Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 17

JOLTS Annual Story

Kendra C. Hathaway Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) indicate that 

the job openings level and rate continued to 

grow during 2012. On an annual basis, data 

that are not seasonally adjusted show that 

the average monthly number of job openings 

increased from 3.2 million in 2011 to 3.6 million in 2012. The average monthly job openings rate rose from 2.3 percent to 2.6 percent. 

The increases in average monthly hires and 

separations, however, were not as large. From 

2011 to 2012, the average monthly number 

of hires ticked up from 4.1 million to 4.3 million while the rate held steady at 3.2 percent. 

Besides illustrating the preceding data, the 

following tabulation shows that the average 

monthly number of separations increased 

from 4.0 million in 2011 to 4.1 million in 

2012 while the average monthly rate rose 

from 3.0 percent to 3.1 percent between the 2 

years (data not seasonally adjusted): 

 Number (thousands)

 Category 2010 2011 2012

Job openings........... 2,848 3,151 3,632

Hires....................... 4,051 4,140 4,333

Separations.............. 3,971 3,969 4,140

 Rate (percent)

 Category 2010 2011 2012

Job openings........... 2.2 2.3 2.6

Hires...................... 3.1 3.2 3.2

Separations............. 3.0 3.0 3.1

Kendra C. Hathaway is an 

economist in the Office 

of Employment and 

Unemployment Statistics, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Email: hathaway.kendra@

bls.gov.

Job openings continue to grow

in 2012, hires and separations less so

At the end of 2012—42 months after the recession—

job openings, hires, and separations had not yet reached

their prerecession levels and rates; all three measures,

however, had levels higher than they had the previous year

JOLTS breaks down separations into quits, 

layoffs and discharges, and other separations. In 

2012, quits contributed the most to the increase 

in separations. The average monthly number of 

quits increased from 1.9 million in 2011 to 2.1 

million in 2012. The average monthly number 

of layoffs and discharges remained stable at 1.7 

million between the 2 years.

JOLTS data provide measures of job openings, hires, total separations, quits, layoffs 

and discharges, and other separations on a 

monthly basis by industry1 and geographic 

region.2 JOLTS gauges labor demand and 

worker flows by collecting data from a 

sample of approximately 16,400 nonfarm 

business establishments. This article reviews 

changes in the estimates generated by the 

JOLTS measures over 2012, as well as how 

these measures have fared since the most recent recession. To do so, 2012 JOLTS data are 

compared with previous years’ JOLTS data as 

well as other statistical series. JOLTS data are 

available beginning December 2000. In what 

follows, monthly averages or annual totals, 

neither of which are seasonally adjusted, are 

presented. Data for a specific month (e.g., 

December 2012) or quarter (e.g., the second 

quarter of 2012) are seasonally adjusted.

Job openings

Job openings—the number of openings on 
JOLTS Annual Story

18 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

the last business day of the reference month—are a procyclical measure of the demand side of the labor market. 

That is to say, during an economic contraction employers 

tend to demand less labor, reducing the number of job 

openings they have or shedding them entirely. As labor 

demand decreases, employment also tends to decrease. 

By contrast, during an economic expansion employers 

tend to demand more labor, increasing the number of job 

openings they have. As labor demand rises, employment 

tends to rise. All in all, then, job openings and the Current Employment Statistics (CES)

3

 nonfarm payroll employment estimates tend to have similar growth trends.4

(See chart 1.)

In 2012, as well as in 2011, the total number of nonfarm 

job openings and nonfarm payroll employment tracked 

consistently. On an annual basis, the average monthly 

number of job openings increased 15.3 percent in 2012, 

from 3.2 million to 3.6 million. By way of comparison, in 

2011 the average monthly number of job openings grew 

10.6 percent. Similarly, nonfarm payroll employment 

showed a positive, increasing percentage of growth for 

both years. In 2012, average monthly CES employment 

rose by 1.7 percent over the 2011 figure. The increase in 

2011 was 1.2 percent. (See table 1.)

On a quarterly basis, in 2012 the number of job openings was up 10.0 percent in the first quarter, up 2.8 percent in the second quarter, down 3.2 percent in the third 

quarter, and up 2.9 percent in the final quarter. The low for 

the year was 3.4 million, in January, the high 3.8 million, 

in March.

Following the recession,5 total nonfarm job openings 

trended upward, from 2.4 million in June 2009 to 3.6 million in December 2012. The number of openings still has 

not reached the 4.3 million level at which it stood at the 

beginning of the recession, in December 2007. 

Job openings by industry and region. On an annual basis, the total nonfarm average monthly job openings rate 

rose from 2.3 percent in 2011 to 2.6 percent in 2012. 

Real estate and rental and leasing saw the largest percent increase in the average monthly job openings rate, 

a 33.3-percent rise, from 2.1 percent to 2.8 percent over 

the year. Next was nondurable goods manufacturing, 

which grew 31.3 percent, from 1.6 percent to 2.1 percent. 

The rate declined the most in mining and logging, which 

posted a 39.4-percent drop over the year, from 3.3 percent 

to 2.0 percent. Information was next, falling 7.9 percent, 

from 3.8 percent to 3.5 percent. Table 2 shows the average 

Chart 1. Total nonfarm job openings and total nonfarm CES employment, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, 

December 2000–December 2012

5,500

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

139,000

137,000

135,000

133,000

131,000

129,000

127,000

125,000 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Job openings Employment

Job openings

Employment

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 19

monthly number of job openings and the average rate of 

job openings, by industry, for 2011 and 2012.

In 2012, the West’s average monthly job openings rate 

was unchanged from 2011. The other three regions’ rates 

increased between those years. As the following tabulation shows, of the four regions,6

 the South experienced 

the highest increase in its average monthly job openings 

rate, moving from 2.3 percent in 2011 to 2.8 percent in 

2012 (see also chart 2):

 Job openings Northeast South Midwest West

Number (thousands):

 2011..................................... 574 1,144 697 736

 2012..................................... 658 1,417 801 756

 Change, 2011–2012............. 84 273 104 20

 Percent change, 2011–2012.. 14.6 23.9 14.9 2.7

Rate (percent):

 2011..................................... 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.5

 2012..................................... 2.5 2.8 2.6 2.5

 Change, 2011–2012............. .2 .5 .3 .0

 Percent change, 2011–2012.. 8.7 21.7 13.0 .0

Job openings and unemployment. The ratio of unemployed 

people7 per job opening changes over time. (See chart 3.) 

