For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, April 6, 2021 USDL-21-0620

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

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

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – FEBRUARY 2021

The number of job openings edged up to 7.4 million on the last business day of February, the U.S. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires also edged up to 5.7 million while total separations 

were little changed at 5.5 million. Within separations, the quits rate and layoffs and discharges rate were 

unchanged at 2.3 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively. This release includes estimates of the number 

and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, by four 

geographic regions, and by establishment size class.

Job Openings

On the last business day of February, the number of job openings edged up to 7.4 million (+268,000).

The job openings rate was little changed at 4.9 percent. Job openings increased in health care and social 

assistance (+233,000); accommodation and food services (+104,000); and arts, entertainment, and 

recreation (+56,000). The number of job openings decreased in state and local government education

(-117,000); educational services (-35,000); and information (-34,000). The number of job openings was 

little changed in all four regions. (See table 1.)

Hires

In February, the number of hires edged up to 5.7 million (+273,000). The hires rate was little changed at 

4.0 percent. Hires increased in accommodation and food services (+220,000). Hires decreased in state 

and local government education (-80,000) and in educational services (-25,000). The number of hires 

increased in the South region. (See table 2.)

 3.0

 3.2

 3.4

 3.6

 3.8

 4.0

 4.2

 4.4

 4.6

 4.8

 5.0

Feb-18 Aug-18 Feb-19 Aug-19 Feb-20 Aug-20 Feb-21

Percent

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, February 2018 - February 2021

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.0

11.0

Feb-18 Aug-18 Feb-19 Aug-19 Feb-20 Aug-20 Feb-21

Hires

Separations

Percent

Chart 2. Hires and total separations rates, seasonally adjusted, February 2018 - February 2021
- 2 -

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits are generally 

voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of 

workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated 

by the employer. Other separations includes separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers 

to other locations of the same firm.

In February, the number and rate of total separations were little changed at 5.5 million and 3.8 percent, 

respectively. The total separations level decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-97,000) 

and in federal government (-17,000). Total separations increased in construction (+90,000); state and 

local government education (+51,000); and educational services (+36,000). Total separations were little 

changed in all four regions. (See table 3.)

In February, the quits level and rate were little changed at 3.4 million and 2.3 percent, respectively. The 

number of quits increased in state and local government education (+29,000); educational services 

(+22,000); and real estate and rental and leasing (+15,000). Quits decreased in federal government

(-7,000). The number of quits was little changed in all four regions. (See table 4.)

In February, the number and rate of layoffs and discharges were little changed at 1.8 million and 1.2 

percent, respectively. The number of layoffs and discharges decreased in transportation, warehousing,

and utilities (-91,000) and in federal government (-6,000). Layoffs and discharges increased in finance 

and insurance (+24.000). Layoffs and discharges decreased in the West region. (See table 5.)

The number of other separations was little changed in February at 323,000. Other separations increased

in state and local government education (+9,000) and in educational services (+4,000). Other separations 

decreased in real estate and rental and leasing (-7,000) and in federal government (-3,000). The other 

separations level was little changed in all four regions. (See table 6.)

Net Change in Employment

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

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

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

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

if the hires level is steady or rising.

Over the 12 months ending in February, hires totaled 72.3 million and separations totaled 80.9 million, 

yielding a net employment loss of 8.6 million. These totals include workers who may have been hired 

and separated more than once during the year.

Establishment Size Class

JOLTS produces estimates for job openings, hires, and separations by establishment size. These 

estimates can provide additional insight into the internal dynamics of the labor market. There are six 

employment size classes: 1-9; 10-49; 50-249; 250-999; 1,000-4,999; and 5,000 or more employees. 

Utilizing these size classes, establishments can also be described as small (1-49 employees), medium 

(50-249), and large (250+). For a more in-depth description of the JOLTS establishment size class 

estimates, please visit www.bls.gov/jlt/sizeclassmethodology.htm.
- 3 -

In February, the hires rate increased in small establishments with 10-49 employees. In large 

establishments with 250-999 employees, the job openings rate increased.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for March 2021 are scheduled to be 

released on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on February 2021

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Data

Data collection for the JOLTS survey was affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. While 42 

percent of data are usually collected by phone at the JOLTS data collection center, most phone 

respondents were asked to report electronically. However, data collection was adversely impacted due to 

the inability to reach some respondents that normally respond by phone. The JOLTS response rate for 

February was 45 percent, while response rates prior to the pandemic averaged 54 percent.

More information about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the JOLTS survey, including 

information about the JOLTS estimation methodology, is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/jobopenings-and-labor-turnover-covid19-february-2021.htm.
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted

Category

Job openings Hires Total separations

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

LEVELS BY INDUSTRY

(in thousands)

Total................................................... 7,012 7,099 7,367 5,979 5,465 5,738 5,715 5,323 5,456

Total private....................................... 6,241 6,380 6,732 5,592 5,102 5,446 5,366 5,007 5,107

Mining and logging............................. 24 24 18 23 17 17 21 17 21

Construction.................................... 302 300 266 390 346 396 366 338 428

Manufacturing.................................. 402 537 538 355 351 387 347 362 362

Durable goods............................... 252 308 304 216 192 221 207 205 197

Nondurable goods........................... 151 228 234 139 159 166 140 158 165

Trade, transportation, and utilities........... 1,236 1,308 1,364 1,268 1,183 1,124 1,255 1,197 1,134

Wholesale trade............................. 181 192 202 152 152 144 157 136 143

Retail trade................................... 734 793 817 844 778 742 846 718 745

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities...................................... 321 323 345 272 254 239 253 343 246

Information...................................... 139 129 95 95 77 84 91 66 79

Financial activities.............................. 416 306 321 239 202 207 221 206 214

