1 The annual layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire year as a percent of annual average employment.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 19. Annual other separations levels 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(In thousands)

Total..................................................................... 4,852 4,708 4,536 4,425 4,364 4,870 4,463 3,969

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 4,145 3,901 3,766 3,636 3,643 4,123 3,591 3,319

Mining and logging............................................. 40 44 64 67 56 39 35 28

Construction...................................................... 269 215 181 231 198 355 220 233

Manufacturing................................................... 515 494 462 349 426 429 393 332

Durable goods................................................ 362 328 305 236 310 296 252 209

Nondurable goods.......................................... 153 165 159 113 119 135 142 124

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 850 898 870 951 796 1,105 956 974

Wholesale trade............................................. 116 165 147 188 116 195 134 120

Retail trade................................................... 548 544 492 550 468 668 623 658

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 185 191 231 214 211 243 201 196

Information......................................................... 107 102 67 76 102 84 100 68

Financial activities............................................... 318 246 328 341 285 312 257 245

Finance and insurance.................................... 263 179 233 267 219 228 174 172

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 56 67 96 76 67 83 80 73

Professional and business services........................ 990 965 767 668 797 851 644 568

Education and health services.............................. 407 407 435 385 390 423 444 454

Educational services....................................... 70 50 50 51 53 53 50 48

Health care and social assistance........................ 336 355 384 336 338 371 395 406

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 452 368 411 407 367 326 324 322

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 70 37 46 38 27 44 59 42

Accommodation and food services................. 382 333 364 368 340 280 267 278

Other services................................................... 198 159 182 158 227 200 217 102

Government......................................................... 707 809 771 791 719 745 872 647

Federal............................................................ 158 149 163 181 147 204 312 110

State and local.................................................... 546 661 610 609 572 542 559 538

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 869 896 891 916 774 870 821 799

South............................................................... 1,685 1,633 1,665 1,605 1,502 1,768 1,475 1,342

Midwest............................................................ 1,186 1,100 1,024 955 1,001 1,129 1,034 919

West............................................................... 1,113 1,079 953 947 1,087 1,103 1,132 909

 1 The annual other separations level is the total number of other separations during the entire year.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008
Table 20. Annual other separations rates 1

 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

(Percent)

Total..................................................................... 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.2 2.9

INDUSTRY

Total private......................................................... 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.1 2.9

Mining and logging............................................. 6.6 7.5 11.2 11.3 8.9 5.7 4.8 3.6

Construction...................................................... 3.9 3.2 2.7 3.3 2.7 4.6 2.9 3.2

Manufacturing................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.2 2.4 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.5

Durable goods................................................ 3.5 3.5 3.4 2.6 3.5 3.3 2.9 2.5

Nondurable goods.......................................... 2.5 2.9 2.9 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities........................... 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.7 3.1 4.2 3.6 3.7

Wholesale trade............................................. 2.0 2.9 2.6 3.3 2.0 3.3 2.2 2.0

Retail trade................................................... 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.7 3.1 4.4 4.0 4.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities............ 3.7 4.0 4.9 4.4 4.3 4.8 3.9 3.9

Information......................................................... 2.9 3.0 2.1 2.4 3.3 2.8 3.3 2.3

Financial activities............................................... 4.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 3.5 3.7 3.1 3.0

Finance and insurance.................................... 4.6 3.1 3.9 4.5 3.6 3.7 2.8 2.9

Real estate and rental and leasing..................... 2.7 3.3 4.7 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.7 3.4

Professional and business services........................ 6.0 6.0 4.8 4.1 4.7 4.8 3.6 3.2

Education and health services.............................. 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4

Educational services....................................... 2.8 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.6

Health care and social assistance........................ 2.6 2.6 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.6

Leisure and hospitality.......................................... 3.8 3.1 3.4 3.3 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation..................... 3.8 2.1 2.5 2.1 1.4 2.3 3.0 2.1

Accommodation and food services................. 3.7 3.3 3.5 3.5 3.1 2.5 2.3 2.4

Other services................................................... 3.8 3.0 3.4 2.9 4.2 3.7 3.9 1.8

Government......................................................... 3.3 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.3 3.4 3.9 2.9

Federal............................................................ 5.7 5.4 5.9 6.6 5.4 7.5 11.4 4.0

State and local.................................................... 3.0 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.7

REGION 2

Northeast......................................................... 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.1 3.4 3.2 3.1

South............................................................... 3.6 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.1 3.6 3.0 2.7

Midwest............................................................ 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.6 3.3 2.9

West............................................................... 3.9 3.8 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.0

 1 The annual other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire year as a percent of annual average employment.

 2 See footnote 7, table 1.

 NOTE: Data have been revised to incorporate the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates. 

Industry and region 2001 2002 2003 2007 2004 2005 2006 2008