Technical information:  (202) 691-5870    USDL 05-431
              http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
                                          For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:               691-5902     Tuesday, March 15, 2005


              JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER:  JANUARY 2005

   The job openings rate fell slightly in January to 2.4 percent, while the
hires and total separations rates were unchanged at 3.5 and 3.3 percent,
respectively, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
reported today.  This release includes estimates of the number and rate of
job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by indus-
try and geographic region.
   
Job Openings
   
   On the last business day of January 2005, there were 3.3 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.4 percent.
(See table 1.)  The job openings rate trended upward from September 2003
through May 2004, but then leveled off.  In January, the job openings rate
decreased for private industries overall and for government.  The job open-
ings rate fell in the West region, but showed little or no change in the
other regions of the country.
   
Hires and Separations
   
   The hires rate (the number of hires during the month divided by employ-
ment) was 3.5 percent in January, unchanged from a month earlier.  (See
table 2.)  Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month.  No in-
dustries or regions showed a significant change in their hires rates from
December to January.
   
   The total separations, or turnover, rate (the total number of separations
during the month divided by employment) was 3.3 percent in January.  Separa-
tions are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month.
(See table 3.)  The total separations rate fell in government and in the
trade, transportation, and utilities industry in January.

      ------------------------------------------------------------
     |                Revisions to the JOLTS Data                 |
     |                                                            |
     |    The job openings, hires, and separations data in this   |
     | release have been revised to incorporate annual updates to |
     | the Current Employment Statistics employment counts and    |
     | the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors.  See page 3 for     |
     | more information.                                          |
      ------------------------------------------------------------

                                  - 2 -

Table A.  Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted           
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------                       
                   |    Job openings    |       Hires        | Total separations
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
     Industry      | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan. | Jan. | Dec. | Jan.
                   | 2004 | 2004 | 2005p| 2004 | 2004 | 2005p| 2004 | 2004 | 2005p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                     Levels (in thousands)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1/...........|2,864 |3,507 |3,305 |4,310 |4,639 |4,669 |3,994 |4,435 |4,361
  Total private 1/.|2,527 |3,106 |2,953 |4,010 |4,337 |4,356 |3,703 |4,146 |4,086
    Construction...|  144 |  132 |  121 |  374 |  368 |  293 |  411 |  355 |  403
    Manufacturing..|  223 |  266 |  252 |  369 |  324 |  292 |  314 |  353 |  340
    Trade, trans-  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     portation, and|      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     utilities.....|  442 |  561 |  536 |  970 |  986 |1,066 |  901 |1,062 |  887
    Professional   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     and business  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     services......|  507 |  699 |  682 |  723 |  878 |  882 |  551 |  833 |  851
    Education and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     health ser-   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     vices.........|  537 |  557 |  551 |  427 |  452 |  443 |  391 |  375 |  346
    Leisure and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     hospitality...|  369 |  450 |  437 |  759 |  834 |  856 |  693 |  758 |  797
  Government.......|  327 |  396 |  340 |  306 |  307 |  321 |  276 |  274 |  250
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Rates (percent)                
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total 1/...........|  2.1 |  2.6 |  2.4 |  3.3 |  3.5 |  3.5 |  3.1 |  3.3 |  3.3
  Total private 1/.|  2.3 |  2.7 |  2.6 |  3.7 |  3.9 |  3.9 |  3.4 |  3.7 |  3.7
    Construction...|  2.1 |  1.8 |  1.7 |  5.5 |  5.2 |  4.1 |  6.0 |  5.0 |  5.7
    Manufacturing..|  1.5 |  1.8 |  1.7 |  2.6 |  2.3 |  2.0 |  2.2 |  2.5 |  2.4
    Trade, trans-  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     portation, and|      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     utilities.....|  1.7 |  2.1 |  2.0 |  3.8 |  3.8 |  4.2 |  3.6 |  4.1 |  3.5
    Professional   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     and business  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     services......|  3.0 |  4.0 |  3.9 |  4.5 |  5.3 |  5.3 |  3.4 |  5.0 |  5.1
    Education and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     health ser-   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |           
     vices.........|  3.1 |  3.1 |  3.1 |  2.5 |  2.6 |  2.6 |  2.3 |  2.2 |  2.0
    Leisure and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
     hospitality...|  2.9 |  3.4 |  3.3 |  6.1 |  6.6 |  6.8 |  5.6 |  6.0 |  6.3
  Government.......|  1.5 |  1.8 |  1.5 |  1.4 |  1.4 |  1.5 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1/ Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.


   Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and
discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including
retirements).  The quits rate, which can serve as a barometer of workers'
ability to change jobs, was unchanged at 1.9 percent in January.  (See
table 4.)  The quits rate did not change significantly in any industry

                                  - 3 -

in January, but did rise slightly in the Northeast region.  The other
two components of total separations, layoffs and discharges and other
separations, are not seasonally adjusted.  The layoffs and discharges
rate (1.3 percent) was little changed from January 2004 to January 2005;
the other separations rate (0.3 percent) was unchanged.  (See tables 9
and 10.)
   