Finance and insurance..................... 312 226 247 156 126 134 149 135 135

Real estate and rental and leasing. . . . . .. 104 80 75 84 76 74 72 72 79

Professional and business services......... 1,307 1,404 1,390 1,126 1,078 1,103 1,098 1,003 1,058

Education and health services............... 1,262 1,368 1,565 769 708 708 716 681 677

Educational services........................ 116 148 113 92 110 85 94 48 84

Health care and social assistance. . . . . . .. 1,146 1,220 1,453 677 598 623 622 632 593

Leisure and hospitality........................ 945 738 898 1,100 928 1,154 1,037 933 886

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. . . . . .. 138 81 137 169 120 126 161 136 125

Accommodation and food services. . . . . .. 807 657 761 931 808 1,028 876 797 760

Other services.................................. 208 265 275 226 212 266 215 203 250

Government....................................... 771 719 635 387 363 292 349 316 349

Federal.......................................... 122 79 83 53 32 37 42 59 42

State and local................................. 649 641 552 335 331 256 307 257 307

State and local education.................. 255 294 177 167 193 113 150 105 156

State and local, excluding education. . . .. 394 347 375 167 137 143 157 152 151

RATES BY INDUSTRY

(percent)

Total................................................... 4.4 4.7 4.9 3.9 3.8 4.0 3.7 3.7 3.8

Total private....................................... 4.6 5.0 5.2 4.3 4.2 4.5 4.1 4.1 4.2

Mining and logging............................. 3.3 3.9 3.0 3.3 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.8 3.6

Construction.................................... 3.8 3.9 3.5 5.1 4.7 5.4 4.8 4.6 5.8

Manufacturing.................................. 3.0 4.2 4.2 2.8 2.9 3.2 2.7 3.0 3.0

Durable goods............................... 3.0 3.9 3.8 2.7 2.5 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.6

Nondurable goods........................... 3.1 4.7 4.8 2.9 3.4 3.6 2.9 3.4 3.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities........... 4.2 4.6 4.8 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.2

Wholesale trade............................. 3.0 3.3 3.5 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.4 2.5

Retail trade................................... 4.5 5.0 5.1 5.4 5.1 4.9 5.4 4.7 4.9

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities...................................... 4.8 5.0 5.3 4.3 4.1 3.8 4.0 5.5 4.0

Information...................................... 4.5 4.6 3.5 3.3 2.9 3.1 3.1 2.5 2.9

Financial activities.............................. 4.5 3.4 3.5 2.7 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4

Finance and insurance..................... 4.6 3.3 3.6 2.4 1.9 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.1

Real estate and rental and leasing. . . . . .. 4.2 3.5 3.2 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.0 3.2 3.6

Professional and business services......... 5.7 6.4 6.3 5.2 5.2 5.3 5.1 4.9 5.1

Education and health services............... 4.9 5.6 6.3 3.1 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9

Educational services........................ 3.0 4.2 3.2 2.4 3.3 2.5 2.5 1.4 2.5

Health care and social assistance. . . . . . .. 5.2 5.8 6.8 3.3 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.0

Leisure and hospitality........................ 5.3 5.3 6.3 6.5 7.1 8.6 6.1 7.1 6.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. . . . . .. 5.2 4.5 7.4 6.8 7.1 7.3 6.4 8.0 7.3

Accommodation and food services. . . . . .. 5.3 5.4 6.1 6.5 7.1 8.8 6.1 7.0 6.5

Other services.................................. 3.4 4.6 4.8 3.8 3.9 4.8 3.6 3.7 4.5

See footnotes at end of table.
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted — Continued

Category

Job openings Hires Total separations

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Government....................................... 3.3 3.2 2.9 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.6

Federal.......................................... 4.1 2.7 2.8 1.8 1.1 1.3 1.5 2.0 1.5

State and local................................. 3.1 3.3 2.9 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.7

State and local education.................. 2.3 2.9 1.8 1.6 2.0 1.2 1.4 1.1 1.6

State and local, excluding education. . . .. 4.0 3.7 4.0 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7

p Preliminary
Technical Note

Special technical note: This technical note 

describes the procedures regularly used on a monthly 

basis to develop estimates from JOLTS survey 

responses. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of 

the procedures described in this technical note have 

been modified. The modifications are briefly 

described in the box note in the news release and are 

described in more detail at 

www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemicon-job-openings-and-labor-turnover-data.htm.

This news release presents statistics from the Job 

Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The 

JOLTS program provides information on labor 

demand and turnover. Additional information about 

the JOLTS program can be found at 

www.bls.gov/jlt/. Estimates are published for job 

openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other 

separations, and total separations. The JOLTS 

program covers all private nonfarm establishments, 

as well as civilian federal, state, and local 

government entities in the 50 states and the District 

of Columbia. Industries are classified in accordance 

with the North American Industry Classification 

System.

Definitions

Employment. Employment includes persons on 

the payroll who worked or received pay for the pay 

period that includes the 12th day of the reference 

month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, 

seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are 

included, as are employees on paid vacation or other 

paid leave. Proprietors or partners of unincorporated 

businesses, unpaid family workers, or employees on 

strike for the entire pay period, and employees on 

leave without pay 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. JOLTS does not publish 

employment estimates but uses the reported 

employment for validation of the other reported data 

elements.

Job Openings. Job openings include all 

positions that are open on the last business day of the 

reference month. A job is open only if it meets all 

three of these conditions: 

 A specific position exists and there is work 

available for that position. The position can 

be full-time or part-time, and it can be 

permanent, short-term, or seasonal. 

 The job could start within 30 days, whether 

or not the employer can find a suitable 

candidate during that time. 

 The employer is actively recruiting workers 

from outside the establishment to fill the 

position. Active recruiting means that the 

establishment is taking steps to fill a 

position. It may include advertising in 

newspapers, on television, or on the radio; 

posting Internet notices, posting “help 

wanted” signs, networking or making 

“word-of-mouth” announcements; accepting 

applications; interviewing candidates; 

contacting employment agencies; or 

soliciting employees at job fairs, state or 

local employment offices, or similar

sources.

