For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, February 12, 2019 USDL-19-0240

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 – DECEMBER 2018

The number of job openings reached a series high of 7.3 million on the last business day of December, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were little 

changed at 5.9 million and 5.5 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was unchanged at 

2.3 percent and the layoffs and discharges rate was little changed at 1.1 percent. This release includes 

estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by 

industry and by four geographic regions.

Job Openings

On the last business day of December, the job openings level reached a series high of 7.3 million. The 

job openings rate was 4.7 percent. The number of job openings edged up for total private (+198,000) and 

was little changed for government. Job openings increased in a number of industries, with the largest 

increases in construction (+88,000), accommodation and food services (+84,000), and health care and 

social assistance (+79,000). The job openings level decreased in a number of industries, with the largest 

decreases in nondurable goods manufacturing (-37,000), federal government (-32,000), and real estate 

and rental and leasing (-31,000). Job openings was little changed in all four regions. (See table 1.)

Hires

The number of hires was little changed at 5.9 million in December. The hires rate was 3.9 percent. The 

hires level was little changed for total private and for government. Hires increased in retail trade 

(+126,000), educational services (+19,000), and mining and logging (+9,000). Hires decreased in 

 3.0

 3.2

 3.4

 3.6

 3.8

 4.0

 4.2

 4.4

 4.6

 4.8

 5.0

Dec-15 Jun-16 Dec-16 Jun-17 Dec-17 Jun-18 Dec-18

Percent

Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, December 2015 - December 2018

3.0

3.2

3.4

3.6

3.8

4.0

4.2

4.4

Dec-15 Jun-16 Dec-16 Jun-17 Dec-17 Jun-18 Dec-18

Hires

Separations

Percent

Chart 2. Hires and total separations rates, seasonally adjusted, December 2015 - December 2018
- 2 -

information (-22,000) and in federal government (-10,000). The number of hires increased in the 

Midwest region. (See table 2.)

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is 

referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, 

the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and 

discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations includes separations 

due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm.

The number of total separations was little changed at 5.5 million in December. The total separations 

rate was 3.7 percent. The number of total separations was little changed for total private and for 

government. Total separations increased in federal government (+8,000). The number of total 

separations was little changed in all four regions. (See table 3.)

The number of quits was little changed in December at 3.5 million. The quits rate was 2.3 percent. The 

quits level was little changed for total private but decreased for government (-18,000). Quits increased in 

professional and business services (+60,000) and in health care and social assistance (+49,000). Quits 

decreased in a number of industries, with the largest decrease in other services (-42,000). The number of 

quits was little changed in all four regions. (See table 4.)

The number of layoffs and discharges was little changed in December at 1.7 million. The layoffs and 

discharges rate was 1.1 percent. The layoffs and discharges level was little changed for total private and

for government. Layoffs and discharges increased in retail trade (+56,000) and in federal government 

(+4,000). The number of layoffs and discharges was little changed in all four regions. (See table 5.)

The number of other separations edged up (+50,000) in December. The other separations level also 

edged up for total private (+47,000) and was little changed for government. Other separations increased 

in professional and business services (+23,000), health care and social assistance (+21,000), and other 

services (+15,000). Other separations decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-4,000). The 

number of other separations increased in the Midwest region. (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 December, hires totaled 68.5 million 

and separations totaled 65.9 million, yielding a net employment gain of 2.6 million. These totals 

include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for January 2019 are scheduled to be 

released on Friday, March 15, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).
- 3 -

Upcoming Revisions and Methodology Change

As part of an annual process, the January 2019 data release on March 15, 2019, will incorporate 

the annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the JOLTS 

seasonal adjustment factors. Unadjusted data and seasonally adjusted data from December 2000

forward are subject to revision. Additionally, a new methodology for item imputation will be 

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

Category

Job openings Hires Total separations

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

LEVELS BY INDUSTRY

(in thousands)

Total................................................... 5,669 7,166 7,335 5,516 5,812 5,907 5,314 5,563 5,545

Total private....................................... 5,143 6,509 6,707 5,173 5,440 5,555 4,959 5,203 5,204

Mining and logging1............................ 20 32 30 31 32 41 31 32 35

Construction1................................... 149 294 382 321 377 384 291 389 370

Manufacturing.................................. 374 495 428 348 377 352 337 366 325

Durable goods1.............................. 239 322 292 201 206 183 189 204 173

Nondurable goods1

.......................... 135 173 136 147 170 169 148 161 152

Trade, transportation, and utilities........... 1,087 1,412 1,346 1,076 1,179 1,246 1,050 1,116 1,139

Wholesale trade1............................ 188 207 191 148 189 155 143 168 151

Retail trade................................... 707 908 864 698 732 858 686 721 767

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities1

..................................... 192 297 290 230 259 233 221 227 222

Information1

..................................... 103 130 129 83 91 69 88 85 74

Financial activities.............................. 332 402 368 187 206 194 172 190 174

Finance and insurance..................... 253 305 302 122 131 125 121 129 126

Real estate and rental and leasing1. . . . .. 79 97 66 65 75 70 51 61 47

Professional and business services......... 874 1,262 1,344 1,218 1,101 1,177 1,180 1,071 1,150

Education and health services............... 1,107 1,229 1,314 666 761 812 626 713 740