In 2012, the ratio decreased from 3.7 in January to 3.4 

in December. The ratio has declined since the end of the 

recession in June 2009, when it was 6.2; however, it still 

has not fallen to the 1.8 level at which it stood at the 

beginning of the recession, in December 2007. 

The Beveridge curve highlights the inverse relationship between unfilled labor demand (as measured by the 

job openings rate) and unused labor supply (as measured 

by the unemployment rate) over time. The curve shows the 

job openings rate and the unemployment rate by month. 

(See chart 4.) The curve is downward sloping and reflects 

the state of the economy in two ways: through movements 

along the curve or through shifts in the curve toward or 

away from the origin. The combination of a high number 

of job openings and low unemployment is seen in an economic expansion and results in a position high and to the 

left on the graph. The combination of a low number of job 

openings and high unemployment results in a position low 

and to the right on the graph. Greater differences between 

the job openings rate and the unemployment rate cause the 

curve to shift outward from the origin. When job matching is inefficient, unemployment is high and more job 

openings are left unfilled. In 2012, the points on the Beveridge curve moved slightly upward and to the left as the 

job openings rate went from 2.5 percent in January to 2.6 

percent in December while the unemployment rate went 

from 8.3 percent in January to 7.8 percent in December.

From the start of the recent recession, in December 

2007, through the middle of 2009, the economy’s position 

along the Beveridge curve moved lower and further to the 

right as the job openings rate declined and the unemployment rate rose. The lowest point on the curve, reflecting 

the JOLTS job openings series low of 1.6 percent, was in 

July 2009, while the furthest point to the right occurred 

in October 2009, when the unemployment rate was 10.0 

percent. During 2010, the points on the curve shifted 

outward. In 2012, as in 2011, the points on the curve 

continued to stay in this new position. There has been 

debate among economists as to whether the shift is due to 

Table 1. Average monthly number of job openings and CES

employment, not seasonally adjusted, 2001–2012

[In thousands]

Year

Average 

monthly 

number of 

job openings 

Percent 

change 

from 

previous 

year

Average 

monthly CES 

employment 

Percent 

change 

from 

previous 

year

2001 4,287 (

1

) 131,919 0.0

2002 3,414 –20.4 130,450 –1.1

2003 3,211 –5.9 130,100 –.3

2004 3,580 11.5 131,509 1.1

2005 4,058 13.4 133,747 1.7

2006 4,428 9.1 136,125 1.8

2007 4,484 1.3 137,645 1.1

2008 3,694 –17.6 136,852 –.6

2009 2,451 –33.7 130,876 –4.4

2010 2,848 16.2 129,917 –.7

2011 3,151 10.6 131,497 1.2

2012 3,632 15.3 133,739 1.7

1

 The JOLTS program did not begin until 2001, so there are no data for 

the previous year.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Definitions of JOLTS terms

Job openings are the number of openings on the last business day of the 

reference month.

Hires are all additions of personnel to the payroll during the reference 

month.

Total separations are the number of employees separated from payroll during the reference month.

Quits are separations in which employees left a job voluntarily, but did 

not retire or transfer.

Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by employers.

Other separations are separations due to retirement, transfers, or deaths 

and separations caused by disability.
JOLTS Annual Story

20 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

structural or cyclical factors.8

Beveridge curves also can be calculated for the four regions, with the use of JOLTS and Local Area Unemployment Statistics data.9

 In 2012, the Beveridge curve for the 

Northeast moved upward and slightly to the right as the 

job openings rate rose from 2.2 percent in January to 2.5 

percent in December while the unemployment rate grew 

from 8.0 percent in January to 8.1 percent in December. 

The Beveridge curve for the South moved slightly downward and to the left, with the job openings rate dropping 

from 2.8 percent in January to 2.7 percent in December 

and the unemployment rate falling from 8.0 percent in 

January to 7.3 percent in December. The Beveridge curve 

for the Midwest moved upward and to the left as the job 

openings rate increased from 2.5 percent in January to 2.7 

percent in December while the unemployment rate fell 

from 7.6 percent in January to 7.2 percent in December. 

The Beveridge curve for the West moved up and to the 

left, with the job openings rate rising from 2.2 percent 

in January to 2.5 percent in December while the unemTable 2. Average monthly number of job openings1

 and average monthly rate of job openings,2 by industry, not seasonally

 adjusted, 2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 3,151 3,632 481 15.3 2.3 2.6 0.3 13.0

Total private 2,821 3,251 430 15.2 2.5 2.8 .3 12.0

Mining and logging 26 18 –8 –30.8 3.3 2.0 –1.3 –39.4

Construction 75 81 6 8.0 1.3 1.4 .1 7.7

Manufacturing 227 271 44 19.4 1.9 2.2 .3 15.8

Durable goods 157 176 19 12.1 2.1 2.3 .2 9.5

Nondurable goods 71 95 24 33.8 1.6 2.1 .5 31.3

Trade, transportation, and utilities 540 615 75 13.9 2.1 2.4 .3 14.3

Wholesale trade 112 131 19 17.0 2.0 2.3 .3 15.0

Retail trade 316 371 55 17.4 2.1 2.4 .3 14.3

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 112 113 1 .9 2.3 2.2 –.1 –4.3

Information 104 97 –7 –6.7 3.8 3.5 –.3 –7.9

Financial activities 203 240 37 18.2 2.6 3.0 .4 15.4

Finance and insurance 162 183 21 13.0 2.7 3.0 .3 11.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 41 57 16 39.0 2.1 2.8 .7 33.3

Professional and business services 589 676 87 14.8 3.3 3.6 .3 9.1

Education and health services 575 676 101 17.6 2.8 3.2 .4 14.3

Educational services 62 62 0 .0 1.9 1.8 –.1 –5.3

Health care and social assistance 513 613 100 19.5 3.0 3.5 .5 16.7

Leisure and hospitality 362 438 76 21.0 2.6 3.1 .5 19.2

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 46 55 9 19.6 2.3 2.7 .4 17.4

Accommodations and food services 316 383 67 21.2 2.7 3.2 .5 18.5

Other services 119 140 21 17.6 2.2 2.5 .3 13.6

Government 330 381 51 15.5 1.5 1.7 .2 13.3

Federal 53 66 13 24.5 1.8 2.3 .5 27.8

State and local 277 314 37 13.4 1.4 1.6 .2 14.3

1 The average number of monthly job openings is the average number of 

job openings on the last business day of each month during the year.