Excluded are positions open only to internal 

transfers, promotions or demotions, or recall from 

layoffs. Also excluded are openings for positions 

with start dates more than 30 days in the future, 

positions for which employees have been hired but 

the employees have not yet reported for work, and 

positions 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 include all additions to the payroll 

during the entire reference month, including newly 

hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time 

employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal 

employees; employees who were recalled to a job at 

the location following a layoff (formal suspension 

from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or 

intermittent employees who returned to work after 

having been formally separated; workers who were 

hired and separated during the month, and transfers 

from other locations. Excluded are transfers or 

promotions within the reporting location, employees 

returning from strike, employees of temporary help 

agencies, 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 include all separations 

from the payroll during the entire reference month 

and is reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs 

and discharges, and other separations. Quits include 

employees who left voluntarily with the exception of 

retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs 

and discharges includes involuntary separations 

initiated by the employer including layoffs with no 

intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay 

status) 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 (whether or 

not they are expected to return the next season). 

Other separations include retirements, transfers to 

other locations, separations due to employee 

disability; and deaths. Excluded from separations are

transfers within the same location; employees on 

strike; employees of temporary help agencies, 

employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or 

consultants. 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.

Estimation Method

The JOLTS survey design is a stratified random 

sample of 20,700 nonfarm business and government 

establishments. The sample is stratified by 

ownership, region, industry sector, and establishment 

size class. The establishments are drawn from a 

universe of over 9.4 million establishments compiled 

by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages 

(QCEW) program which includes all employers 

subject to state unemployment insurance laws and 

federal agencies subject to the Unemployment 

Compensation for Federal Employees program.

Employment estimates are benchmarked, or ratio 

adjusted, monthly to the strike-adjusted employment 

estimates of the Current Employment Statistics 

(CES) survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment 

is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data 

elements.

Birth/death model. The time lag from the start 

up, or birth, of an establishment until its appearance 

on the sampling frame is approximately one year. 

Also within the first year, new businesses may go out 

of business, referred to as a death. Because not all 

births and deaths of establishments can be reflected 

on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS 

sample cannot capture job openings, hires, and 

separations from them during their early existence. 

BLS has developed a birth/death model that uses 

establishment birth and death activity from previous 

years. The estimates of job openings, hires, and 

separations produced by the birth/death model are 

added to the sample-based estimates produced from 

the survey to arrive at the estimates for job openings, 

hires, and separations.

Alignment. The JOLTS figure for hires minus 

separations can be used to derive a measure of net 

employment change. This change should be 

comparable to the net employment change from the 

much larger CES survey. However, definitional 

differences as well as sampling and nonsampling 

errors between the two surveys historically caused 

JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit the 

divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS 

hires and separations series, BLS implemented the 

monthly alignment method. There are four steps to 

this method: seasonally adjust, align, back out the 

seasonal adjustment factors, and seasonally adjust

again.

Seasonal adjustment. BLS uses X-13 ARIMA 

for seasonal adjustment. 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 

current month data. JOLTS seasonal adjustment 

includes both additive and multiplicative models and 

REGARIMA (regression with auto-correlated 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. The seasonally 

adjusted CES employment trends are applied to the 

seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment 

trends (hires minus separations) forcing them to be 

approximately the same, while preserving the 

seasonality of the JOLTS data. 

Annual estimates. The JOLTS estimates are 

revised annually to reflect annual updates to the CES 

employment estimates and the JOLTS seasonal 

adjustment factors. The JOLTS employment levels 

are ratio-adjusted to the CES employment levels, and 

the resulting ratios are applied to all JOLTS data 

elements. The seasonally adjusted data are 

recalculated for the most recent 5 years in order to 

reflect updated seasonal adjustment factors. These 
annual updates result in revisions to both the 

seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted 

JOLTS data series, for the period since the last 

benchmark was established.

Annual levels for hires, quits, layoffs and 

discharges, other separations, and total separations 

are the sum of the 12 published monthly levels. 

Annual rates 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. Consistent with BLS practice, annual estimates 

are published only for not seasonally adjusted data 

and are released with the January news release each 

year. Annual estimates are not calculated for job 

openings because job openings are a stock, or pointin-time, measurement for the last business day of 

each month.

Reliability of the estimates

JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. Nonsampling error occurs 

when a sample is surveyed rather than the entire 

population. There is a chance that the sample

estimates may differ from the true population values 

they represent. The difference, or sampling error, 

varies depending on the particular sample selected.

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. 

Sampling error estimates are available at 

www.bls.gov/jlt/jolts_median_standard_errors.htm.

The JOLTS estimates also are affected by 

nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for 

many reasons including: the failure to include a 

segment of the population; the inability to obtain data 

from all units in the sample; the inability or 

unwillingness of respondents to provide data on a 

timely basis; mistakes made by respondents; errors 

made in the collection or processing of the data; and 

errors from the employment benchmark data used in 

estimation.