   Hires and separations help show dynamic flows in the labor market.  Over
the last 12 months, hires have averaged 4.5 million per month and separations
have averaged 4.3 million per month.  (See the Technical Note for additional
information on these measures.)
   
For More Information
   
   For additional information, please see the Technical Note or the JOLTS
Web site at www.bls.gov/jlt/.  Additional information about JOLTS also may
be obtained by e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
   
                      ______________________________
   
   
   The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for February 2005 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, April 12, 2005.
   
     ------------------------------------------------------------------
   |         Revisions to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Data         |
   |                                                                   |
   |    In accordance with annual practice, the Job Openings and       |
   | Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data have been revised to reflect   |
   | annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics (CES), or     |
   | establishment survey, employment counts.  The JOLTS employment    |
   | levels (not published) are ratio-adjusted to the CES employment   |
   | levels, and the resulting ratios are applied to all JOLTS data    |
   | elements.  This annual benchmark process resulted in revisions    |
   | to all not seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series from April 2003  |
   | forward.  Additionally, the seasonally adjusted JOLTS data series |
   | have been recalculated from December 2000 forward to reflect up-  |
   | dated seasonal adjustment factors.                                |
   |                                                                   |
   |    Table B presents updated seasonally adjusted job openings      |
   | data for April 2003 forward, while Table C presents updated       |
   | hires data, and Table D presents updated total separations        |
   | data.                                                             |
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
   

                                  - 4 -


Table B. Revisions in job openings data, seasonally adjusted, April 2003 -
December 2004
_________________________________________________________________________________
          |                                   |
          |          Levels (in thousands)    |           Rates (percent)
   Year   |-----------------------------------|----------------------------------
   and    |     As     |    As   |            |     As     |    As   |
   month  | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
          | published  |         |            | published  |         |
_________________________________________________________________________________
   2003   |            |         |            |            |         |
April.....|    2,807   |  2,759  |    -48     |     2.1    |  2.1    |    0.0
May.......|    2,723   |  2,719  |     -4     |     2.1    |  2.1    |    0.0
June......|    2,859   |  2,876  |     17     |     2.2    |  2.2    |    0.0
July......|    2,738   |  2,769  |     31     |     2.1    |  2.1    |    0.0
August....|    2,688   |  2,773  |     85     |     2.0    |  2.1    |    0.1
September.|    2,755   |  2,657  |    -98     |     2.1    |  2.0    |   -0.1
October...|    2,823   |  2,814  |     -9     |     2.1    |  2.1    |    0.0
November..|    2,952   |  2,902  |    -50     |     2.2    |  2.2    |    0.0
December..|    3,062   |  2,978  |    -84     |     2.3    |  2.2    |   -0.1
   2004   |            |         |            |            |         |
January...|    2,868   |  2,864  |     -4     |     2.2    |  2.1    |   -0.1
February..|    2,906   |  2,961  |     55     |     2.2    |  2.2    |    0.0
March.....|    3,079   |  3,105  |     26     |     2.3    |  2.3    |    0.0
April.....|    3,135   |  3,111  |    -24     |     2.3    |  2.3    |    0.0
May.......|    3,105   |  3,181  |     76     |     2.3    |  2.4    |    0.1
June......|    3,022   |  3,140  |    118     |     2.3    |  2.3    |    0.0
July......|    3,237   |  3,231  |     -6     |     2.4    |  2.4    |    0.0
August....|    3,195   |  3,206  |     11     |     2.4    |  2.4    |    0.0
September.|    3,294   |  3,265  |    -29     |     2.4    |  2.4    |    0.0
October...|    3,420   |  3,300  |   -120     |     2.5    |  2.4    |   -0.1
November..|    3,205   |  3,277  |     72     |     2.4    |  2.4    |    0.0
December..|    3,385   |  3,507  |    122     |     2.5    |  2.6    |    0.1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________