2

 The average rate of monthly job openings is the average number of job

openings on the last business day of the month during the year, as a percentage of average employment plus the average number of job openings.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 21

ployment rate dropped from 9.7 percent in January to 8.6 

percent in December.

In the first half of 2010, all of the regional Beveridge 

curves shifted outward, as did the national curve; however, they all shifted in various ways and degrees and 

continued to develop differently during the recovery. (See 

chart 5.) In the Midwest, although the initial shift in the 

curve was not as large as that in the other regions, by 

2012 the curve had moved farther out on the grid. By 

contrast, the West experienced a large initial shift in its 

curve, but in 2012 the curve moved closer to its 2010 location, exhibiting an increase in job-matching efficiency.

Hires and separations

Hires, along with separations, demonstrate another important aspect of the labor market: worker flow. (See 

charts 6 and 7.) The number of hires is a procyclical measure, rising during an expansion and falling during a recession. The separations measure is more complex. There 

are three elements within separations: quits, layoffs and 

discharges, and other separations. Quits, which are voluntary separations, are a procyclical measure; layoffs and 

discharges, which are involuntary separations, constitute 

a countercyclical measure. That is, during an expansion, 

Chart 2. Total nonfarm job openings and total nonfarm CES employment, U.S. regions, in thousands, seasonally 

adjusted, December 2000–December 2012

Job openings South Employment

Job

openings

Employment

50,500

49,500

48,500

47,500

46,500

45,500

1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

33,000

32,300

31,600

30,900

30,200

29,500

Job openings Northeast

1,100

900

700

500

300

1,500

1,200

900

600

300

31,000

30,000

29,000

28,000

27,000

2,200

1,800

1,400

1,000

600

25,900

25,500

25,100

24,700

24,300

Job 

openings

Employment

Employment

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Midwest Employment

Job 

openings

Employment

Job openings West Employment

Job

openings

Employment

Job openings

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
JOLTS Annual Story

22 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Chart 3. Ratio of unemployed people per job opening, seasonally adjusted, December 2000–December 2012

Ratio Ratio

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

7.0

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Job openings rate

(percent)

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0 8.5 9.0 9.5 10.0 10.5

Dec 2000

Dec 2007

Nov 2001

Oct 2008

Dec 2012

June 2009

Chart 4. The Beveridge curve (job openings rate vs. unemployment rate), seasonally adjusted, December 2000–

December 2012

Job openings rate

(percent)

Unemployment rate (percent)

Mar 2001

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 23

Dec 2000

Dec 2000

Dec 2000

Dec 2000

Dec 2007

Dec 2007

Dec 2007

Dec 2007

Nov 2001

Nov 2001

Nov 2001

Nov 2001

Oct 2008

Oct 2008

Oct 2008

Oct 2008

Dec 2012

Dec 2012

Dec 2012

Dec 2012

June 2009

June 2009

June 2009

June 2009

Apr 2010

Apr 2010

Apr 2010

Apr 2010

Mar 2001

Mar 2001

Mar 2001

Mar 2001

Chart 5. Beveridge curves (job openings rates vs. unemployment rates) for U.S. regions, seasonally adjusted,

December 2000–December 2012

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment rate (percent)

Unemployment rate (percent)

Unemployment rate (percent)

Northeast

South

Midwest

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

Job openings rate

(percent)

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 11.5

3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 11.5

3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 11.5

Unemployment rate (percent)

West

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

3.5 4.5 5.5 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5 10.5 11.5
JOLTS Annual Story

24 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

more people quit their jobs and fewer people are laid off. 

During a recession, more people are laid off and fewer 

people quit their jobs. These two elements countering each 

other, but with quits usually predominating, make separations overall a mildly procyclical measure.10 (See chart 8.) 

The last element within separations, other separations—

which include separations due to retirement, death, and 

disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the 

same firm—tends to be procyclical. However, because of 

its smaller size relative to the other two components of 

separations, the category of other separations tends not to 

have a large impact on total separations. (See chart 9.) 

Hires. For the past 3 years, the number of people hired, 

or number of hires, during the year has increased. The 

annual number hired rose 4.7 percent, from 49.7 million 

in 2011 to 52.0 million in 2012. By way of comparison, 

the annual number hired grew 2.2 percent from 2010 to 

2011. (See table 3.) On a quarterly basis, the number of 

hires was up 4.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012, up 

0.1 percent in the second quarter, down 2.6 percent in the 

third quarter, and up 0.9 percent in the final quarter. The 

number of hires reached its 2012 high of 4.5 million in 

May and fell to a yearly low of 4.2 million in July.

Since the end of the recession, the number of hires has 

been trending upward, from 3.6 million in June 2009 to 

4.2 million in December 2012. The number has yet to rise 

to the 5.0 million level at which it stood at the beginning 

of the recession, in December 2007.

1. Hires by industry and region. Table 4 gives the annual 

number of hires and the annual rate of hiring, by industry, for 2011 and 2012. Most industries experienced an 

increase in their annual hires rate from 2011 to 2012. The 

total nonfarm annual hires rate rose from 37.8 percent 

in 2011 to 38.9 percent in 2012. The industries with the 

greatest percent decreases in their annual hires rate were 

educational services, which fell 8.6 percent, from 29.0 

percent in 2011 to 26.5 percent in 2012, and nondurable 

goods, which dropped by 7.4 percent, from 28.4 percent 

in 2011 to 26.3 percent in 2012. The industries with the 

greatest increases in their annual hires rate were finance 

and insurance, which grew by 17.1 percent, from 20.5 

percent in 2011 to 24.0 percent in 2012, and financial 

activities, which rose 14. 1 percent, from 24.1 percent in 

2011 to 27.5 percent in 2012. 