Other information

Information in this release will be made available 

to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice 

phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 

877-8339.
Table 1. Job openings levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 7,012 6,873 6,766 6,752 7,099 7,367 4.4 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.9

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 6,241 6,173 6,078 6,094 6,380 6,732 4.6 4.9 4.8 4.8 5.0 5.2

Mining and logging......................... 24 21 16 21 24 18 3.3 3.4 2.7 3.4 3.9 3.0

Construction................................ 302 253 261 267 300 266 3.8 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.9 3.5

Manufacturing.............................. 402 545 514 479 537 538 3.0 4.3 4.0 3.8 4.2 4.2

Durable goods........................... 252 302 250 271 308 304 3.0 3.9 3.2 3.4 3.9 3.8

Nondurable goods....................... 151 243 263 209 228 234 3.1 5.0 5.4 4.3 4.7 4.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,236 1,160 1,204 1,215 1,308 1,364 4.2 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.6 4.8

Wholesale trade......................... 181 178 175 173 192 202 3.0 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.5

Retail trade............................... 734 703 720 764 793 817 4.5 4.4 4.5 4.8 5.0 5.1

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 321 278 310 277 323 345 4.8 4.3 4.7 4.3 5.0 5.3

Information.................................. 139 117 98 109 129 95 4.5 4.2 3.6 3.9 4.6 3.5

Financial activities......................... 416 304 287 295 306 321 4.5 3.4 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5

Finance and insurance................. 312 225 216 231 226 247 4.6 3.3 3.2 3.4 3.3 3.6

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 104 79 70 65 80 75 4.2 3.4 3.1 2.8 3.5 3.2

Professional and business services. . . .. 1,307 1,225 1,261 1,478 1,404 1,390 5.7 5.7 5.8 6.7 6.4 6.3

Education and health services........... 1,262 1,394 1,335 1,277 1,368 1,565 4.9 5.7 5.4 5.2 5.6 6.3

Educational services.................... 116 116 101 90 148 113 3.0 3.3 2.9 2.6 4.2 3.2

Health care and social assistance. . .. 1,146 1,278 1,234 1,187 1,220 1,453 5.2 6.1 5.8 5.6 5.8 6.8

Leisure and hospitality.................... 945 888 859 747 738 898 5.3 6.1 5.9 5.4 5.3 6.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 138 97 110 62 81 137 5.2 5.2 5.7 3.5 4.5 7.4

Accommodation and food services. .. 807 792 749 685 657 761 5.3 6.3 6.0 5.7 5.4 6.1

Other services.............................. 208 266 243 205 265 275 3.4 4.6 4.2 3.6 4.6 4.8

Government................................... 771 700 688 659 719 635 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.2 2.9

Federal...................................... 122 103 103 98 79 83 4.1 3.3 3.5 3.3 2.7 2.8

State and local............................. 649 598 584 561 641 552 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.3 2.9

State and local education.............. 255 228 207 217 294 177 2.3 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.9 1.8

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 394 369 377 344 347 375 4.0 3.9 4.0 3.7 3.7 4.0

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 1,212 1,170 1,166 1,142 1,165 1,277 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.3 4.7

South........................................... 2,620 2,717 2,623 2,645 2,831 2,924 4.5 4.9 4.8 4.8 5.1 5.3

Midwest........................................ 1,524 1,463 1,455 1,465 1,520 1,554 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.7 4.8

West............................................ 1,656 1,524 1,522 1,501 1,583 1,611 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.6

1

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

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

3 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 2. Hires levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 5,979 6,035 6,019 5,411 5,465 5,738 3.9 4.2 4.2 3.8 3.8 4.0

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 5,592 5,696 5,649 5,072 5,102 5,446 4.3 4.7 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.5

Mining and logging......................... 23 19 25 24 17 17 3.3 3.2 4.2 4.0 2.9 2.9

Construction................................ 390 401 389 399 346 396 5.1 5.5 5.3 5.4 4.7 5.4

Manufacturing.............................. 355 384 405 398 351 387 2.8 3.2 3.3 3.3 2.9 3.2

Durable goods........................... 216 226 230 224 192 221 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.5 2.9

Nondurable goods....................... 139 159 176 174 159 166 2.9 3.4 3.8 3.8 3.4 3.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,268 1,276 1,285 1,199 1,183 1,124 4.5 4.8 4.8 4.4 4.4 4.2

Wholesale trade......................... 152 136 150 160 152 144 2.6 2.4 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.6

Retail trade............................... 844 739 713 814 778 742 5.4 4.9 4.7 5.3 5.1 4.9

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 272 401 421 225 254 239 4.3 6.5 6.7 3.6 4.1 3.8

Information.................................. 95 123 81 72 77 84 3.3 4.6 3.1 2.7 2.9 3.1

Financial activities......................... 239 250 217 212 202 207 2.7 2.9 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.4

Finance and insurance................. 156 152 143 134 126 134 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.0 1.9 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 84 99 73 78 76 74 3.5 4.5 3.3 3.5 3.4 3.3

Professional and business services. . . .. 1,126 1,102 1,220 1,121 1,078 1,103 5.2 5.4 6.0 5.5 5.2 5.3

Education and health services........... 769 727 725 700 708 708 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.0

Educational services.................... 92 88 90 67 110 85 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.0 3.3 2.5

Health care and social assistance. . .. 677 639 635 633 598 623 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.1

Leisure and hospitality.................... 1,100 1,154 1,097 758 928 1,154 6.5 8.5 8.1 5.8 7.1 8.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 169 145 138 60 120 126 6.8 8.1 7.6 3.5 7.1 7.3

Accommodation and food services. .. 931 1,009 959 698 808 1,028 6.5 8.5 8.1 6.1 7.1 8.8

Other services.............................. 226 258 206 187 212 266 3.8 4.7 3.8 3.4 3.9 4.8

Government................................... 387 339 370 339 363 292 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.4

Federal...................................... 53 47 68 47 32 37 1.8 1.6 2.4 1.6 1.1 1.3

State and local............................. 335 292 302 292 331 256 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.4

State and local education.............. 167 138 140 145 193 113 1.6 1.4 1.5 1.5 2.0 1.2

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 167 154 163 147 137 143 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.6

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 965 985 937 867 867 950 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.6

South........................................... 2,375 2,413 2,458 2,156 2,054 2,218 4.2 4.6 4.7 4.1 3.9 4.2

Midwest........................................ 1,243 1,230 1,316 1,203 1,241 1,290 3.8 4.0 4.3 3.9 4.0 4.2

West............................................ 1,396 1,407 1,309 1,184 1,303 1,279 3.9 4.2 3.9 3.5 3.9 3.8