Educational services1

....................... 84 93 98 111 109 128 98 107 91

Health care and social assistance. . . . . . .. 1,023 1,137 1,216 556 652 684 529 606 649

Leisure and hospitality........................ 902 1,026 1,147 1,021 1,082 1,082 981 1,037 1,026

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. . . . . .. 90 98 135 153 169 158 142 163 160

Accommodation and food services. . . . . .. 812 928 1,012 869 913 924 839 874 867

Other services1

................................. 196 226 220 222 234 198 204 205 172

Government....................................... 526 657 628 343 371 352 354 359 340

Federal1

......................................... 81 116 84 20 49 39 36 36 44

State and local................................. 445 541 544 322 323 313 319 324 296

State and local education.................. 165 216 217 167 171 163 165 174 162

State and local, excluding education1

. . .. 280 325 328 155 152 150 153 149 135

RATES BY INDUSTRY

(percent)

Total................................................... 3.7 4.6 4.7 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.6 3.7 3.7

Total private....................................... 3.9 4.9 5.0 4.1 4.3 4.3 4.0 4.1 4.1

Mining and logging1

............................ 2.8 4.1 3.8 4.4 4.2 5.4 4.5 4.3 4.6

Construction1

................................... 2.1 3.9 4.9 4.5 5.2 5.2 4.1 5.3 5.0

Manufacturing.................................. 2.9 3.7 3.2 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.5

Durable goods1

.............................. 3.0 3.9 3.5 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.1

Nondurable goods1.......................... 2.8 3.5 2.8 3.1 3.6 3.5 3.1 3.4 3.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities........... 3.8 4.8 4.6 3.9 4.2 4.5 3.8 4.0 4.1

Wholesale trade1

............................ 3.1 3.3 3.1 2.5 3.1 2.6 2.4 2.8 2.5

Retail trade................................... 4.3 5.4 5.1 4.4 4.6 5.4 4.3 4.5 4.8

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities1

..................................... 3.2 4.7 4.6 4.0 4.3 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.7

Information1

..................................... 3.6 4.5 4.4 3.0 3.3 2.5 3.2 3.1 2.7

Financial activities.............................. 3.8 4.5 4.1 2.2 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.0

Finance and insurance..................... 3.9 4.6 4.5 1.9 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing1. . . . .. 3.4 4.1 2.8 2.9 3.3 3.1 2.3 2.7 2.1

Professional and business services......... 4.1 5.6 5.9 5.9 5.2 5.5 5.7 5.0 5.4

Education and health services............... 4.5 4.9 5.2 2.8 3.2 3.4 2.7 3.0 3.1

Educational services1

....................... 2.2 2.4 2.6 3.0 2.9 3.4 2.6 2.9 2.4

Health care and social assistance. . . . . . .. 4.9 5.4 5.7 2.8 3.2 3.4 2.7 3.0 3.2

Leisure and hospitality........................ 5.3 5.9 6.5 6.3 6.6 6.6 6.0 6.3 6.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. . . . . .. 3.7 3.9 5.3 6.5 7.1 6.6 6.0 6.8 6.7

Accommodation and food services. . . . . .. 5.5 6.2 6.7 6.3 6.5 6.5 6.1 6.2 6.1

Other services1

................................. 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.8 4.0 3.4 3.5 3.5 2.9

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

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Government....................................... 2.3 2.9 2.7 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5

Federal1

......................................... 2.8 4.0 2.9 0.7 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.6

State and local................................. 2.2 2.7 2.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.5

State and local education.................. 1.6 2.0 2.0 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6

State and local, excluding education1

. . .. 3.0 3.4 3.4 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.5

1 No regular seasonal movements could be identified in the job openings series, therefore, the seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data

are identical.

p Preliminary

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, and federal government data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through March 2018.
Technical Note 

This news release presents statistics from the Job 

Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The 

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects and compiles 

JOLTS data monthly from a sample of nonfarm 

establishments. A more detailed discussion of JOLTS 

concepts and methodology is available online at 

www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch18.pdf. 

Coverage and collection

The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments, as well as federal, state, and local government 

entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data 

are collected for total employment, job openings, hires, 

quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total 

separations. 

Concepts

Industry classification. The industry classifications in 

this release are in accordance with the 2017 version of the 

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 

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. Job openings information is collected 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 whether or not the employer found a 

suitable candidate, 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. The hires level is the total number of additions to 

the payroll occurring at any time during the reference 

month, including both new and rehired employees, fulltime and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal 

employees, employees recalled to the location after a 

layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent 

employees who returned to work after having been 

formally separated, and transfers from other locations. 

The hires count does not include transfers or promotions 

within the reporting site, employees returning from strike, 

employees of temporary help agencies or employee 

leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. 

The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of 

hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 

100.

Separations. The separations level is the total number of 

employment terminations occurring at any time during the 

reference month, and is reported by type of separation—

quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. 

(Some respondents are only able to report total 

separations.) The quits count includes voluntary 

separations by employees (except for retirements, which 

are reported as other separations). The layoffs and 

discharges count is comprised of involuntary separations 

initiated by the employer and includes 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. The 

other separations count includes retirements, transfers to 

other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. 

The separations count does 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. 