All U.S. regions experienced increases in their number of hires; however, the Northeast’s annual hires rate in 

Chart 6. Total nonfarm hires, total nonfarm separations, and total nonfarm CES employment, in thousands,

 seasonally adjusted, December 2000–December 2012

6,000

5,500

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

140,000

138,500

136,000

134,500

132,000

130,500

128,000

Employment

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment

Separations

Hires

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Hires and

separations
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 25

 

Employment Employment

Employment Employment

Hires and separations Hires and separations

Hires and separations Hires and separations

Separations

Separations

Separations

Separations

Hires Hires

Hires

Hires

Chart 7. Total nonfarm hires, total nonfarm separations, and total nonfarm CES employment, 3-month moving 

averages, in thousands, seasonally adjusted, January 2002–December 2012

South

Employment

50,000

49,000

48,000

47,000

46,000

45,000

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

2,200

2,000

1,800

1,600

1,400

1,200

1,450

1,310

1,170

1,030

890

750

31,000

30,300

29,600

28,900

28,200

27,500

32,000

31,500

31,000

30,500

30,000

29,500

Northeast

26,100

25,700

25,300

24,900

24,500

1,300

1,150

1,000

850

700

Employment

Midwest

Employment

West

Employment

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan

 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan

 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan

 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

 Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan Jan

 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

2012, 33.3 percent, was unchanged from the rate in 2011, 

and the Midwest’s annual hires rate declined, from 38.5 

percent in 2011 to 38.2 percent in 2012. Besides illustrating these changes, the following tabulation shows that the 

South was the region with the highest percent increase in 

its annual hires rate between the 2 years, moving from 39.5 

percent in 2011 to 42.2 percent in 2012 (see also chart 7):

 Hires Northeast South Midwest West

Number (thousands):

 2011........................... 8,317 18,899 11,505 10,954

 2012........................... 8,443 20,543 11,613 11,395

 Change, 2011–2012... 126 1,644 108 441

 Percent change,

 2011–2012.............. 1.5 8.7 .9 4.0

Rate (percent):

 2011........................... 33.3 39.5 38.5 38.0

 2012........................... 33.3 42.2 38.2 38.8

 Change, 2011–2012... .0 2.7 –.3 .8

 Percent change, 

 2011–2012............. .0 6.8 –.8 2.1

2. Hires and job openings. Typically, the average monthly 

hires rate exceeds the average monthly job openings rate. 

The reason is that the job openings rate is a stock measure, meaning that it is measured only at a point in time 

(the last business day of the month) rather than on an accumulating flow basis. In contrast, the hires rate is a flow 

measure covering every person hired during the month. 
JOLTS Annual Story

26 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Chart 8. Quits, and layoffs and discharges, seasonally adjusted, December 2000–December 2012

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

Thousands Thousands

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Quits

Layoffs and 

discharges

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Other Separations

Layoffs & Discharges

Quits

dummy1

Chart 9. Components of separations, not seasonally adjusted, 2001–2012

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

70,000

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

0

Number 

separated 

(thousands)

Number 

separated 

(thousands)

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Quits

Layoffs and discharges

Other separations
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 27

Table 3. Annual number of hires and annual rate of hiring, 

not seasonally adjusted, 2001–2012

[In thousands]

Year Number of 

hires

Percent 

change from 

previous year

Annual hires 

rate

2001 62,948 (

1

). 47.8

2002 58,583 –6.9 44.9

2003 56,451 –3.6 43.4

2004 60,367 6.9 45.9

2005 63,150 4.6 47.2

2006 63,773 1.0 46.9

2007 62,421 –2.1 45.4

2008 55,128 –11.7 40.3

2009 46,357 –15.9 35.4

2010 48,607 4.9 37.4

2011 49,675 2.2 37.8

2012 51,991 4.7 38.9

1

 The JOLTS program did not begin until 2001, so there are no data for 

the previous year.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As expected, in 2012 the total nonfarm average monthly 

hires rate, 3.2 percent, exceeded the average monthly job 

openings rate, 2.6 percent. However, in some industries 

the hires rate did not exceed the job openings rate. (See 

chart 10.) There may be various reasons for this reversal. 

For example, employers in these industries may be having difficulty finding workers with the qualifications they 

want at the wage they are offering. Alternatively, employers could be hesitant about filling a vacancy because they 

have doubts about the state of the economy.

Another way to gauge potential unmet labor demand 

in different industries is through the stock-flow vacancy–

yield ratio, the ratio of hires to job openings. This measure can provide valuable insight into the labor market 

over time.11 For example, in December 2012 there were 

4,195,000 hires and 3,612,000 job openings, so the 

vacancy–yield ratio for that month and year was 1.16 

(4,195,000/3,612,000).

The vacancy–yield ratios for construction and for arts, 

entertainment, and recreation often are the most affected 

by the business cycle. Because of monthly fluctuations in 

the data, seasonally adjusted quarterly estimates are used. 

In the first quarter of 2012, construction had 4.04 hires 

per job opening and arts, entertainment, and recreation 

had 2.66 hires per job opening. Both ratios decreased by 

the fourth quarter, to 3.38 and 2.27 hires per job opening, 

respectively. This trend matches the 2012 total nonfarm 

trend, which showed a decrease from 1.22 hires per job 

opening in the first quarter to 1.17 hires per job opening 

in the final quarter. (See chart 11.)

Separations. In 2012, the number of workers separated 

from their jobs, or, simply, number of separations, during the year began to increase, after having leveled off 

the previous year. The annual number of separations rose 

4.3 percent, from 47.6 million in 2011 to 49.7 million in 

2012. By contrast, in 2011 the annual number of separations held steady at its 2010 level of 47.6 million. (See 

table 5.) On a quarterly basis, the number of separations 

was up 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012, up 4.7 percent in the second quarter, down 3.8 percent in the third 

quarter, and down 0.4 percent in the final quarter. The 

number of separations stood at its 2012 low of 3.9 million 

in January and reached a yearly high of 4.4 million in 

May. Table 6 presents the annual number of separations 

and the annual rate of separations, by industry, for 2011 

and 2012.

After the end of the recession, the number of separations trended downward, from 4.2 million in June 2009 

to a trough of 3.7 million in April 2011. Since then, the 

number of separations has increased steadily, reaching 

4.1 million by the end of 2012. The main driver of the 

increase was a rise in the number of quits. (See chart 8.) 

The number of separations has yet to reach the level of 5.0 

million at which it stood at the beginning of the recession, in December 2007. 