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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 3. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 5,715 5,427 5,744 5,582 5,323 5,456 3.7 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.7 3.8

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 5,366 4,878 5,305 5,236 5,007 5,107 4.1 4.0 4.4 4.3 4.1 4.2

Mining and logging......................... 21 20 20 19 17 21 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.1 2.8 3.6

Construction................................ 366 343 362 352 338 428 4.8 4.7 4.9 4.8 4.6 5.8

Manufacturing.............................. 347 354 367 387 362 362 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.0 3.0

Durable goods........................... 207 205 206 213 205 197 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.6

Nondurable goods....................... 140 149 161 173 158 165 2.9 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.6

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,255 1,129 1,123 1,123 1,197 1,134 4.5 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.4 4.2

Wholesale trade......................... 157 122 143 151 136 143 2.7 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.4 2.5

Retail trade............................... 846 740 735 737 718 745 5.4 4.9 4.9 4.8 4.7 4.9

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 253 268 245 235 343 246 4.0 4.4 3.9 3.8 5.5 4.0

Information.................................. 91 78 79 74 66 79 3.1 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.5 2.9

Financial activities......................... 221 208 199 182 206 214 2.5 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.4 2.4

Finance and insurance................. 149 131 133 113 135 135 2.3 2.0 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.1

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 72 78 66 69 72 79 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.6

Professional and business services. . . .. 1,098 1,036 1,123 1,007 1,003 1,058 5.1 5.1 5.5 4.9 4.9 5.1

Education and health services........... 716 709 690 681 681 677 2.9 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9

Educational services.................... 94 84 89 102 48 84 2.5 2.5 2.6 3.1 1.4 2.5

Health care and social assistance. . .. 622 625 600 579 632 593 3.0 3.1 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.0

Leisure and hospitality.................... 1,037 828 1,134 1,221 933 886 6.1 6.1 8.3 9.3 7.1 6.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 161 115 102 173 136 125 6.4 6.5 5.6 10.1 8.0 7.3

Accommodation and food services. .. 876 713 1,032 1,049 797 760 6.1 6.0 8.7 9.2 7.0 6.5

Other services.............................. 215 172 209 190 203 250 3.6 3.1 3.8 3.5 3.7 4.5

Government................................... 349 549 439 346 316 349 1.5 2.5 2.0 1.6 1.5 1.6

Federal...................................... 42 198 134 50 59 42 1.5 6.6 4.6 1.7 2.0 1.5

State and local............................. 307 351 305 296 257 307 1.5 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.7

State and local education.............. 150 196 150 141 105 156 1.4 2.0 1.6 1.5 1.1 1.6

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 157 155 155 155 152 151 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 901 892 904 858 794 881 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.3 3.1 3.4

South........................................... 2,163 2,177 2,176 2,186 2,128 2,150 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1

Midwest........................................ 1,274 1,202 1,308 1,166 1,111 1,194 3.9 3.9 4.2 3.8 3.6 3.9

West............................................ 1,377 1,157 1,355 1,372 1,290 1,231 3.9 3.5 4.1 4.1 3.9 3.7

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

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

3 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 4. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 3,430 3,352 3,296 3,407 3,306 3,357 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 3,240 3,125 3,113 3,224 3,140 3,164 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.6

Mining and logging......................... 13 9 12 9 8 11 1.9 1.4 2.0 1.6 1.3 1.8

Construction................................ 153 132 163 161 139 163 2.0 1.8 2.2 2.2 1.9 2.2

Manufacturing.............................. 189 231 235 240 251 253 1.5 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.1

Durable goods........................... 110 123 129 135 142 135 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.8

Nondurable goods....................... 78 109 106 105 109 117 1.6 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 768 744 752 816 755 748 2.8 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.8 2.8

Wholesale trade......................... 99 89 75 97 71 84 1.7 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.3 1.5

Retail trade............................... 526 512 540 549 539 531 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.6 3.5 3.5

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 142 142 137 170 145 133 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.7 2.3 2.2

Information.................................. 52 40 40 39 37 41 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5

Financial activities......................... 130 127 124 108 148 140 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.7 1.6

Finance and insurance................. 88 81 82 69 106 83 1.4 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.3

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 43 46 42 38 42 57 1.8 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.9 2.5

Professional and business services. . . .. 622 619 592 581 580 572 2.9 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.8

Education and health services........... 495 510 446 471 469 471 2.0 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.0

Educational services.................... 59 44 46 52 25 47 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.6 0.7 1.4

Health care and social assistance. . .. 436 467 400 419 443 425 2.1 2.4 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.1

Leisure and hospitality.................... 690 605 622 687 641 617 4.1 4.4 4.6 5.2 4.9 4.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 78 57 56 71 64 49 3.1 3.2 3.1 4.2 3.8 2.8

Accommodation and food services. .. 612 548 566 616 577 568 4.2 4.6 4.8 5.4 5.1 4.8

Other services.............................. 127 108 126 113 114 148 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.7

Government................................... 190 228 183 183 166 194 0.8 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.9

Federal...................................... 19 31 24 21 26 19 0.7 1.0 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.7

State and local............................. 171 197 159 162 140 175 0.9 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.9

State and local education.............. 87 106 81 81 62 91 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.9

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 84 91 78 81 78 84 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 484 460 466 436 432 445 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7

South........................................... 1,361 1,479 1,445 1,465 1,427 1,396 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7

Midwest........................................ 767 733 709 761 727 751 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4

West............................................ 818 680 676 746 719 766 2.3 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.3

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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 5. Layoffs and discharges levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 1,953 1,728 2,123 1,823 1,724 1,775 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 1,860 1,483 1,930 1,734 1,634 1,688 1.4 1.2 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.4

Mining and logging......................... 6 11 7 9 7 9 0.8 1.8 1.2 1.5 1.2 1.5

Construction................................ 200 200 189 183 187 250 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.5 3.4

