Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Economic News Release
PRINT:Print
JOLTS JLT Program Links

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release


Technical information:      (202) 691-5870        USDL 09-0633
                   http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
                                                  For release:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact:              (202) 691-5902        Tuesday, June 9, 2009


             JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER:  APRIL 2009


     On the last business day of April, job openings in the U.S.
numbered 2.5 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor reported today. The job openings level was at its
lowest point since the series began in December 2000.  The hires rate
(3.1 percent) was unchanged in April and remained low.  The total
separations rate (3.6 percent) was little changed over the month.
This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job
openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by
industry and geographic region.

Job Openings
     The job openings rate was unchanged in April at 1.9 percent.
Since June 2007, the number of job openings has trended downward by
2.3 million, or 47 percent.  In April, small declines in the job
openings rate occurred in most industries; none of these declines were
statistically significant.  The job openings rate increased
significantly for government due to an increase in job opportunities
for temporary workers for Census 2010.  (See table 1.)
     

                           - 2 -


Table A.  Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   |    Job openings    |       Hires        | Total separations
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
     Industry      | Apr. | Mar. | Apr. | Apr. | Mar. | Apr. | Apr. | Mar. | Apr.
                   | 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p| 2008 | 2009 | 2009p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                     Levels (in thousands)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|3,967 |2,633 |2,531 |4,955 |4,099 |4,165 |5,152 |4,712 |4,718
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|3,547 |2,269 |2,080 |4,635 |3,799 |3,803 |4,825 |4,434 |4,431
  Construction.....|  109 |   51 |   30 |  401 |  343 |  348 |  461 |  463 |  441
  Manufacturing....|  274 |  115 |   95 |  337 |  244 |  235 |  393 |  401 |  379
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  630 |  414 |  332 |1,035 |  883 |  897 |1,090 |1,001 |1,008
   Retail trade....|  388 |  265 |  219 |  699 |  595 |  655 |  741 |  646 |  691
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  749 |  428 |  458 |  903 |  668 |  743 |  924 |  778 |  851
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  719 |  537 |  522 |  554 |  483 |  486 |  506 |  466 |  471
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  520 |  289 |  330 |  868 |  693 |  691 |  884 |  751 |  712
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|   57 |   25 |   20 |  112 |   85 |   80 |  122 |   95 |   90
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  470 |  263 |  317 |  750 |  607 |  606 |  763 |  649 |  616
 Government(3).....|  413 |  353 |  450 |  319 |  271 |  338 |  300 |  265 |  270
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  383 |  291 |  317 |  292 |  247 |  252 |  277 |  251 |  249
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
                   |                       Rates (percent)
                   |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|  2.8 |  1.9 |  1.9 |  3.6 |  3.1 |  3.1 |  3.7 |  3.5 |  3.6
                   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..|  3.0 |  2.0 |  1.9 |  4.0 |  3.4 |  3.5 |  4.2 |  4.0 |  4.0
  Construction.....|  1.5 |  0.8 |  0.5 |  5.5 |  5.3 |  5.5 |  6.3 |  7.2 |  7.0
  Manufacturing....|  2.0 |  0.9 |  0.8 |  2.5 |  2.0 |  1.9 |  2.9 |  3.3 |  3.1
  Trade, trans-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   portation, and  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   utilities(2)....|  2.3 |  1.6 |  1.3 |  3.9 |  3.5 |  3.5 |  4.1 |  3.9 |  4.0
   Retail trade....|  2.4 |  1.8 |  1.5 |  4.5 |  4.0 |  4.4 |  4.8 |  4.3 |  4.7
  Professional     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and business    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services........|  4.0 |  2.5 |  2.7 |  5.0 |  4.0 |  4.4 |  5.1 |  4.6 |  5.1
  Education and    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   health ser-     |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   vices...........|  3.7 |  2.7 |  2.7 |  3.0 |  2.5 |  2.5 |  2.7 |  2.4 |  2.5
  Leisure and      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   hospitality.....|  3.7 |  2.1 |  2.4 |  6.4 |  5.3 |  5.3 |  6.5 |  5.7 |  5.4
   Arts, enter-    |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    tainment and   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    recreation.....|  2.8 |  1.3 |  1.0 |  5.7 |  4.4 |  4.2 |  6.1 |  4.9 |  4.7
   Accommodation   |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and food       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    services.......|  3.9 |  2.3 |  2.7 |  6.5 |  5.4 |  5.4 |  6.6 |  5.8 |  5.5
 Government(3).....|  1.8 |  1.5 |  2.0 |  1.4 |  1.2 |  1.5 |  1.3 |  1.2 |  1.2
  State and local  |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   government......|  1.9 |  1.5 |  1.6 |  1.5 |  1.2 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  1.3 |  1.3
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1 Includes mining and logging, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
  2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
  3 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  p = preliminary.