1. Quits. The total number of people quitting their jobs, 

or, simply, number of quits, during the year has increased 

for the past 3 years. The annual number of quits increased 

7.8 percent from 2011 to 2012, rising from 23.3 million 

to 25.1 million. By way of comparison, it had increased 

6.1 percent from 2010 to 2011. The following tabulation 

gives level, percent change, and rate statistics (not seasonally adjusted) on quits over the 2-year span: 

 Number Percent change

 of quits from previous Rate of quits

Year (thousands) year (percent)

2010.............. 21,978 4.5 16.9

2011.............. 23,313 6.1 17.7

2012.............. 25,132 7.8 18.8

On a quarterly basis, the number of quits rose 4.9 percent in the first quarter of 2012, fell 2.5 percent in the 

second quarter and another 2.7 percent in the third quarter, and grew 2.2 percent in the final quarter. The number 

of quits stood at its 2012 low of 2.0 million in January and 
JOLTS Annual Story

28 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Table 4. Annual number of hires1 and annual rate of hiring,2 by industry, not seasonally adjusted, 2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 49,675 51,991 2,316 4.7 37.8 38.9 1.1 2.9

Total private 46,552 48,493 1,941 4.2 42.5 43.4 .9 2.1

Mining and logging 335 380 45 13.4 42.5 44.7 2.2 5.2

Construction 4,098 3,900 –198 –4.8 74.1 69.1 –5.0 –6.7

Manufacturing 3,035 2,967 –68 –2.2 25.9 24.9 –1.0 –3.9

Durable goods 1,771 1,794 23 1.3 24.4 24.0 –.4 –1.6

Nondurable goods 1,263 1,174 –89 –7.0 28.4 26.3 –2.1 –7.4

Trade, transportation, and utilities 9,946 10,447 501 5.0 39.7 40.9 1.2 3.0

Wholesale trade 1,485 1,539 54 3.6 26.8 27.1 .3 1.1

Retail trade 6,772 6,995 223 3.3 46.2 47.0 .8 1.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 1,690 1,912 222 13.1 34.8 38.5 3.7 10.6

Information 732 743 11 1.5 27.3 27.7 .4 1.5

Financial activities 1,852 2,143 291 15.7 24.1 27.5 3.4 14.1

Finance and insurance 1,180 1,402 222 18.8 20.5 24.0 3.5 17.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 669 739 70 10.5 34.7 37.9 3.2 9.2

Professional and business services 10,181 10,582 401 3.9 58.7 59.0 .3 .5

Education and health services 5,681 5,997 316 5.6 28.6 29.5 .9 3.1

Educational services 941 886 –55 –5.8 29.0 26.5 –2.5 –8.6

Health care and social assistance 4,741 5,112 371 7.8 28.5 30.1 1.6 5.6

Leisure and hospitality 8,414 8,999 585 7.0 63.0 65.5 2.5 4.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 1,445 1,533 88 6.1 75.3 78.0 2.7 3.6

Accommodations and food services 6,970 7,465 495 7.1 61.0 63.4 2.4 3.9

Other services 2,279 2,336 57 2.5 42.5 43.0 .5 1.2

Government 3,123 3,503 380 12.2 14.1 16.0 1.9 13.5

Federal 332 353 21 6.3 11.6 12.5 .9 7.8

State and local 2,790 3,148 358 12.8 14.5 16.5 2.0 13.8

1

 The annual number of hires is the total number of hires during the 

entire year.

2

 The annual rate of hiring is the number of hires during the entire year, as 

a percentage of annual average employment.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

reached a yearly high of 2.2 million in March.

Since the end of the recession, the number of quits has 

been trending upward, from 1.7 million in June 2009 to 

2.1 million in December 2012. Still, it has yet to reach its 

level of 2.9 million at the beginning of the recession, in 

December 2007. 

Table 7 shows the annual number of quits and the annual rate of quits, by industry, for 2011 and 2012. The 

annual rate of total nonfarm quits increased from 17.7 

percent in 2011 to 18.8 percent in 2012. The annual quits 

rate declined in only two industries: nondurable goods 

manufacturing, where it fell by 5.1 percent, from 13.7 

percent in 2011 to 13.0 percent in 2012; and arts, entertainment, and recreation, in which it dropped by 0.7 percent, from 26.7 percent in 2011 to 26.5 percent in 2012. 

In 2012, the industries with the largest growth in annual 

quits rates were mining and logging, where the rate rose 

32. 9 percent, from 17.3 percent in 2011 to 23.0 percent in 

2012, and the federal government, which saw an increase 

of 20.5 percent, from 3.9 percent in 2011 to 4.7 percent 
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 29

Annual average job openings rate Annual average hires rate

Chart 10. Industries in which the average monthly job openings rate exceeded the average monthly hires rate 

vs. total nonfarm average monthly job openings rate and average monthly hires rate, not seasonally 

adjusted, 2012

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

Percent Percent

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Average monthly hires rate

Total nonfarm Durable goods Information Finance and 

insurance

Health care and 

social assistance

Government

Industry

Average monthly job openings rate

Chart 11. Quarterly vacancy–yield ratio, seasonally adjusted, 2001–2012

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

Ratio Ratio

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total

Construction

Education and health services Government

Arts, entertainment, 

and recreation
JOLTS Annual Story

30 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Table 5. Annual separations, not seasonally adjusted, 

2001–2012

Year Number

(thousands)

Percent 

change from 

previous year

Annual rate 

(percent)

2001 64,765 (

1

) 49.1

2002 59,190 –8.6 45.4

2003 56,487 –4.6 43.5

2004 58,340 3.3 44.4

2005 60,733 4.1 45.4

2006 61,565 1.4 45.2

2007 61,162 –.7 44.4

2008 58,627 –4.1 42.9

2009 51,532 –12.1 39.4

2010 47,646 –7.5 36.7

2011 47,626 .0 36.2

2012 49,676 4.3 37.1

1

 The JOLTS program did not begin until 2001, so there are no data for 

the previous year.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

in 2012. 

As the following tabulation shows, although the rate of 

quits increased in all U.S. geographic regions from 2011 

to 2012, it grew the most in the South, rising from 19.7 

percent in 2011 to 21.8 percent in 2012, and the least in 

the Midwest, edging up from 18.2 percent in 2011 to 18.4 

percent in 2012: 

 Quits Northeast South Midwest West

Number (thousands):

 2011........................... 3,349 9,396 5,447 5,121

 2012........................... 3,669 10,588 5,579 5,296

 Change, 2011–2012... 320 1,192 132 175

 Percent change,

 2011–2012.............. 9.6 12.7 2.4 3.4

Rate (percent):

 2011........................... 13.4 19.7 18.2 17.7

 2012........................... 14.5 21.8 18.4 18.0

 Change, 2011–2012... 1.1 2.1 .2 .3

 Percent change, 

 2011–2012............. 8.2 10.7 1.1 1.7

Because the quits rate generally measures workers’ 

willingness or ability to leave a job, it usually trends 

similarly to the Consumer Confidence Index.®12 The quits 

rate tends to rise when workers believe that another job is 

available and tends to fall when they believe that jobs are 

scarce. In 2012, both measures trended slightly upward 

overall. (See chart 12.) 