Manufacturing.............................. 136 99 110 120 90 84 1.1 0.8 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.7

Durable goods........................... 83 69 62 64 48 46 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.6

Nondurable goods....................... 53 29 47 56 42 38 1.1 0.6 1.0 1.2 0.9 0.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 426 313 327 243 414 337 1.5 1.2 1.2 0.9 1.5 1.2

Wholesale trade......................... 52 25 61 40 61 47 0.9 0.5 1.1 0.7 1.1 0.8

Retail trade............................... 280 187 174 156 164 192 1.8 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.3

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 94 101 92 46 189 98 1.5 1.6 1.5 0.7 3.0 1.6

Information.................................. 33 33 33 30 22 26 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.1 0.8 1.0

Financial activities......................... 71 49 54 50 32 57 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.6

Finance and insurance................. 43 20 36 23 13 37 0.7 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.6

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 28 29 18 27 19 20 1.2 1.3 0.8 1.2 0.9 0.9

Professional and business services. . . .. 407 362 449 359 372 429 1.9 1.8 2.2 1.7 1.8 2.1

Education and health services........... 174 160 203 168 160 162 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.7

Educational services.................... 31 35 38 41 21 31 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.6 0.9

Health care and social assistance. . .. 143 125 165 126 139 131 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.7

Leisure and hospitality.................... 323 197 485 506 267 244 1.9 1.4 3.6 3.9 2.0 1.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 80 56 44 98 70 74 3.2 3.1 2.4 5.7 4.1 4.3

Accommodation and food services. .. 243 141 441 409 197 170 1.7 1.2 3.7 3.6 1.7 1.4

Other services.............................. 85 59 72 66 84 91 1.4 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.7

Government................................... 94 245 194 89 89 87 0.4 1.1 0.9 0.4 0.4 0.4

Federal...................................... 9 153 98 12 18 12 0.3 5.1 3.4 0.4 0.6 0.4

State and local............................. 84 92 95 77 71 76 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4

State and local education.............. 41 59 41 31 24 37 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 43 33 54 46 47 39 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 372 378 382 356 309 382 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.5

South........................................... 675 553 636 576 598 629 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.2

Midwest........................................ 440 401 527 338 328 370 1.3 1.3 1.7 1.1 1.1 1.2

West............................................ 466 396 578 554 488 394 1.3 1.2 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.2

1

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

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

3 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 6. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Oct.

2020

Nov.

2020

Dec.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total............................................... 332 347 325 352 294 323 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 267 271 262 278 233 255 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Mining and logging......................... 2 1 1 1 2 2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.3

Construction................................ 13 12 10 7 13 16 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

Manufacturing.............................. 22 24 22 27 22 25 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Durable goods........................... 14 13 15 14 15 15 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Nondurable goods....................... 9 11 8 12 7 9 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 62 73 44 64 28 48 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2

Wholesale trade......................... 6 7 6 13 4 12 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2

Retail trade............................... 40 42 22 32 15 21 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 17 24 16 19 10 15 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2

Information.................................. 6 5 5 4 7 12 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4

Financial activities......................... 19 32 21 24 27 18 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2

Finance and insurance................. 18 30 16 21 16 15 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 1 2 5 3 10 3 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.1

Professional and business services. . . .. 69 55 82 67 51 57 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3

Education and health services........... 48 38 41 43 52 43 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Educational services.................... 4 5 5 9 2 6 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2

Health care and social assistance. . .. 43 33 36 34 50 38 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2

Leisure and hospitality.................... 24 26 26 28 25 25 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 3 2 2 3 2 2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1

Accommodation and food services. .. 21 24 25 24 23 23 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Other services.............................. 2 5 10 12 6 11 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2

Government................................... 65 77 63 74 61 68 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Federal...................................... 13 14 12 17 15 12 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4

State and local............................. 52 63 51 57 46 56 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3

State and local education.............. 22 31 29 29 19 28 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 30 31 22 28 27 28 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 45 55 56 66 53 54 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2

South........................................... 126 145 95 146 103 124 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2

Midwest........................................ 68 68 72 67 55 74 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

West............................................ 93 80 101 72 83 71 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2

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

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

3 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary

NOTE: Levels are rounded to the nearest thousand and rates are rounded to the nearest tenth. Levels and rates may round down to zero.
Table 7. Job openings levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 6,701 7,080 7,151 4.3 4.8 4.8

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 5,947 6,376 6,546 4.4 5.1 5.2

Mining and logging............................................... 22 24 16 3.1 3.8 2.7

Construction....................................................... 290 304 248 3.8 4.1 3.4

Manufacturing..................................................... 392 532 528 3.0 4.2 4.1

Durable goods.................................................. 242 305 294 2.9 3.9 3.7

Nondurable goods............................................. 150 227 234 3.1 4.7 4.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 1,104 1,184 1,278 3.9 4.2 4.6

Wholesale trade................................................ 176 204 207 2.9 3.5 3.6

Retail trade..................................................... 622 658 731 3.9 4.2 4.6

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 306 322 340 4.6 4.9 5.3

Information........................................................ 130 133 87 4.3 4.8 3.2

Financial activities................................................ 390 354 307 4.2 3.9 3.4

Finance and insurance........................................ 295 260 243 4.3 3.8 3.6

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 95 94 64 3.9 4.1 2.8

Professional and business services............................ 1,266 1,435 1,372 5.7 6.6 6.3

Education and health services.................................. 1,216 1,491 1,529 4.7 6.1 6.1

Educational services.......................................... 114 151 113 2.8 4.3 3.1

Health care and social assistance........................... 1,102 1,341 1,416 5.0 6.3 6.7

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 936 655 912 5.4 5.0 6.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 149 74 155 6.2 4.6 9.0

Accommodation and food services.......................... 787 581 757 5.3 5.0 6.2