Annual estimates. 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 point-in-time, 

measurement for the last business day of each month. 
Sample and estimation methodology

The JOLTS survey design is a stratified random sample of 

16,000 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 9.1 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.

JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked, or 

ratio adjusted, monthly to the strike-adjusted employment 

estimates of the 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. To compensate for the 

inability to capture data from these establishments, BLS 

has developed a birth/death model that uses 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 

openings, hires, and separations.

Seasonal adjustment

BLS uses X-13 ARIMA to seasonally adjust several 

JOLTS series utilizing moving averages as seasonal 

filters. 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.

Alignment procedure

The JOLTS measures 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.

This 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 change and the CES net employment change 

is calculated. Next, the JOLTS implied employment 

change is adjusted to equal the CES net employment 

change through a proportional adjustment. This procedure 

adjusts the two components (hires, separations) 

proportionally to their contribution to the total churn 

(hires plus separations). 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. 

Reliability of the estimates

JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and 

nonsampling error. 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 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. Sampling error estimates are available

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

The JOLTS estimates also are affected by non-sampling 

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

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 5,669 7,293 6,960 7,131 7,166 7,335 3.7 4.7 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 5,143 6,595 6,340 6,503 6,509 6,707 3.9 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.9 5.0

Mining and logging3....................... 20 36 34 31 32 30 2.8 4.6 4.3 4.0 4.1 3.8

Construction3

............................... 149 317 272 323 294 382 2.1 4.2 3.6 4.2 3.9 4.9

Manufacturing.............................. 374 508 485 504 495 428 2.9 3.8 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.2

Durable goods3

.......................... 239 304 307 318 322 292 3.0 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.5

Nondurable goods3

...................... 135 204 178 187 173 136 2.8 4.1 3.6 3.8 3.5 2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,087 1,267 1,282 1,322 1,412 1,346 3.8 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.6

Wholesale trade3

........................ 188 221 230 216 207 191 3.1 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.3 3.1

Retail trade............................... 707 760 772 848 908 864 4.3 4.6 4.6 5.1 5.4 5.1

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities3

................................. 192 287 280 258 297 290 3.2 4.6 4.5 4.2 4.7 4.6

Information3................................. 103 149 104 150 130 129 3.6 5.1 3.6 5.1 4.5 4.4

Financial activities......................... 332 450 345 400 402 368 3.8 5.0 3.9 4.4 4.5 4.1

Finance and insurance................. 253 354 264 271 305 302 3.9 5.3 4.0 4.1 4.6 4.5

Real estate and rental and leasing3

... 79 96 81 129 97 66 3.4 4.1 3.4 5.4 4.1 2.8

Professional and business services. . . .. 874 1,374 1,248 1,227 1,262 1,344 4.1 6.1 5.6 5.5 5.6 5.9

Education and health services........... 1,107 1,275 1,278 1,240 1,229 1,314 4.5 5.1 5.1 5.0 4.9 5.2

Educational services3

................... 84 123 83 102 93 98 2.2 3.2 2.2 2.7 2.4 2.6

Health care and social assistance. . .. 1,023 1,152 1,195 1,138 1,137 1,216 4.9 5.5 5.6 5.4 5.4 5.7

Leisure and hospitality.................... 902 996 1,058 1,008 1,026 1,147 5.3 5.7 6.1 5.8 5.9 6.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 90 94 95 85 98 135 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.4 3.9 5.3

Accommodation and food services. .. 812 901 963 923 928 1,012 5.5 6.0 6.4 6.2 6.2 6.7

Other services3

............................. 196 223 234 296 226 220 3.3 3.7 3.8 4.8 3.7 3.6

Government................................... 526 698 620 628 657 628 2.3 3.0 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.7

Federal3

..................................... 81 108 89 107 116 84 2.8 3.7 3.1 3.7 4.0 2.9

State and local............................. 445 591 531 521 541 544 2.2 2.9 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.7

State and local education.............. 165 206 200 205 216 217 1.6 1.9 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.0

State and local, excluding

education3

............................. 280 384 331 316 325 328 3.0 4.0 3.5 3.3 3.4 3.4

REGION4

Northeast...................................... 968 1,177 1,191 1,174 1,179 1,204 3.4 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.2

South........................................... 2,012 2,765 2,506 2,566 2,729 2,834 3.6 4.8 4.4 4.5 4.8 4.9

Midwest........................................ 1,350 1,707 1,657 1,765 1,698 1,693 4.0 4.9 4.8 5.1 4.9 4.8

West............................................ 1,338 1,644 1,605 1,626 1,559 1,605 3.8 4.6 4.5 4.5 4.3 4.4

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 No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted

series.