2. Layoffs and discharges. The total number of annual 

layoffs and discharges exhibited a slight increase of 0.7 

percent from 2011 to 2012, edging up from 20.4 million 

to 20.5 million. By contrast, it had decreased 6.3 percent 

from 2010 to 2011, falling from 21.8 million to 20.4 million. The following tabulation gives level, percent change, 

and rate statistics (not seasonally adjusted) on layoffs and 

discharges over the 2-year span:

 Number of layoffs Percent change Rate of layoffs

 and discharges from previous and discharges

Year (thousands) year (percent)

2010............ 21,773 –18.7 16.8

2011............ 20,401 –6.3 15.5

2012............ 20,546 .7 15.4

On a quarterly basis, the number of layoffs and discharges was down 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012, 

up 7.6 percent in the second quarter, down 6.7 percent 

in the third quarter, and down 3.5 percent in the final 

quarter. The number of layoffs and discharges reached its 

2012 high of 2.0 million in May and fell to its low of 1.5 

million in July. The July estimate was an all-time series 

low for seasonally adjusted layoffs and discharges.

From the end of the recession until the first quarter 

of 2011, the number of layoffs and discharges trended 

downward, from 2.1 million in June 2009 to 1.6 million in April 2011. Since then, it has been stabilizing. 

By December 2012, layoffs and discharges measured 1.5 

million. During the recession, the number of layoffs and 

discharges rose rapidly, but since then it has returned to 

its previous level and then some. (See chart 8.)

Table 8 gives the annual number of layoffs and discharges and the annual rate of layoffs and discharges, by 

industry, for 2011 and 2012. From 2011 to 2012, the total 

nonfarm annual layoffs and discharges rate declined in 

many industries and rose in others. The total nonfarm annual layoffs and discharges rate decreased from 15.5 percent in 2011 to 15.4 percent in 2012. The rate declined the 

most in nondurable goods manufacturing, an 18.0-percent 

drop, from 12.8 percent in 2011 to 10.5 percent in 2012. 

The rate increased the most in mining and logging, rising 

51.0 percent, from 10.4 percent in 2011 to 15.7 percent in 

2012, and in wholesale trade, increasing 7.9 percent, from 

10.1 percent in 2011 to 10.9 percent in 2012. 

As the following tabulation shows, the annual rate 

of layoffs and discharges fell the most in the Northeast, 
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 31

Table 6. Annual number of separations1 and annual rate of separations,2 by industry, not seasonally adjusted, 2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 47,626 49,676 2,050 4.3 36.2 37.1 0.9 2.5

Total private 44,173 46,152 1,979 4.5 40.4 41.3 .9 2.2

Mining and logging 237 354 117 49.4 30.1 41.6 11.5 38.2

Construction 3,906 3,808 –98 –2.5 70.6 67.5 –3.1 –4.4

Manufacturing 2,820 2,808 –12 –.4 24.0 23.6 –.4 –1.7

Durable goods 1,538 1,659 121 7.9 21.1 22.2 1.1 5.2

Nondurable goods 1,283 1,146 –137 –10.7 28.8 25.7 –3.1 –10.8

Trade, transportation, and utilities 9,436 9,924 488 5.2 37.6 38.9 1.3 3.5

Wholesale trade 1,365 1,429 64 4.7 24.6 25.2 .6 2.4

Retail trade 6,476 6,757 281 4.3 44.2 45.4 1.2 2.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 1,598 1,739 141 8.8 32.9 35.0 2.1 6.4

Information 727 749 22 3.0 27.2 28.0 .8 2.9

Financial activities 1,815 2,043 228 12.6 23.6 26.2 2.6 11.0

Finance and insurance 1,147 1,322 175 15.3 19.9 22.7 2.8 14.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 669 721 52 7.8 34.7 36.9 2.2 6.3

Professional and business services 9,616 10,004 388 4.0 55.5 55.8 .3 .5

Education and health services 5,269 5,578 309 5.9 26.5 27.5 1.0 3.8

Educational services 810 841 31 3.8 24.9 25.1 .2 .8

Health care and social assistance 4,459 4,740 281 6.3 26.8 27.9 1.1 4.1

Leisure and hospitality 8,117 8,616 499 6.1 60.8 62.7 1.9 3.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 1,472 1,450 –22 –1.5 76.7 73.8 –2.9 –3.8

Accommodations and food services 6,643 7,163 520 7.8 58.1 60.8 2.7 4.6

Other services 2,228 2,268 40 1.8 41.6 41.7 .1 .2

Government 3,453 3,525 72 2.1 15.6 16.1 .5 3.2

Federal 370 389 19 5.1 12.9 13.8 .9 7.0

State and local 3,083 3,135 52 1.7 16.0 16.4 .4 2.5

1

 The annual number of separations is the total number of separations 

during the entire year.

2

 The annual rate of separations is the number of separations during the 

entire year, as a percentage of annual average employment.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

from 15.7 percent in 2011 to 14.6 percent in 2012, and increased the most in the West, from 15.6 percent in 2011 

to 15.9 percent in 2012: 

Layoffs and discharges Northeast South Midwest West

Number (thousands):

 2011........................... 3,926 7,418 4,571 4,489

 2012........................... 3,700 7,539 4,630 4,679

 Change, 2011–2012... –226 121 59 190

 Percent change,

 2011–2012.............. –5.8 1.6 1.3 4.2

Rate (percent):

 2011........................... 15.7 15.5 15.3 15.6

 2012........................... 14.6 15.5 15.2 15.9

 Change, 2011–2012... –1.1 .0 –.1 .3

 Percent change, 

 2011–2012............. –7.0 .0 –.7 1.9

3. Other separations. The total annual number of other 

separations increased both from 2010 to 2011 and then 

again from 2011 to 2012. Table 9 presents the annual 

number of other separations and the annual rate of other 
JOLTS Annual Story

32 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Table 7. Annual number of quits1 and annual rate of quits,2 by industry, not seasonally adjusted, 2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 23,313 25,132 1,819 7.8 17.7 18.8 1.1 6.2