                                  - 5 -


Table C. Revisions in hires data, seasonally adjusted, April 2003 - December 2004
_________________________________________________________________________________
          |                                   |
          |          Levels (in thousands)    |        Rates (percent)
   Year   |-----------------------------------|----------------------------------
   and    |     As     |    As   |            |     As     |    As   |
   month  | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
          | published  |         |            | published  |         |
_________________________________________________________________________________
   2003   |            |         |            |            |         |
April.....|    3,911   |  3,903  |     -8     |    3.0     |   3.0   |    0.0
May.......|    3,958   |  4,027  |     69     |    3.0     |   3.1   |    0.1
June......|    4,035   |  4,107  |     72     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
July......|    4,014   |  4,165  |    151     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
August....|    4,010   |  4,150  |    140     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
September.|    4,061   |  4,182  |    121     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
October...|    4,108   |  4,240  |    132     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
November..|    4,135   |  4,177  |     42     |    3.2     |   3.2   |    0.0
December..|    4,216   |  4,348  |    132     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
  2004    |            |         |            |            |         |
January...|    4,106   |  4,310  |    204     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
February..|    4,103   |  4,159  |     56     |    3.2     |   3.2   |    0.0
March.....|    4,603   |  4,838  |    235     |    3.5     |   3.7   |    0.2
April.....|    4,398   |  4,509  |    111     |    3.4     |   3.4   |    0.0
May.......|    4,206   |  4,339  |    133     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
June......|    4,433   |  4,492  |     59     |    3.4     |   3.4   |    0.0
July......|    4,229   |  4,297  |     68     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
August....|    4,375   |  4,504  |    129     |    3.3     |   3.4   |    0.1
September.|    4,253   |  4,406  |    153     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
October...|    4,469   |  4,552  |     83     |    3.4     |   3.4   |    0.0
November..|    4,780   |  4,990  |    210     |    3.6     |   3.8   |    0.2
December..|    4,488   |  4,639  |    151     |    3.4     |   3.5   |    0.1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________

                                  - 6 -

Table D. Revisions in total separations data, seasonally adjusted, April 2003 - 
December 2004
_________________________________________________________________________________
          |                                   |                                                   |
          |          Levels (in thousands)    |        Rates (percent)
   Year   |-----------------------------------|----------------------------------
   and    |     As     |    As   |            |     As     |    As   |
   month  | previously | revised | Difference | previously | revised | Difference
          | published  |         |            | published  |         |
_________________________________________________________________________________
   2003   |            |         |            |            |         |
April.....|    3,975   |  3,946  |    -29     |    3.1     |   3.0   |   -0.1
May.......|    3,736   |  3,824  |     88     |    2.9     |   2.9   |    0.0
June......|    4,002   |  4,186  |    184     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
July......|    3,861   |  3,944  |     83     |    3.0     |   3.0   |    0.0
August....|    3,815   |  3,909  |     94     |    2.9     |   3.0   |    0.1
September.|    3,845   |  4,013  |    168     |    3.0     |   3.1   |    0.1
October...|    3,859   |  4,073  |    214     |    3.0     |   3.1   |    0.1
November..|    3,797   |  3,948  |    151     |    2.9     |   3.0   |    0.1
December..|    4,022   |  4,298  |    276     |    3.1     |   3.3   |    0.2
   2004   |            |         |            |            |         |
January...|    3,968   |  3,994  |     26     |    3.0     |   3.1   |    0.1
February..|    4,073   |  4,196  |    123     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
March.....|    4,134   |  4,289  |    155     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
April.....|    4,088   |  4,334  |    246     |    3.1     |   3.3   |    0.2
May.......|    4,040   |  4,254  |    214     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
June......|    4,069   |  4,235  |    166     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
July......|    4,074   |  4,190  |    116     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
August....|    4,134   |  4,271  |    137     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
September.|    4,158   |  4,214  |     56     |    3.2     |   3.2   |    0.0
October...|    4,129   |  4,215  |     86     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
November..|    4,131   |  4,266  |    135     |    3.1     |   3.2   |    0.1
December..|    4,278   |  4,435  |    157     |    3.2     |   3.3   |    0.1
__________|____________|_________|____________|____________|_________|___________


   

 
                                  - 7 -

Technical Note


  The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) are
collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business establishments 
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
   
Collection
   
  Each month, data are collected in a survey of business establishments
for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations.  Data collection methods include computer-assisted
telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, and mail.
   
Coverage
   
  The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such as
factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local
government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
   
Concepts
   
  Industry classification.  The industry classifications in this release
are in accordance with the 2002 version of the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS).  In order to ensure the highest possible
quality of data, State Employment Security Agencies verify with employers
and update, if necessary, the industry code, location, and ownership clas-
sification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle.  Changes in establish-
ment characteristics resulting from the verification process are always 
introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the 
first month of the year.
   
  Employment.  Employment includes persons on the payroll who worked or re-
ceived pay for the pay period that includes the 12th day of the reference
month.  Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried,
and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vacations or
other paid leave.  Proprietors or partners of unincorporated businesses,
unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay or on strike for 
the entire pay period, are not counted as employed.  Employees of tempo-
rary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the establish-
ment where they are working.
   
  Job openings.  Establishments submit job openings information for the
last business day of the reference month.  A job opening requires that:  
1) a specific position exists and there is work available for that posi-
tion, 2) work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable
candidate is found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from outside
the establishment to fill the position.  Included are full-time, part-time,
permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings.  Active recruiting means that
the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising in news-
papers 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.
   