4 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: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 2. Hires levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 5,516 5,906 5,696 5,928 5,812 5,907 3.7 4.0 3.8 4.0 3.9 3.9

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 5,173 5,551 5,358 5,578 5,440 5,555 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.3 4.3

Mining and logging......................... 31 43 44 33 32 41 4.4 5.7 5.9 4.4 4.2 5.4

Construction................................ 321 366 369 361 377 384 4.5 5.0 5.1 4.9 5.2 5.2

Manufacturing.............................. 348 368 322 386 377 352 2.8 2.9 2.5 3.0 2.9 2.7

Durable goods........................... 201 205 184 229 206 183 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.9 2.6 2.3

Nondurable goods....................... 147 163 138 157 170 169 3.1 3.4 2.9 3.3 3.6 3.5

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,076 1,218 1,167 1,219 1,179 1,246 3.9 4.4 4.2 4.4 4.2 4.5

Wholesale trade......................... 148 164 137 173 189 155 2.5 2.7 2.3 2.9 3.1 2.6

Retail trade............................... 698 818 806 777 732 858 4.4 5.1 5.1 4.9 4.6 5.4

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 230 236 224 270 259 233 4.0 4.0 3.8 4.5 4.3 3.9

Information.................................. 83 77 78 84 91 69 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.3 2.5

Financial activities......................... 187 221 225 195 206 194 2.2 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.3

Finance and insurance................. 122 141 148 128 131 125 1.9 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.1 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 65 80 77 67 75 70 2.9 3.5 3.4 2.9 3.3 3.1

Professional and business services. . . .. 1,218 1,253 1,180 1,214 1,101 1,177 5.9 5.9 5.6 5.7 5.2 5.5

Education and health services........... 666 715 692 751 761 812 2.8 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.4

Educational services.................... 111 92 92 99 109 128 3.0 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.9 3.4

Health care and social assistance. . .. 556 623 601 652 652 684 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.2 3.4

Leisure and hospitality.................... 1,021 1,059 1,079 1,119 1,082 1,082 6.3 6.5 6.6 6.8 6.6 6.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 153 173 171 175 169 158 6.5 7.4 7.2 7.3 7.1 6.6

Accommodation and food services. .. 869 886 908 943 913 924 6.3 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.5 6.5

Other services.............................. 222 231 201 217 234 198 3.8 3.9 3.4 3.7 4.0 3.4

Government................................... 343 355 338 350 371 352 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.6

Federal...................................... 20 32 38 35 49 39 0.7 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.4

State and local............................. 322 322 300 315 323 313 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.6

State and local education.............. 167 173 159 161 171 163 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.6

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 155 149 141 154 152 150 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 789 880 803 835 864 836 2.9 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.0

South........................................... 2,218 2,400 2,388 2,527 2,371 2,313 4.1 4.4 4.4 4.6 4.3 4.2

Midwest........................................ 1,217 1,296 1,309 1,276 1,277 1,443 3.7 3.9 4.0 3.9 3.8 4.3

West............................................ 1,291 1,330 1,196 1,290 1,300 1,314 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.8 3.8 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

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 3. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 5,314 5,779 5,641 5,621 5,563 5,545 3.6 3.9 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.7

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 4,959 5,422 5,306 5,267 5,203 5,204 4.0 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1

Mining and logging......................... 31 35 34 30 32 35 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.0 4.3 4.6

Construction................................ 291 334 343 326 389 370 4.1 4.6 4.7 4.5 5.3 5.0

Manufacturing.............................. 337 343 315 350 366 325 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.5

Durable goods........................... 189 188 179 205 204 173 2.4 2.4 2.2 2.6 2.5 2.1

Nondurable goods....................... 148 154 136 145 161 152 3.1 3.2 2.8 3.0 3.4 3.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 1,050 1,206 1,192 1,172 1,116 1,139 3.8 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.0 4.1

Wholesale trade......................... 143 151 137 155 168 151 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.5

Retail trade............................... 686 837 848 776 721 767 4.3 5.3 5.3 4.9 4.5 4.8

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 221 218 207 241 227 222 3.8 3.7 3.5 4.0 3.8 3.7

Information.................................. 88 83 81 73 85 74 3.2 3.0 2.9 2.6 3.1 2.7

Financial activities......................... 172 231 209 181 190 174 2.0 2.7 2.4 2.1 2.2 2.0

Finance and insurance................. 121 143 143 121 129 126 1.9 2.3 2.3 1.9 2.0 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 51 88 66 60 61 47 2.3 3.9 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.1

Professional and business services. . . .. 1,180 1,194 1,161 1,138 1,071 1,150 5.7 5.7 5.5 5.4 5.0 5.4

Education and health services........... 626 665 646 694 713 740 2.7 2.8 2.7 2.9 3.0 3.1

Educational services.................... 98 88 89 95 107 91 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.9 2.4

Health care and social assistance. . .. 529 577 557 599 606 649 2.7 2.9 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.2

Leisure and hospitality.................... 981 1,072 1,097 1,098 1,037 1,026 6.0 6.6 6.7 6.7 6.3 6.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 142 177 164 159 163 160 6.0 7.5 7.0 6.6 6.8 6.7

Accommodation and food services. .. 839 895 933 939 874 867 6.1 6.4 6.7 6.7 6.2 6.1

Other services.............................. 204 260 228 206 205 172 3.5 4.4 3.9 3.5 3.5 2.9

Government................................... 354 357 335 353 359 340 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5

Federal...................................... 36 33 34 31 36 44 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.6

State and local............................. 319 324 301 322 324 296 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.5

State and local education.............. 165 172 157 177 174 162 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.7 1.6

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 153 152 144 145 149 135 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5

REGION3

Northeast...................................... 771 856 841 760 747 728 2.8 3.1 3.1 2.8 2.7 2.6