Other services.................................................... 200 265 269 3.3 4.7 4.7

Government.......................................................... 754 704 605 3.2 3.2 2.7

Federal............................................................. 130 79 88 4.4 2.7 3.0

State and local.................................................... 625 625 518 3.0 3.3 2.7

State and local education..................................... 233 291 142 2.1 2.9 1.4

State and local, excluding education........................ 392 334 376 4.1 3.6 4.1

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 1,141 1,138 1,216 4.0 4.2 4.5

South................................................................. 2,524 2,820 2,854 4.4 5.2 5.2

Midwest............................................................... 1,483 1,462 1,524 4.3 4.6 4.7

West.................................................................. 1,553 1,660 1,557 4.2 4.8 4.5

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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 8. Hires levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 4,986 5,223 4,746 3.3 3.7 3.3

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 4,686 4,881 4,542 3.7 4.1 3.8

Mining and logging............................................... 19 19 13 2.8 3.3 2.2

Construction....................................................... 317 310 328 4.3 4.4 4.7

Manufacturing..................................................... 323 360 353 2.5 3.0 2.9

Durable goods.................................................. 200 202 205 2.5 2.7 2.7

Nondurable goods............................................. 123 158 148 2.6 3.4 3.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 1,028 1,052 881 3.7 3.9 3.3

Wholesale trade................................................ 135 161 126 2.3 2.9 2.3

Retail trade..................................................... 687 643 580 4.5 4.2 3.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 207 248 174 3.3 4.0 2.8

Information........................................................ 84 81 73 2.9 3.1 2.7

Financial activities................................................ 205 218 170 2.3 2.5 1.9

Finance and insurance........................................ 139 144 117 2.1 2.2 1.8

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 66 74 53 2.8 3.4 2.4

Professional and business services............................ 989 1,118 963 4.7 5.5 4.7

Education and health services.................................. 673 740 603 2.7 3.2 2.6

Educational services.......................................... 69 117 58 1.8 3.5 1.6

Health care and social assistance........................... 604 623 545 2.9 3.2 2.7

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 872 760 937 5.4 6.0 7.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 115 77 85 5.0 5.0 5.4

Accommodation and food services.......................... 757 682 852 5.4 6.2 7.5

Other services.................................................... 177 222 223 3.0 4.1 4.1

Government.......................................................... 300 342 204 1.3 1.6 0.9

Federal............................................................. 47 29 30 1.6 1.0 1.0

State and local.................................................... 253 313 175 1.3 1.7 0.9

State and local education..................................... 127 202 69 1.1 2.1 0.7

State and local, excluding education........................ 127 110 106 1.4 1.2 1.2

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 735 764 730 2.7 3.0 2.8

South................................................................. 2,081 2,098 1,923 3.8 4.1 3.7

Midwest............................................................... 994 1,133 1,051 3.0 3.7 3.4

West.................................................................. 1,177 1,228 1,042 3.3 3.7 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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 9. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 4,626 5,842 4,404 3.1 4.1 3.1

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 4,392 5,583 4,179 3.4 4.7 3.5

Mining and logging............................................... 22 23 23 3.3 3.8 3.9

Construction....................................................... 275 379 352 3.8 5.4 5.0

Manufacturing..................................................... 301 363 319 2.4 3.0 2.6

Durable goods.................................................. 181 213 173 2.3 2.8 2.3

Nondurable goods............................................. 120 151 146 2.5 3.3 3.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 1,057 1,566 942 3.8 5.8 3.5

Wholesale trade................................................ 137 152 123 2.3 2.7 2.2

Retail trade..................................................... 710 890 624 4.6 5.9 4.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 209 524 194 3.3 8.4 3.2

Information........................................................ 77 85 66 2.6 3.2 2.5

Financial activities................................................ 186 235 176 2.1 2.7 2.0

Finance and insurance........................................ 129 151 116 2.0 2.3 1.8

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 57 83 60 2.5 3.8 2.7

Professional and business services............................ 951 1,083 920 4.5 5.3 4.5

Education and health services.................................. 607 755 562 2.5 3.3 2.4

Educational services.......................................... 58 43 47 1.5 1.3 1.3

Health care and social assistance........................... 549 712 514 2.6 3.6 2.6

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 764 902 612 4.7 7.2 4.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 78 107 46 3.4 7.0 2.9

Accommodation and food services.......................... 686 795 566 4.9 7.2 5.0

Other services.................................................... 151 191 207 2.6 3.5 3.8

Government.......................................................... 234 260 226 1.0 1.2 1.0

Federal............................................................. 35 74 34 1.2 2.6 1.2

State and local.................................................... 199 186 192 1.0 1.0 1.0

State and local education..................................... 83 53 81 0.8 0.5 0.8

State and local, excluding education........................ 116 133 111 1.3 1.5 1.3

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 653 916 666 2.4 3.6 2.6

South................................................................. 1,836 2,320 1,789 3.3 4.5 3.4

Midwest............................................................... 1,038 1,234 977 3.2 4.0 3.2

West.................................................................. 1,100 1,372 972 3.1 4.2 2.9

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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 10. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 2,789 3,291 2,753 1.8 2.3 1.9

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 2,649 3,163 2,612 2.1 2.6 2.2

Mining and logging............................................... 11 8 10 1.7 1.3 1.7

Construction....................................................... 115 132 133 1.6 1.9 1.9

Manufacturing..................................................... 159 238 226 1.2 2.0 1.9

Durable goods.................................................. 94 137 120 1.2 1.8 1.6

Nondurable goods............................................. 65 100 105 1.4 2.2 2.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 635 760 619 2.3 2.8 2.3

Wholesale trade................................................ 82 75 68 1.4 1.3 1.2

Retail trade..................................................... 427 554 434 2.8 3.7 2.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 126 131 118 2.0 2.1 1.9