                                  - 8 -

  Hires.  Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occurring
at any time during the reference month, including both new and rehired em-
ployees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal em-
ployees, employees recalled to the location after a layoff lasting more
than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after
having been formally separated, and transfers from other locations.  The
hires count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting
site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help agencies
or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.  The
hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and
multiplying that quotient by 100.
   
  Separations.  Separations are the total number of terminations of
employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and are
reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges, and 
other separations.  Quits are voluntary separations by employees (ex-
cept for retirements, which are reported as other separations).  Lay-
offs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the em-
ployer and include layoffs with no intent to rehire, formal layoffs 
lasting or expected to last more than 7 days, discharges resulting 
from mergers, downsizing, or closings, firings or other discharges 
for cause, terminations of permanent or short-term employees, and 
terminations of seasonal employees.  Other separations include re-
tirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations 
due to disability.  Separations do not include transfers within the 
same location or employees on strike.
   
  The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations
by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.  The quits, layoffs
and discharges, and other separations rates are computed similarly, divid-
ing the number by employment and multiplying by 100.
   
Sample methodology
   
  The JOLTS sample design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm business
establishments, including factories, offices, and stores, as well as
federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states and the District 
of Columbia.  The establishments are drawn from a universe of over eight
million establishments compiled as part of the operations of the Quarterly
Census of Employment and Wages, or QCEW, program.  This program includes
all employers subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal
agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).
   
  The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry sector,
and size class.  Large firms fall into the sample with virtual certainty.
JOLTS total employment estimates are controlled to the employment estimates
of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey.  A ratio of CES to JOLTS
employment is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data elements.
Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels.
   
                                  - 9 -

Using JOLTS data
   
  The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are rel-
atively new.  The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel
enrolled each month.  A full complement of panels for the original data
series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system
was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 2002.  The supple-
mental panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not 
completely enrolled until May 2003.  The data collected up until those
points are from less than a full sample.  Therefore, estimates from earlier
months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units were reporting
data at that time.
   
  In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and separations data
were revised to address possible underreporting.  As a result, JOLTS hires
and separations estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be compar-
able with estimates for March 2002 and later.
   
  The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approx-
imately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not 
reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal gov-
ernment.  The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers 
were completed in March 2003.  The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS defi-
nitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of 
workers between establishments.  The Department of Homeland Security reorgan-
ization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these intergovern-
mental transfers would distort the federal government time series.
   
Seasonal adjustment
   
  BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA
seasonal adjustment program.  Seasonal adjustment is the process of
estimating and removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such 
as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year.
Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes in 
the level of the series, particularly those associated with general 
economic expansions and contractions.  A concurrent seasonal adjust-
ment methodology is used in which new seasonal adjustment factors are 
calculated each month, using all relevant data, up to and including 
the data for the current month.
   
  Data users should note that seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS series is
conducted with fewer data observations than is customary.  The historical
data, therefore, may be subject to larger than normal revisions.  Since the
seasonal patterns in economic data series typically emerge over time, the
standard use of moving averages as seasonal filters to capture these effects 
requires longer series than are currently available.  As a result, the stable 
seasonal filter option is used in the seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS data.  
When calculating seasonal factors, this filter takes an average for each cal-
endar month after detrending the series.  The stable seasonal filter assumes 
that the seasonal factors are fixed; a necessary assumption until sufficient 
data are available.  When the stable seasonal filter is no longer needed, 
other program features also may be introduced, such as outlier adjustment 
and extended diagnostic testing.  Additionally, it is expected that more 
series, such as layoffs and discharges and additional industries, may be 
seasonally adjusted when more data are available.
   
                                  - 10 -

Reliability of the estimates
   
  JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error.
When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a
chance that the sample estimates may differ from the "true" population
values they represent.  The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is
measured by the standard error of the estimate.  BLS analysis is generally
conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence.  That means that there is
a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a
sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true"
population value because of sampling error.  Estimates of sampling errors
are available upon request.
   
  The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error.  Nonsampling
error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to include a seg-
ment of the population, the inability to obtain data from all units in the 
sample, the inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide data on a 
timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, errors made in the collection 
or processing of the data, and errors from the employment benchmark data 
used in estimation.
   
  JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to exactly ex-
plain net changes in nonfarm payroll employment.  Some reasons why it is
problematic to compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and
separations, especially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period
for payroll employment is the pay period including the 12th of the month,
while the reference period for hires and separations is the calendar month;
and 2) payroll employment can vary from month to month simply because part-
time and on-call workers may not always work during the pay period that in-
cludes the 12th of the month.  Additionally, research has found that some
reporters systematically underreport separations relative to hires due to a
number of factors, including the nature of their payroll systems and prac-
tices.  The shortfall appears to be about 2 percent or less over a 12-month 
period.
   
Other information
   
  Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired
individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-877-8339.