South........................................... 2,116 2,356 2,378 2,282 2,314 2,346 3.9 4.3 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.3

Midwest........................................ 1,164 1,257 1,255 1,348 1,321 1,305 3.6 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.0 3.9

West............................................ 1,263 1,310 1,167 1,229 1,180 1,166 3.7 3.8 3.4 3.6 3.4 3.4

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

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 4. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 3,340 3,648 3,564 3,519 3,494 3,482 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 3,164 3,480 3,391 3,338 3,298 3,304 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.6

Mining and logging......................... 17 21 21 19 20 21 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.5 2.7 2.8

Construction................................ 152 165 164 166 188 204 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.8

Manufacturing.............................. 217 212 198 205 231 196 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.5

Durable goods........................... 120 119 108 113 127 108 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.3

Nondurable goods....................... 97 93 90 92 104 88 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.2 1.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 682 759 761 735 742 713 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.5

Wholesale trade......................... 101 108 85 81 95 90 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.5

Retail trade............................... 475 529 569 528 514 493 3.0 3.3 3.6 3.3 3.2 3.1

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 106 122 106 125 134 130 1.8 2.1 1.8 2.1 2.2 2.2

Information.................................. 50 49 47 50 55 40 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.4

Financial activities......................... 114 155 126 110 99 113 1.3 1.8 1.5 1.3 1.1 1.3

Finance and insurance................. 83 89 75 63 64 82 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.3

Real estate and rental and leasing3

... 30 66 50 47 35 31 1.4 2.9 2.2 2.0 1.5 1.4

Professional and business services. . . .. 747 696 704 661 617 677 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.1 2.9 3.2

Education and health services........... 423 469 431 497 505 546 1.8 2.0 1.8 2.1 2.1 2.3

Educational services.................... 52 35 47 58 54 46 1.4 0.9 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.2

Health care and social assistance. . .. 370 434 384 439 451 500 1.9 2.2 1.9 2.2 2.2 2.5

Leisure and hospitality.................... 676 777 780 769 716 713 4.2 4.7 4.8 4.7 4.3 4.3

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 64 84 85 78 63 71 2.7 3.6 3.6 3.3 2.6 2.9

Accommodation and food services. .. 611 693 695 691 653 642 4.4 4.9 5.0 4.9 4.6 4.6

Other services3

............................. 87 177 159 127 124 82 1.5 3.0 2.7 2.2 2.1 1.4

Government................................... 176 168 174 180 196 178 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8

Federal...................................... 13 13 16 16 18 21 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8

State and local............................. 163 155 158 164 178 157 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8

State and local education.............. 83 85 83 89 93 88 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.8

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 80 70 75 75 85 70 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8

REGION4

Northeast...................................... 422 448 459 403 384 408 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.5

South........................................... 1,322 1,500 1,533 1,503 1,504 1,512 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.8

Midwest........................................ 758 856 799 815 804 809 2.3 2.6 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.4

West............................................ 837 845 773 798 803 754 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2

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 No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted

series.

4 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

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 1,655 1,790 1,707 1,761 1,753 1,697 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.1

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 1,534 1,666 1,609 1,647 1,651 1,599 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3

Mining and logging3....................... 13 13 11 9 11 12 1.9 1.7 1.5 1.1 1.4 1.6

Construction................................ 127 159 169 145 186 149 1.8 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.5 2.0

Manufacturing.............................. 101 112 95 127 113 110 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.0 0.9 0.9

Durable goods........................... 56 60 59 80 63 52 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.8 0.6

Nondurable goods....................... 44 52 36 47 50 58 0.9 1.1 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 302 384 374 367 304 352 1.1 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.3

Wholesale trade3

........................ 30 38 44 59 53 50 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.9 0.8

Retail trade............................... 171 264 242 205 165 221 1.1 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.4

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities.................................. 101 82 89 102 86 81 1.7 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.3

Information.................................. 29 27 28 20 22 25 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.9

Financial activities......................... 42 55 59 47 64 47 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.5

Finance and insurance................. 24 40 44 34 43 34 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.5 0.7 0.5

Real estate and rental and leasing. .. 18 15 14 13 21 13 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.6

Professional and business services. . . .. 394 443 376 402 405 401 1.9 2.1 1.8 1.9 1.9 1.9

Education and health services........... 149 141 154 162 180 141 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.6

Educational services.................... 39 45 33 33 50 39 1.0 1.2 0.9 0.9 1.4 1.1

Health care and social assistance. . .. 111 96 121 129 129 102 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.5

Leisure and hospitality.................... 273 265 278 300 291 291 1.7 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation. .. 75 87 72 78 93 87 3.2 3.7 3.0 3.3 3.9 3.6

Accommodation and food services. .. 198 177 206 222 197 204 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.4

Other services.............................. 104 67 65 69 76 71 1.8 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.2

Government................................... 121 125 98 113 102 98 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4

Federal...................................... 12 7 6 6 5 9 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3

State and local............................. 109 118 92 107 97 89 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5

State and local education.............. 58 60 51 60 56 49 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 51 57 41 47 40 40 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4

REGION4

Northeast...................................... 287 322 308 297 301 261 1.1 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.9

South........................................... 678 731 714 674 678 697 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3

Midwest........................................ 336 348 375 449 458 408 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.4 1.2

West............................................ 353 389 311 341 315 331 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.0 0.9 1.0

1

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

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

3 No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted

series.