Total private 21,905 23,589 1,684 7.7 20.0 21.1 1.1 5.5

Mining and logging 136 196 60 44.1 17.3 23.0 5.7 32.9

Construction 924 946 22 2.4 16.7 16.8 .1 .6

Manufacturing 1,247 1,284 37 3.0 10.6 10.8 .2 1.9

Durable goods 637 706 69 10.8 8.8 9.5 .7 8.0

Nondurable goods 612 579 –33 –5.4 13.7 13.0 –.7 –5.1

Trade, transportation, and utilities 5,170 5,530 360 7.0 20.6 21.7 1.1 5.3

Wholesale trade 614 688 74 12.1 11.1 12.1 1.0 9.0

Retail trade 3,826 3,984 158 4.1 26.1 26.8 .7 2.7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 729 855 126 17.3 15.0 17.2 2.2 14.7

Information 389 431 42 10.8 14.5 16.1 1.6 11.0

Financial activities 967 1,065 98 10.1 12.6 13.7 1.1 8.7

Finance and insurance 644 694 50 7.8 11.2 11.9 .7 6.3

Real estate and rental and leasing 325 371 46 14.2 16.9 19.0 2.1 12.4

Professional and business services 4,421 4,622 201 4.5 25.5 25.8 .3 1.2

Education and health services 2,910 3,203 293 10.1 14.6 15.8 1.2 8.2

Educational services 373 395 22 5.9 11.5 11.8 .3 2.6

Health care and social assistance 2,536 2,808 272 10.7 15.2 16.5 1.3 8.6

Leisure and hospitality 4,722 5,196 474 10.0 35.4 37.8 2.4 6.8

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 513 521 8 1.6 26.7 26.5 –.2 –.7

Accommodations and food services 4,209 4,678 469 11.1 36.8 39.7 2.9 7.9

Other services 1,013 1,114 101 10.0 18.9 20.5 1.6 8.5

Government 1,406 1,543 137 9.7 6.4 7.0 .6 9.4

Federal 111 131 20 18.0 3.9 4.7 .8 20.5

State and local 1,295 1,413 118 9.1 6.7 7.4 .7 10.4

1

 The annual number of quits is the total number of quits during the 

entire year.

2

 The annual rate of quits is the number of quits during the entire year, as 

a percentage of annual average employment.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

separations, by industry, for 2011 and 2012. The following tabulation gives level, percent change, and rate statistics (not seasonally adjusted) on other separations over 

the 2-year span:

 Number of other Percent change Rate of other

 separations from previous separations

Year (thousands) year (percent)

2010.............. 3,893 4.6 3.0

2011.............. 3,911 .5 3.0

2012.............. 3,997 2.2 3.0

The number of other separations changed little, rising 

from 3.9 million in 2011 to 4.0 million in 2012, an increase of 2.2 percent. By comparison, it rose 0.5 percent 

from 2010 to 2011. On a quarterly basis, the number of 

other separations decreased 2.5 percent in the first quarter 

of 2012, increased 2.9 percent in the second quarter, rose 

5.1 percent in the third quarter, and fell 0.9 percent in the 

final quarter. On the whole, in 2012 the number of other 

separations trended upward, increasing from 302,000 in 

January to 367,000 in December.
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 33

Chart 12. Quits rate, seasonally adjusted, and Consumer Confidence Index®, December 2000–December 2012

3.0

2.6

2.2

1.8

1.4

1.0

200

160

120

80

40

0

Quits rate

NOTE: Shaded areas denote recessions as determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and The Conference Board.

Quits

Consumer Confidence 

Index®

Consumer Confidence 

Index® (1985 = 100)

 Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec

 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

The number of other separations decreased from 

346,000 at the beginning of the recession, in December 2007, to 289,000 at the end of the recession, in June 

2009. Since then, the series has been trending upward 

and, like the number of layoffs and discharges, has returned to its prerecession level. Although the number of 

other separations has exceeded the level at which it stood 

at the start of the recession, it should be noted that the 

rate of other separations does not typically vary greatly. 

Throughout JOLTS history, the rate has ranged from 0.2 

percent to 0.3 percent. Nevertheless, this measure is an 

important one to follow, because within the category of 

other separations is that of employees who leave their job 

to retire. Some have theorized that the number of other 

separations decreased during the recession because of 

an increase in the economic burden on employees and a 

decrease in income for employees who were planning to 

retire.13

JOLTS DATA SHOW THAT, WHILE LABOR DEMAND, as 

measured by the number of job openings, increased during 2012, worker flow, in the form of an increase in hires 

and separations, has been slower to improve. Nevertheless, layoffs and discharges, as well as other separations, 

have returned to prerecession levels, adding stability to 

the growth of the labor market as fewer employees are involuntarily separated from their jobs and employees begin 

to feel more comfortable about retiring again.

Notes

1 The term “industry” can refer to a supersector, sector, or subsector, 

depending on the context. In analyzing industries, the JOLTS program 

follows the North American Industrial Classification System.

2 The most detailed geographical breakout the jolts sample can provide is by region: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West.

3 For data on employment, see “Current Employment Statistics—

CES (National)” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, published monthly), 

http://www.bls.gov/ces. 

4 Richard L. Clayton, James R. Spletzer, and John C. Wohlford, 

“Conference Report: JOLTS Symposium,” Monthly Labor Review, 

February 2011, pp. 41–47, http://stat.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2011/02/

art4full.pdf, especially p. 44. 

5 “U.S. business cycle expansions and contractions” (National Bureau of Economic Research), http://www.nber.org/cycles. 

6 The U.S. Census Bureau defines the four regions of the United 

States as follows: Northeast—Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, 
JOLTS Annual Story

34 Monthly Labor Review • May 2013

Table 8. Annual number of layoffs and discharges1 and annual rate of layoffs and discharges,2 by industry, not seasonally 

adjusted, 2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 20,401 20,546 145 0.7 15.5 15.4 –0.1 –0.6

Total private 19,096 19,336 240 1.3 17.5 17.3 –.2 –1.1

Mining and logging 82 134 52 63.4 10.4 15.7 5.3 51.0

Construction 2,836 2,745 –91 –3.2 51.3 48.7 –2.6 –5.1

Manufacturing 1,318 1,263 –55 –4.2 11.2 10.6 –.6 –5.4

Durable goods 746 793 47 6.3 10.3 10.6 .3 2.9

Nondurable goods 570 469 –101 –17.7 12.8 10.5 –2.3 –18.0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 3,381 3,493 112 3.3 13.5 13.7 .2 1.5

Wholesale trade 562 621 59 10.5 10.1 10.9 .8 7.9

Retail trade 2,157 2,200 43 2.0 14.7 14.8 .1 .7

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 663 674 11 1.7 13.7 13.6 –.1 –.7