Table 1.  Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region            Jan.   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.  Jan.    Jan.  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.
                                          2004   2004   2004   2004   2004   2004  2005p   2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2005p

Total(4)...............................  2,864  3,206  3,265  3,300  3,277  3,507  3,305    2.1   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.6   2.4

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)......................  2,527  2,855  2,905  2,924  2,910  3,106  2,953    2.3   2.5   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.7   2.6
  Construction.........................    144    110    105    114    118    132    121    2.1   1.6   1.5   1.6   1.6   1.8   1.7
  Manufacturing........................    223    238    245    250    248    266    252    1.5   1.6   1.7   1.7   1.7   1.8   1.7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities.    442    548    609    559    554    561    536    1.7   2.1   2.3   2.1   2.1   2.1   2.0
  Professional and business services...    507    589    583    602    620    699    682    3.0   3.5   3.4   3.5   3.6   4.0   3.9
  Education and health services........    537    533    529    547    543    557    551    3.1   3.0   3.0   3.1   3.1   3.1   3.1
  Leisure and hospitality..............    369    418    419    413    411    450    437    2.9   3.2   3.2   3.2   3.2   3.4   3.3
 Government............................    327    348    360    400    369    396    340    1.5   1.6   1.6   1.8   1.7   1.8   1.5


                 REGION

  Northeast............................    487    562    564    562    560    620    595    1.9   2.2   2.2   2.2   2.2   2.4   2.3
  South................................  1,140  1,248  1,239  1,318  1,250  1,329  1,306    2.4   2.6   2.6   2.7   2.6   2.8   2.7
  Midwest..............................    672    671    699    688    726    740    727    2.1   2.1   2.2   2.1   2.3   2.3   2.3
  West.................................    578    738    797    742    759    792    692    2.0   2.5   2.7   2.5   2.6   2.7   2.3


  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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  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.





Table 2.  Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region            Jan.   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.  Jan.    Jan.  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.
                                          2004   2004   2004   2004   2004   2004  2005p   2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2005p

Total(4)...............................  4,310  4,504  4,406  4,552  4,990  4,639  4,669    3.3   3.4   3.3   3.4   3.8   3.5   3.5

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)......................  4,010  4,174  3,957  4,216  4,652  4,337  4,356    3.7   3.8   3.6   3.8   4.2   3.9   3.9
  Construction.........................    374    398    363    353    373    368    293    5.5   5.7   5.2   5.0   5.3   5.2   4.1
  Manufacturing........................    369    356    361    353    386    324    292    2.6   2.5   2.5   2.5   2.7   2.3   2.0
  Trade, transportation, and utilities.    970    975    908    977  1,077    986  1,066    3.8   3.8   3.6   3.8   4.2   3.8   4.2
  Professional and business services...    723    770    761    812    935    878    882    4.5   4.7   4.6   4.9   5.6   5.3   5.3
  Education and health services........    427    450    416    420    447    452    443    2.5   2.6   2.4   2.5   2.6   2.6   2.6
  Leisure and hospitality..............    759    770    772    801    858    834    856    6.1   6.2   6.2   6.4   6.8   6.6   6.8
 Government............................    306    339    375    318    335    307    321    1.4   1.6   1.7   1.5   1.5   1.4   1.5


                 REGION

  Northeast............................    811    785    794    811    851    858    777    3.2   3.1   3.1   3.2   3.4   3.4   3.1
  South................................  1,637  1,668  1,754  1,809  1,903  1,770  1,833    3.6   3.6   3.8   3.9   4.1   3.8   3.9
  Midwest..............................    956    996    889  1,013  1,149  1,043  1,098    3.1   3.2   2.8   3.2   3.7   3.3   3.5
  West.................................    897  1,057    963    916  1,014    970    944    3.2   3.7   3.3   3.2   3.5   3.4   3.3


  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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 3.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region            Jan.   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.  Jan.    Jan.  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.
                                          2004   2004   2004   2004   2004   2004  2005p   2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2005p

Total(4)...............................  3,994  4,271  4,214  4,215  4,266  4,435  4,361    3.1   3.2   3.2   3.2   3.2   3.3   3.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)......................  3,703  4,038  3,918  3,957  3,996  4,146  4,086    3.4   3.7   3.6   3.6   3.6   3.7   3.7
  Construction.........................    411    412    377    425    351    355    403    6.0   5.9   5.4   6.0   5.0   5.0   5.7
  Manufacturing........................    314    383    368    354    327    353    340    2.2   2.7   2.6   2.5   2.3   2.5   2.4
  Trade, transportation, and utilities.    901    942    909    889    943  1,062    887    3.6   3.7   3.6   3.5   3.7   4.1   3.5
  Professional and business services...    551    663    686    585    822    833    851    3.4   4.0   4.2   3.5   4.9   5.0   5.1
  Education and health services........    391    401    380    376    408    375    346    2.3   2.4   2.2   2.2   2.4   2.2   2.0
  Leisure and hospitality..............    693    789    732    767    727    758    797    5.6   6.3   5.8   6.1   5.8   6.0   6.3
 Government............................    276    248    305    263    275    274    250    1.3   1.1   1.4   1.2   1.3   1.3   1.2