Information........................................................ 45 41 36 1.6 1.5 1.4

Financial activities................................................ 105 149 118 1.2 1.7 1.4

Finance and insurance........................................ 73 104 71 1.1 1.6 1.1

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 32 44 48 1.4 2.0 2.2

Professional and business services............................ 525 609 477 2.5 3.0 2.3

Education and health services.................................. 432 505 410 1.8 2.2 1.8

Educational services.......................................... 43 25 32 1.1 0.8 0.9

Health care and social assistance........................... 389 479 378 1.9 2.4 1.9

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 538 621 467 3.3 4.9 3.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 54 53 29 2.4 3.5 1.8

Accommodation and food services.......................... 483 567 438 3.4 5.1 3.8

Other services.................................................... 84 103 114 1.4 1.9 2.1

Government.......................................................... 140 129 142 0.6 0.6 0.7

Federal............................................................. 17 27 16 0.6 0.9 0.6

State and local.................................................... 123 102 126 0.6 0.5 0.7

State and local education..................................... 55 33 56 0.5 0.3 0.6

State and local, excluding education........................ 68 69 70 0.7 0.8 0.8

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 368 452 345 1.3 1.8 1.3

South................................................................. 1,165 1,455 1,172 2.1 2.8 2.2

Midwest............................................................... 624 709 626 1.9 2.3 2.0

West.................................................................. 632 675 610 1.8 2.0 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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 11. Layoffs and discharges levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 1,549 2,198 1,377 1.0 1.6 1.0

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 1,502 2,124 1,339 1.2 1.8 1.1

Mining and logging............................................... 9 12 11 1.3 1.9 1.9

Construction....................................................... 153 234 207 2.1 3.3 3.0

Manufacturing..................................................... 123 96 72 1.0 0.8 0.6

Durable goods.................................................. 76 55 39 1.0 0.7 0.5

Nondurable goods............................................. 47 41 32 1.0 0.9 0.7

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 366 773 280 1.3 2.9 1.0

Wholesale trade................................................ 51 72 45 0.9 1.3 0.8

Retail trade..................................................... 246 316 170 1.6 2.1 1.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 69 385 64 1.1 6.2 1.1

Information........................................................ 27 34 19 0.9 1.3 0.7

Financial activities................................................ 65 51 47 0.7 0.6 0.5

Finance and insurance........................................ 41 24 35 0.6 0.4 0.5

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 25 28 11 1.1 1.3 0.5

Professional and business services............................ 359 406 388 1.7 2.0 1.9

Education and health services.................................. 128 182 108 0.5 0.8 0.5

Educational services.......................................... 12 15 12 0.3 0.4 0.3

Health care and social assistance........................... 116 167 97 0.6 0.8 0.5

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 207 256 126 1.3 2.0 1.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 22 52 16 0.9 3.4 1.0

Accommodation and food services.......................... 186 204 110 1.3 1.8 1.0

Other services.................................................... 65 82 81 1.1 1.5 1.5

Government.......................................................... 47 74 37 0.2 0.3 0.2

Federal............................................................. 7 27 9 0.2 0.9 0.3

State and local.................................................... 40 47 29 0.2 0.3 0.2

State and local education..................................... 18 12 12 0.2 0.1 0.1

State and local, excluding education........................ 22 35 17 0.2 0.4 0.2

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 250 406 279 0.9 1.6 1.1

South................................................................. 557 734 506 1.0 1.4 1.0

Midwest............................................................... 361 461 290 1.1 1.5 0.9

West.................................................................. 381 597 301 1.1 1.8 0.9

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 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary
Table 12. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Feb.

2020

Jan.

2021

Feb.

2021p

Total..................................................................... 288 353 274 0.2 0.3 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 240 296 228 0.2 0.2 0.2

Mining and logging............................................... 2 3 2 0.3 0.6 0.3

Construction....................................................... 7 14 11 0.1 0.2 0.2

Manufacturing..................................................... 19 30 22 0.2 0.2 0.2

Durable goods.................................................. 11 20 14 0.1 0.3 0.2

Nondurable goods............................................. 8 9 8 0.2 0.2 0.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 56 34 43 0.2 0.1 0.2

Wholesale trade................................................ 4 5 10 0.1 0.1 0.2

Retail trade..................................................... 37 20 20 0.2 0.1 0.1

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 14 8 12 0.2 0.1 0.2

Information........................................................ 5 10 11 0.2 0.4 0.4

Financial activities................................................ 16 35 11 0.2 0.4 0.1

Finance and insurance........................................ 15 24 10 0.2 0.4 0.2

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 1 11 1 0.0 0.5 0.0

Professional and business services............................ 67 69 55 0.3 0.3 0.3

Education and health services.................................. 47 68 43 0.2 0.3 0.2

Educational services.......................................... 3 3 4 0.1 0.1 0.1

Health care and social assistance........................... 44 65 39 0.2 0.3 0.2

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 19 26 19 0.1 0.2 0.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 2 2 1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Accommodation and food services.......................... 17 24 18 0.1 0.2 0.2

Other services.................................................... 2 6 11 0.0 0.1 0.2

Government.......................................................... 47 57 46 0.2 0.3 0.2

Federal............................................................. 12 21 9 0.4 0.7 0.3

State and local.................................................... 35 37 37 0.2 0.2 0.2

State and local education..................................... 10 8 13 0.1 0.1 0.1

State and local, excluding education........................ 26 29 24 0.3 0.3 0.3

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 35 57 41 0.1 0.2 0.2

South................................................................. 113 133 111 0.2 0.3 0.2

Midwest............................................................... 54 64 61 0.2 0.2 0.2

West.................................................................. 86 98 60 0.2 0.3 0.2

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

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

3 The states (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest:

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona,

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

p Preliminary

NOTE: Levels are rounded to the nearest thousand and rates are rounded to the nearest tenth. Levels and rates may round down to zero.