4 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: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 6. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Aug.

2018

Sept.

2018

Oct.

2018

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total............................................... 318 341 369 341 316 366 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private................................... 261 277 307 281 255 302 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Mining and logging......................... 1 1 1 3 1 1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2

Construction3

............................... 12 10 10 15 15 17 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2

Manufacturing.............................. 19 19 22 18 22 19 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1

Durable goods........................... 12 9 12 12 14 13 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2

Nondurable goods3

...................... 7 10 10 6 8 6 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities. . . . . .. 66 64 57 70 69 75 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3

Wholesale trade......................... 13 6 7 15 20 10 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2

Retail trade............................... 39 44 37 43 42 53 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3

Transportation, warehousing, and

utilities3

................................. 14 14 12 13 7 11 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2

Information3................................. 8 7 6 3 8 9 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3

Financial activities......................... 17 21 25 24 28 14 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2

Finance and insurance................. 13 14 23 23 23 11 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2

Real estate and rental and leasing3

... 3 7 2 1 5 3 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.1

Professional and business services. . . .. 39 54 80 75 48 71 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.3

Education and health services........... 55 54 60 35 29 53 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2

Educational services3

................... 7 8 8 3 3 5 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1

Health care and social assistance3

. .. 48 47 52 31 26 47 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2

Leisure and hospitality.................... 32 31 40 29 30 22 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation3

... 3 5 8 2 6 2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1

Accommodation and food services3... 29 25 32 27 24 20 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1

Other services3............................. 13 16 5 10 5 20 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3

Government................................... 57 64 63 60 61 64 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

Federal...................................... 11 13 12 9 12 14 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5

State and local............................. 47 51 51 50 49 50 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3

State and local education.............. 25 26 24 28 25 25 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2

State and local, excluding

education.............................. 22 25 27 23 24 25 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3

REGION4

Northeast...................................... 61 86 74 60 62 59 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2

South........................................... 115 125 131 106 132 138 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3

Midwest........................................ 70 53 81 85 60 88 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3

West............................................ 72 77 83 90 62 81 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 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 No regular seasonal movements could be identified in this series; therefore, identical numbers appear for the unadjusted and seasonally adjusted

series.

4 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

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 5,224 6,843 6,890 3.4 4.3 4.4

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 4,709 6,192 6,271 3.6 4.6 4.7

Mining and logging............................................... 20 32 30 2.7 4.1 3.8

Construction....................................................... 149 294 382 2.1 3.8 5.0

Manufacturing..................................................... 374 495 428 2.9 3.7 3.2

Durable goods.................................................. 239 322 292 3.0 3.9 3.5

Nondurable goods............................................. 135 173 136 2.8 3.5 2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 994 1,383 1,250 3.4 4.6 4.2

Wholesale trade................................................ 188 207 191 3.1 3.3 3.1

Retail trade..................................................... 614 880 768 3.6 5.1 4.5

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 192 297 290 3.1 4.6 4.5

Information........................................................ 103 130 129 3.6 4.5 4.4

Financial activities................................................ 323 393 363 3.7 4.4 4.0

Finance and insurance........................................ 244 296 297 3.7 4.5 4.5

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 79 97 66 3.4 4.1 2.8

Professional and business services............................ 767 1,166 1,232 3.6 5.2 5.5

Education and health services.................................. 1,064 1,141 1,259 4.3 4.5 5.0

Educational services.......................................... 84 93 98 2.1 2.3 2.5

Health care and social assistance........................... 980 1,048 1,161 4.7 4.9 5.4

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 719 932 978 4.3 5.5 5.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 66 78 103 3.0 3.4 4.4

Accommodation and food services.......................... 653 853 876 4.6 5.8 5.9

Other services.................................................... 196 226 220 3.3 3.7 3.6

Government.......................................................... 515 650 619 2.2 2.8 2.6

Federal............................................................. 81 116 84 2.8 4.0 2.9

State and local.................................................... 434 534 535 2.1 2.6 2.6

State and local education..................................... 154 209 208 1.4 1.9 1.9

State and local, excluding education........................ 280 325 328 3.0 3.4 3.5

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 902 1,116 1,148 3.2 3.9 4.0

South................................................................. 1,837 2,586 2,634 3.3 4.5 4.6

Midwest............................................................... 1,255 1,679 1,603 3.7 4.8 4.6

West.................................................................. 1,228 1,462 1,506 3.5 4.0 4.2

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

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 8. Hires levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 4,103 5,332 4,370 2.8 3.5 2.9

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 3,899 5,038 4,163 3.1 3.9 3.2

Mining and logging............................................... 19 27 25 2.7 3.6 3.3

Construction....................................................... 177 280 219 2.5 3.8 3.0

Manufacturing..................................................... 228 305 229 1.8 2.4 1.8

Durable goods.................................................. 136 169 122 1.7 2.1 1.5

Nondurable goods............................................. 92 136 107 1.9 2.8 2.2

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 872 1,453 982 3.1 5.1 3.4

Wholesale trade................................................ 107 147 111 1.8 2.4 1.8

Retail trade..................................................... 512 931 632 3.1 5.7 3.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 253 375 239 4.2 6.1 3.8