                 REGION

  Northeast............................    747    748    725    711    756    773    783    3.0   3.0   2.9   2.8   3.0   3.0   3.1
  South................................  1,539  1,563  1,604  1,614  1,594  1,707  1,678    3.3   3.4   3.4   3.5   3.4   3.6   3.6
  Midwest..............................    876    915    922    952  1,041    986    989    2.8   2.9   3.0   3.0   3.3   3.1   3.1
  West.................................    849  1,084    982    896    826    953    929    3.0   3.8   3.4   3.1   2.9   3.3   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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 4.  Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region            Jan.   Aug.   Sept.  Oct.   Nov.   Dec.  Jan.    Jan.  Aug.  Sept. Oct.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.
                                          2004   2004   2004   2004   2004   2004  2005p   2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2004  2005p

Total(4)...............................  2,074  2,288  2,291  2,344  2,436  2,495  2,496    1.6   1.7   1.7   1.8   1.8   1.9   1.9

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)......................  1,957  2,178  2,166  2,217  2,319  2,366  2,382    1.8   2.0   2.0   2.0   2.1   2.1   2.1
  Construction.........................    139    156    159    182    159    162    165    2.0   2.2   2.3   2.6   2.2   2.3   2.3
  Manufacturing........................    158    166    181    187    185    194    186    1.1   1.2   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.4   1.3
  Trade, transportation, and utilities.    483    543    529    517    568    570    599    1.9   2.1   2.1   2.0   2.2   2.2   2.3
  Professional and business services...    253    326    358    281    401    415    408    1.6   2.0   2.2   1.7   2.4   2.5   2.4
  Education and health services........    255    241    235    239    250    232    226    1.5   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.5   1.4   1.3
  Leisure and hospitality..............    405    477    451    474    499    506    508    3.3   3.8   3.6   3.8   4.0   4.0   4.0
 Government............................    120    116    127    123    118    129    116     .6    .5    .6    .6    .5    .6    .5


                 REGION

  Northeast............................    299    342    317    333    359    392    439    1.2   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.4   1.5   1.7
  South................................    868    897    950    943  1,014  1,021  1,033    1.9   1.9   2.0   2.0   2.2   2.2   2.2
  Midwest..............................    453    484    492    500    551    544    523    1.5   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.8   1.7   1.7
  West.................................    469    562    541    550    492    536    526    1.6   2.0   1.9   1.9   1.7   1.9   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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series.
  4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 5.  Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.    Jan.           Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004    2005p          2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................  2,671    3,043    3,083           2.0      2.2      2.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,366    2,677    2,765           2.2      2.4      2.5
  Natural resources and mining..................      7       10       10           1.2      1.7      1.7
  Construction..................................    118       89       98           1.8      1.3      1.5
  Manufacturing.................................    209      220      236           1.5      1.5      1.6
   Durable goods................................    133      140      163           1.5      1.5      1.8
   Nondurable goods.............................     76       81       74           1.4      1.5      1.4
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    394      451      478           1.5      1.7      1.8
   Wholesale trade..............................     81      105      100           1.4      1.8      1.7
   Retail trade.................................    243      269      284           1.6      1.7      1.9
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     70       76       93           1.5      1.5      1.9
  Information...................................     56       87       89           1.8      2.7      2.8
  Financial activities..........................    151      198      198           1.9      2.4      2.4
   Finance and insurance........................    125      160      158           2.1      2.6      2.6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     26       38       40           1.3      1.8      1.9
  Professional and business services............    466      638      627           2.9      3.7      3.7
  Education and health services.................    518      526      532           3.0      2.9      3.0
   Educational services.........................     30       51       47           1.1      1.7      1.7
   Health care and social assistance............    488      475      485           3.4      3.2      3.3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    328      355      388           2.7      2.8      3.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     56       46       58           3.3      2.7      3.5
   Accommodations and food services.............    272      309      330           2.6      2.8      3.1
  Other services................................    120      103      108           2.2      1.9      2.0

 Government.....................................    306      366      318           1.4      1.6      1.4
  Federal.......................................     42       38       36           1.5      1.4      1.3
  State and local...............................    264      328      282           1.4      1.7      1.5

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................    432      527      528           1.7      2.0      2.1
  South.........................................  1,093    1,165    1,252           2.4      2.4      2.6
  Midwest.......................................    609      650      659           2.0      2.0      2.1
  West..........................................    537      702      644           1.9      2.4      2.2


  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.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 6.  Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.    Jan.           Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004    2005p          2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................  3,640    3,449    3,944           2.8      2.6      3.0