Information 273 262 –11 –4.0 10.2 9.8 –.4 –3.9

Financial activities 636 607 –29 –4.6 8.3 7.8 –.5 –6.0

Finance and insurance 349 329 –20 –5.7 6.1 5.6 –.5 –8.2

Real estate and rental and leasing 291 280 –11 –3.8 15.1 14.3 –.8 –5.3

Professional and business services 4,587 4,814 227 4.9 26.5 26.9 .4 1.5

Education and health services 1,813 1,900 87 4.8 9.1 9.4 .3 3.3

Educational services 366 383 17 4.6 11.3 11.4 .1 .9

Health care and social assistance 1,447 1,517 70 4.8 8.7 8.9 .2 2.3

Leisure and hospitality 3,090 3,070 –20 –.6 23.1 22.3 –.8 –3.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 929 904 –25 –2.7 48.4 46.0 –2.4 –5.0

Accommodations and food services 2,159 2,165 6 .3 18.9 18.4 –.5 –2.6

Other services 1,079 1,046 –33 –3.1 20.1 19.2 –.9 –4.5

Government 1,309 1,210 –99 –7.6 5.9 5.5 –.4 –6.8

Federal 134 128 –6 –4.5 4.7 4.5 –.2 –4.3

State and local 1,176 1,082 –94 –8.0 6.1 5.7 –.4 –6.6

1

 The annual number of layoffs and discharges is the total number of 

layoffs and discharges during the entire year.

2

 The annual rate of layoffs and discharges is the number of layoffs and

discharges during the entire year, as a percentage of annual average 

employment.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, 

Vermont; South—Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, 

North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia; Midwest—Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, 

Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, 

Wisconsin; West—Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, 

Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, 

Wyoming. This listing applies to all tabulations that follow showing 

estimates for the U.S. regions.

7 For data on unemployment, see “Labor force statistics from the 

Current Population Survey” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, published 

monthly), http://www.bls.gov/cps.

8 See, for example, Ed Crooks, “German giant says U.S. workers lack 

skills,” Europe News (CNBC, June 20, 2011), http://www.cnbc.com/

id/43459947; and Rand Ghayad and William Dickens, “It’s not a skill 

mismatch: disaggregate evidence on the U.S. unemployment–vacancy 

relationship,” VOX, Jan. 5, 2013, http://www.voxeu.org/article/it-snot-skill-mismatch-disaggregate-evidence-us-unemploymentvacancy-relationship. 

9 For data on local area unemployment, see “Local Area Unemployment Statistics” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), http://www.bls.

gov/lau. 

10 For a discussion of hires, separations, and their procyclicality, see Caryn N. Bruyere, Guy L. Podgornik, and James R. Spletzer, 
Monthly Labor Review • May 2013 35

Table 9. Annual number of other separations1 and annual rate of other separations,2 by industry, not seasonally adjusted, 

2011 and 2012

Industry

Number

(thousands)

Rate

(percent)

2011 2012 Change Percent 

change 2011 2012 Change Percent change

 Total 3,911 3,997 86 2.2 3.0 3.0 0.0 0.0

Total private 3,172 3,229 57 1.8 2.9 2.9 .0 .0

Mining and logging 21 26 5 23.8 2.7 3.1 .4 14.8

Construction 145 119 –26 –17.9 2.6 2.1 –.5 –19.2

Manufacturing 255 262 7 2.7 2.2 2.2 .0 .0

Durable goods 154 160 6 3.9 2.1 2.1 .0 .0

Nondurable goods 101 101 0 .0 2.3 2.3 .0 .0

Trade, transportation, and utilities 885 902 17 1.9 3.5 3.5 .0 .0

Wholesale trade 190 120 –70 –36.8 3.4 2.1 –1.3 –38.2

Retail trade 490 572 82 16.7 3.3 3.8 .5 15.2

Transportation, warehousing, and utilities 205 209 4 2.0 4.2 4.2 .0 .0

Information 63 57 –6 –9.5 2.4 2.1 –.3 –12.5

Financial activities 208 371 163 78.4 2.7 4.8 2.1 77.8

Finance and insurance 154 297 143 92.9 2.7 5.1 2.4 88.9

Real estate and rental and leasing 52 73 21 40.4 2.7 3.7 1.0 37.0

Professional and business services 608 569 –39 –6.4 3.5 3.2 –.3 – 8.6

Education and health services 546 473 –73 –13.4 2.7 2.3 –.4 –14.8

Educational services 72 61 –11 –15.3 2.2 1.8 –.4 –18.2

Health care and social assistance 475 410 –65 –13.7 2.9 2.4 –.5 –17.2

Leisure and hospitality 306 350 44 14.4 2.3 2.5 .2 8.7

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 28 27 –1 –3.6 1.5 1.4 –.1 – 6.7

Accommodations and food services 274 322 48 17.5 2.4 2.7 .3 12.5

Other services 137 111 –26 –19.0 2.6 2.0 –.6 –23.1

Government 740 768 28 3.8 3.4 3.5 .1 2.9

Federal 124 131 7 5.6 4.3 4.7 .4 9.3

State and local 614 639 25 4.1 3.2 3.3 .1 3.1

1

 The annual number of other separations is the total number of other 

separations during the entire year.

2 The annual rate of other separations is the number of other separations 

during the entire year, as a percentage of annual average employment.

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Employment dynamics over the last decade,” Monthly Labor Review, 

August 2011, pp. 16–29, especially p. 23, http://www.bls.gov/opub/

mlr/2011/08/art2full.pdf. 

11 Regis Barnichon, Michael Elsby, Bart Hobijn, and Ayşegűl 

Şahin, “Which industries are shifting the Beveridge curve?” Monthly 

Labor Review, June 2012, pp. 25–37, http://www.bls.gov/opub/

mlr/2012/06/art2full.pdf. 

12 See “Consumer Confidence Survey®: the Conference Board 

Consumer Confidence Index® improves in April” (The Conference Board, 

Apr. 30, 2013), http://www.conference-board.org/data/consumerconfidence.

cfm. The index measures consumers’ attitudes about the economy, as 

indicated by their levels of spending and saving. 

13 See, for example, Emily Brandon, “Planning to retire: most baby 

boomers plan to delay retirement,” U.S. News, June 30, 2010, http://

money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2010/06/30/

most-baby-boomers-plan-to-delay-retirement.