Information........................................................ 67 87 55 2.4 3.1 2.0

Financial activities................................................ 133 176 134 1.6 2.0 1.6

Finance and insurance........................................ 90 112 89 1.4 1.8 1.4

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 42 65 46 1.9 2.9 2.0

Professional and business services............................ 1,018 977 990 4.9 4.6 4.6

Education and health services.................................. 478 631 604 2.0 2.6 2.5

Educational services.......................................... 55 72 68 1.4 1.8 1.8

Health care and social assistance........................... 423 559 536 2.1 2.8 2.7

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 748 909 793 4.7 5.6 4.9

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 102 117 100 4.7 5.3 4.5

Accommodation and food services.......................... 646 792 693 4.7 5.7 5.0

Other services.................................................... 159 194 130 2.7 3.3 2.2

Government.......................................................... 204 293 208 0.9 1.3 0.9

Federal............................................................. 16 48 29 0.6 1.7 1.0

State and local.................................................... 188 245 178 0.9 1.2 0.9

State and local education..................................... 88 121 82 0.8 1.1 0.8

State and local, excluding education........................ 101 124 96 1.1 1.4 1.1

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 587 766 602 2.1 2.8 2.2

South................................................................. 1,684 2,185 1,749 3.1 4.0 3.2

Midwest............................................................... 873 1,156 1,047 2.7 3.5 3.1

West.................................................................. 960 1,225 972 2.8 3.5 2.8

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

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 9. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 5,061 4,910 5,265 3.4 3.2 3.5

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 4,748 4,666 4,967 3.8 3.6 3.9

Mining and logging............................................... 28 28 30 4.0 3.7 4.0

Construction....................................................... 303 384 378 4.3 5.2 5.2

Manufacturing..................................................... 283 308 275 2.3 2.4 2.1

Durable goods.................................................. 154 164 140 2.0 2.0 1.7

Nondurable goods............................................. 129 145 136 2.7 3.0 2.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 1,096 987 1,182 3.9 3.5 4.1

Wholesale trade................................................ 123 144 134 2.1 2.4 2.2

Retail trade..................................................... 713 640 798 4.4 3.9 4.9

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 260 203 250 4.3 3.3 4.0

Information........................................................ 82 74 68 3.0 2.7 2.5

Financial activities................................................ 156 165 156 1.8 1.9 1.8

Finance and insurance........................................ 108 107 112 1.7 1.7 1.8

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 48 58 44 2.2 2.6 1.9

Professional and business services............................ 1,201 983 1,178 5.8 4.6 5.5

Education and health services.................................. 542 570 642 2.3 2.4 2.7

Educational services.......................................... 75 60 70 2.0 1.5 1.8

Health care and social assistance........................... 467 510 572 2.4 2.5 2.8

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 862 966 891 5.4 6.0 5.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 110 180 124 5.1 8.1 5.5

Accommodation and food services.......................... 751 786 768 5.5 5.6 5.5

Other services.................................................... 196 201 166 3.4 3.4 2.8

Government.......................................................... 313 244 298 1.4 1.1 1.3

Federal............................................................. 34 33 45 1.2 1.2 1.6

State and local.................................................... 279 211 253 1.4 1.1 1.3

State and local education..................................... 138 88 130 1.3 0.8 1.2

State and local, excluding education........................ 141 123 123 1.6 1.3 1.3

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 785 668 719 2.9 2.4 2.6

South................................................................. 1,925 1,987 2,142 3.5 3.6 3.9

Midwest............................................................... 1,147 1,221 1,303 3.5 3.6 3.9

West.................................................................. 1,203 1,034 1,100 3.5 3.0 3.2

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

NOTE: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 10. Quits levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 2,930 2,968 3,031 2.0 2.0 2.0

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 2,793 2,827 2,894 2.2 2.2 2.3

Mining and logging............................................... 14 16 17 2.0 2.1 2.2

Construction....................................................... 116 147 162 1.7 2.0 2.2

Manufacturing..................................................... 160 172 140 1.3 1.3 1.1

Durable goods.................................................. 88 92 77 1.1 1.2 1.0

Nondurable goods............................................. 72 80 63 1.5 1.7 1.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 631 652 655 2.2 2.3 2.3

Wholesale trade................................................ 81 78 74 1.4 1.3 1.2

Retail trade..................................................... 442 446 449 2.7 2.7 2.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 108 128 132 1.8 2.1 2.1

Information........................................................ 48 47 36 1.7 1.7 1.3

Financial activities................................................ 99 84 101 1.2 1.0 1.2

Finance and insurance........................................ 69 49 70 1.1 0.8 1.1

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 30 35 31 1.4 1.5 1.4

Professional and business services............................ 711 561 638 3.4 2.6 3.0

Education and health services.................................. 352 404 465 1.5 1.7 1.9

Educational services.......................................... 36 34 32 0.9 0.9 0.8

Health care and social assistance........................... 316 370 433 1.6 1.8 2.1

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 577 620 599 3.6 3.8 3.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 46 45 49 2.1 2.0 2.2

Accommodation and food services.......................... 531 575 550 3.9 4.1 3.9

Other services.................................................... 87 124 82 1.5 2.1 1.4

Government.......................................................... 137 141 136 0.6 0.6 0.6