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,369    3,244    3,660           3.2      2.9      3.4
  Natural resources and mining..................     15       14       24           2.8      2.4      4.0
  Construction..................................    298      228      234           4.6      3.3      3.5
  Manufacturing.................................    361      225      285           2.5      1.6      2.0
   Durable goods................................    242      136      190           2.8      1.5      2.1
   Nondurable goods.............................    118       89       95           2.2      1.7      1.8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    703      810      773           2.8      3.1      3.0
   Wholesale trade..............................    135       70      148           2.4      1.2      2.6
   Retail trade.................................    440      582      465           3.0      3.7      3.1
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    128      158      161           2.7      3.2      3.3
  Information...................................     46       43       58           1.5      1.4      1.9
  Financial activities..........................    133      138      196           1.7      1.7      2.4
   Finance and insurance........................     79       84      131           1.3      1.4      2.2
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     54       53       64           2.6      2.5      3.1
  Professional and business services............    680      681      830           4.3      4.1      5.1
  Education and health services.................    411      332      427           2.5      1.9      2.5
   Educational services.........................     49       36       53           1.8      1.2      1.9
   Health care and social assistance............    362      295      373           2.6      2.1      2.6
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    570      621      642           4.8      5.0      5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    108       72      117           6.6      4.4      7.3
   Accommodations and food services.............    462      549      525           4.6      5.2      5.0
  Other services................................    152      153      191           2.8      2.8      3.5

 Government.....................................    271      205      284           1.3       .9      1.3
  Federal.......................................     46       32       29           1.7      1.2      1.1
  State and local...............................    225      173      254           1.2       .9      1.3

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................    639      624      612           2.6      2.4      2.4
  South.........................................  1,451    1,339    1,624           3.2      2.8      3.5
  Midwest.......................................    787      718      904           2.6      2.3      2.9
  West..........................................    764      768      804           2.7      2.6      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. 
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 7.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.    Jan.           Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004    2005p          2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................  3,926    4,275    4,287           3.1      3.2      3.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,700    4,039    4,083           3.5      3.6      3.8
  Natural resources and mining..................     15       18       24           2.7      3.0      4.1
  Construction..................................    449      399      440           7.0      5.7      6.6
  Manufacturing.................................    308      322      334           2.2      2.2      2.4
   Durable goods................................    187      199      201           2.1      2.2      2.3
   Nondurable goods.............................    121      123      134           2.3      2.3      2.5
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........  1,024    1,116    1,008           4.1      4.3      4.0
   Wholesale trade..............................    119      121      125           2.1      2.1      2.2
   Retail trade.................................    755      789      740           5.1      5.0      4.9
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    150      206      143           3.2      4.2      3.0
  Information...................................     61       55       61           2.0      1.8      2.0
  Financial activities..........................    139      171      205           1.8      2.1      2.5
   Finance and insurance........................     90      100      116           1.5      1.7      1.9
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     49       71       89           2.4      3.4      4.3
  Professional and business services............    530      824      819           3.4      4.9      5.0
  Education and health services.................    394      339      349           2.4      2.0      2.0
   Educational services.........................     51       38       37           1.9      1.3      1.3
   Health care and social assistance............    343      301      312           2.4      2.1      2.2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    607      625      698           5.2      5.1      5.8
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     65       97       67           4.0      5.8      4.2
   Accommodations and food services.............    542      529      631           5.4      5.0      6.1
  Other services................................    172      170      144           3.2      3.1      2.7

 Government.....................................    226      236      205           1.1      1.1       .9
  Federal.......................................     45       41       37           1.7      1.5      1.4
  State and local...............................    181      195      168           1.0      1.0       .9

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................    717      790      751           2.9      3.1      3.0
  South.........................................  1,484    1,597    1,617           3.3      3.4      3.5
  Midwest.......................................    873      966      985           2.9      3.1      3.2
  West..........................................    853      922      934           3.0      3.2      3.3


  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.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 8.  Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.    Jan.           Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004    2005p          2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................  1,841    2,073    2,215           1.4      1.6      1.7

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,742    1,972    2,120           1.6      1.8      1.9
  Natural resources and mining..................      5        6       10            .9       .9      1.7
  Construction..................................    101      122      128           1.6      1.7      1.9
  Manufacturing.................................    133      137      157            .9      1.0      1.1
   Durable goods................................     81       85       95            .9       .9      1.1
   Nondurable goods.............................     52       53       63           1.0      1.0      1.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    456      502      566           1.8      1.9      2.2
   Wholesale trade..............................     65       63       69           1.2      1.1      1.2
   Retail trade.................................    343      371      429           2.3      2.4      2.9
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     49       68       68           1.0      1.4      1.4
  Information...................................     32       33       38           1.0      1.0      1.2
  Financial activities..........................     70       88      101            .9      1.1      1.3
   Finance and insurance........................     48       64       58            .8      1.1      1.0
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     22       24       43           1.1      1.1      2.1
  Professional and business services............    230      354      371           1.5      2.1      2.3
  Education and health services.................    248      207      221           1.5      1.2      1.3
   Educational services.........................     21       20       21            .8       .7       .8
   Health care and social assistance............    227      187      200           1.6      1.3      1.4
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    348      403      437           3.0      3.3      3.6
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     21       38       29           1.3      2.3      1.8
   Accommodations and food services.............    328      365      408           3.2      3.4      3.9
  Other services................................    117      120       92           2.2      2.2      1.7

 Government.....................................     99      102       95            .5       .5       .4
  Federal.......................................     14       10       10            .5       .4       .4
  State and local...............................     84       92       85            .5       .5       .5

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................    247      311      361           1.0      1.2      1.4
  South.........................................    764      846      909           1.7      1.8      2.0
  Midwest.......................................    403      460      465           1.3      1.5      1.5
  West..........................................    427      456      479           1.5      1.6      1.7


  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. 
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 9.  Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.    Jan.           Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004    2005p          2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................  1,737    1,923    1,723           1.4      1.4      1.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,669    1,839    1,669           1.6      1.7      1.5
  Natural resources and mining..................      7        7        8           1.3      1.2      1.4
  Construction..................................    309      266      303           4.8      3.8      4.6
  Manufacturing.................................    150      161      145           1.1      1.1      1.0
   Durable goods................................     92       98       83           1.0      1.1       .9
   Nondurable goods.............................     58       63       61           1.1      1.2      1.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    496      549      359           2.0      2.1      1.4
   Wholesale trade..............................     45       44       47            .8       .8       .8
   Retail trade.................................    371      382      256           2.5      2.4      1.7
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     79      124       56           1.7      2.5      1.2
  Information...................................     24       16       20            .8       .5       .6
  Financial activities..........................     48       66       75            .6       .8       .9
   Finance and insurance........................     22       26       38            .4       .4       .6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     26       40       37           1.3      1.9      1.8
  Professional and business services............    263      430      396           1.7      2.6      2.4
  Education and health services.................    111      110      102            .7       .6       .6
   Educational services.........................     26       16       13           1.0       .6       .5
   Health care and social assistance............     86       94       89            .6       .7       .6
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    222      195      216           1.9      1.6      1.8
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     43       57       34           2.6      3.4      2.1
   Accommodations and food services.............    179      138      183           1.8      1.3      1.8
  Other services................................     39       38       45            .7       .7       .8

 Government.....................................     68       84       54            .3       .4       .2
  Federal.......................................      8       17        7            .3       .6       .3
  State and local...............................     60       68       46            .3       .4       .2

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................    408      412      327           1.7      1.6      1.3
  South.........................................    593      653      605           1.3      1.4      1.3
  Midwest.......................................    381      456      435           1.3      1.4      1.4
  West..........................................    355      403      356           1.3      1.4      1.3


  1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month.
  2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a
percent of total employment.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.





Table 10.  Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Jan.     Dec.     Jan.          Jan.     Dec.     Jan.
                                                   2004     2004     2005p         2004     2004     2005p

Total...........................................    349      279      349           0.3      0.2      0.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    289      229      293            .3       .2       .3
  Natural resources and mining..................      3        5        6            .5       .8      1.1
  Construction..................................     40       10        9            .6       .1       .1
  Manufacturing.................................     25       24       32            .2       .2       .2
   Durable goods................................     14       16       22            .2       .2       .3
   Nondurable goods.............................     11        7       10            .2       .1       .2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........     72       65       83            .3       .2       .3
   Wholesale trade..............................      8       14        9            .1       .3       .2
   Retail trade.................................     41       36       55            .3       .2       .4
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     23       15       19            .5       .3       .4
  Information...................................      5        6        4            .2       .2       .1
  Financial activities..........................     21       17       29            .3       .2       .4
   Finance and insurance........................     20       10       20            .3       .2       .3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........      1        7        9           (3)       .3       .4
  Professional and business services............     38       40       52            .2       .2       .3
  Education and health services.................     34       22       26            .2       .1       .2
   Educational services.........................      4        2        3            .2       .1       .1
   Health care and social assistance............     30       20       23            .2       .1       .2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     37       28       44            .3       .2       .4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      2        2        4            .1       .1       .2
   Accommodations and food services.............     35       26       41            .3       .2       .4
  Other services................................     16       12        7            .3       .2       .1

 Government.....................................     60       50       56            .3       .2       .3
  Federal.......................................     23       15       20            .8       .5       .7
  State and local...............................     37       35       36            .2       .2       .2

                    REGION

  Northeast.....................................     62       67       62            .3       .3       .2
  South.........................................    127       98      103            .3       .2       .2
  Midwest.......................................     89       51       85            .3       .2       .3
  West..........................................     71       63       99            .3       .2       .3


  1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.
  2 The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of
total employment.
  3 Data round to zero.
  p = preliminary.
  NOTE:  See NOTE, table 1.