Federal............................................................. 11 17 19 0.4 0.6 0.7

State and local.................................................... 126 124 118 0.6 0.6 0.6

State and local education..................................... 59 57 60 0.5 0.5 0.6

State and local, excluding education........................ 67 67 57 0.7 0.7 0.6

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 386 325 367 1.4 1.2 1.3

South................................................................. 1,115 1,264 1,275 2.1 2.3 2.3

Midwest............................................................... 670 691 713 2.0 2.1 2.1

West.................................................................. 759 688 675 2.2 2.0 1.9

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

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 1,817 1,677 1,875 1.2 1.1 1.2

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 1,696 1,610 1,777 1.3 1.3 1.4

Mining and logging............................................... 13 11 12 1.8 1.4 1.6

Construction....................................................... 175 222 198 2.5 3.0 2.7

Manufacturing..................................................... 104 118 115 0.8 0.9 0.9

Durable goods.................................................. 54 61 49 0.7 0.8 0.6

Nondurable goods............................................. 50 57 66 1.1 1.2 1.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 406 281 456 1.4 1.0 1.6

Wholesale trade................................................ 30 53 50 0.5 0.9 0.8

Retail trade..................................................... 238 160 299 1.5 1.0 1.8

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 138 68 106 2.3 1.1 1.7

Information........................................................ 27 20 24 1.0 0.7 0.9

Financial activities................................................ 40 54 42 0.5 0.6 0.5

Finance and insurance........................................ 26 35 32 0.4 0.6 0.5

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 15 18 10 0.7 0.8 0.4

Professional and business services............................ 448 380 471 2.2 1.8 2.2

Education and health services.................................. 135 137 124 0.6 0.6 0.5

Educational services.......................................... 32 23 33 0.8 0.6 0.8

Health care and social assistance........................... 103 115 92 0.5 0.6 0.5

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 253 316 270 1.6 2.0 1.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 61 129 73 2.8 5.8 3.3

Accommodation and food services.......................... 191 187 197 1.4 1.3 1.4

Other services.................................................... 96 72 64 1.7 1.2 1.1

Government.......................................................... 120 66 98 0.5 0.3 0.4

Federal............................................................. 11 7 11 0.4 0.2 0.4

State and local.................................................... 109 59 88 0.5 0.3 0.4

State and local education..................................... 62 22 52 0.6 0.2 0.5

State and local, excluding education........................ 47 38 35 0.5 0.4 0.4

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 344 299 302 1.3 1.1 1.1

South................................................................. 688 593 721 1.3 1.1 1.3

Midwest............................................................... 411 488 503 1.3 1.5 1.5

West.................................................................. 373 296 350 1.1 0.9 1.0

1

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

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

3 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: Total nonfarm, government, federal government, and regional data in this table have been corrected for the months January 2011 through

March 2018.
Table 12. Other separations levels and rates by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted1

Industry and region

Levels (in thousands) Rates2

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Dec.

2017

Nov.

2018

Dec.

2018p

Total..................................................................... 314 266 359 0.2 0.2 0.2

INDUSTRY

Total private.......................................................... 258 229 296 0.2 0.2 0.2

Mining and logging............................................... 1 1 1 0.2 0.2 0.2

Construction....................................................... 12 15 17 0.2 0.2 0.2

Manufacturing..................................................... 19 18 20 0.2 0.1 0.2

Durable goods.................................................. 12 10 14 0.2 0.1 0.2

Nondurable goods............................................. 7 8 6 0.1 0.2 0.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities.............................. 60 54 71 0.2 0.2 0.2

Wholesale trade................................................ 12 13 10 0.2 0.2 0.2

Retail trade..................................................... 33 34 49 0.2 0.2 0.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities.................. 14 7 11 0.2 0.1 0.2

Information........................................................ 8 8 9 0.3 0.3 0.3

Financial activities................................................ 16 27 13 0.2 0.3 0.1

Finance and insurance........................................ 13 22 10 0.2 0.3 0.2

Real estate and rental and leasing.......................... 3 5 3 0.1 0.2 0.1

Professional and business services............................ 41 42 69 0.2 0.2 0.3

Education and health services.................................. 55 29 53 0.2 0.1 0.2

Educational services.......................................... 7 3 5 0.2 0.1 0.1

Health care and social assistance........................... 48 26 47 0.2 0.1 0.2

Leisure and hospitality........................................... 32 30 22 0.2 0.2 0.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......................... 3 6 2 0.1 0.3 0.1

Accommodation and food services.......................... 29 24 20 0.2 0.2 0.1

Other services.................................................... 13 5 20 0.2 0.1 0.3

Government.......................................................... 56 37 63 0.2 0.2 0.3

Federal............................................................. 12 9 15 0.4 0.3 0.5

State and local.................................................... 44 28 48 0.2 0.1 0.2

State and local education..................................... 17 9 17 0.2 0.1 0.2

State and local, excluding education........................ 27 19 30 0.3 0.2 0.3

REGION3

Northeast............................................................. 54 44 50 0.2 0.2 0.2

South................................................................. 122 130 146 0.2 0.2 0.3

Midwest............................................................... 67 43 87 0.2 0.1 0.3

West.................................................................. 71 49 76 0.2 0.1 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.