     
     Over the 12 months ending in April, the job openings rate (not
seasonally adjusted) fell significantly in almost every industry
except federal government where it rose significantly.  The job
openings rate also fell in all four regions.  The rate did not change
significantly in finance and insurance.  (See table 5.)


                           - 3 -
     
Hires
     The hires level was little changed at 4.2 million in April.
However, monthly hires experienced an overall downward trend, falling
by 1.5 million, or 26 percent, since July 2006.  The hires rate was 3.1
percent in April.  Government experienced a significant increase in
the hires rate over the month mainly due to hiring of temporary
workers for Census 2010.  The hires rate did not change significantly
in the remaining industries.  Regionally, the South experienced a
significant increase in the hires rate.  The remaining regions did not
change significantly.  (See table 2.)
     
     Over the 12 months ending in April, the hires rate (not
seasonally adjusted) increased significantly in federal government.
The rate decreased significantly over the year for total nonfarm,
total private, and many industries including mining and logging;
durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; wholesale
trade; finance and insurance; educational services; health care and
social assistance; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and
accommodation and food services.  Regionally, the hires rate dropped
significantly over the past 12 months in the Midwest and West.  The
rate did not change significantly in the Northeast and South.  (See
table 6.)

Separations
     Total separations includes quits (voluntary separations), layoffs
and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations
(including retirements).  The total separations, or turnover, rate
(seasonally adjusted) was 3.6 percent in April, little changed from
March. The total separations rate (not seasonally adjusted) decreased
significantly over the 12 months ending in April.  (See tables 3 and
7.)
     
     The quits rate can serve as a barometer of workers’ willingness
or ability to change jobs.  Although the rate was little changed over
the month at 1.3 percent in April, the quits rate was at the lowest
point in the 8-year series.  Quits have been trending downward since
December 2006 to a level of 1.8 million, a decline of 1.4 million or
44 percent.  Comparing April 2009 to April 2008, the quits rate (not
seasonally adjusted) was significantly lower for total nonfarm, total
private, and government.
     
     Over the 12 months ending in April, the majority of industries
experienced a significant decline in the quits rate with the
exceptions of information; educational services; arts, entertainment,
and recreation; other services; and federal government.  The quits
rate did not rise significantly over the past 12 months in any
industry.  The quits rate fell significantly over the past 12 months
in all four regions.  (See tables 4 and 8.)
     
     The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels.  Layoffs and discharges in April were 2.6 million
for total nonfarm, 2.4 million for total private, and 142,000 for
government, corresponding to layoffs and discharges rates of 1.9
percent, 2.2 percent, and 0.6 percent, respectively.  The layoffs and
discharges rate was unchanged in April at the total nonfarm and total
private levels.  The government layoffs and discharges rate increased
significantly.
     
     Over the 12 months ending in April, the layoffs and discharges
rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose significantly for total nonfarm,
total private, government, and many industries including construction;
durable goods manufacturing; retail trade; information; professional
and business services; health care and social assistance; and state
and local government.  In the remaining industries, the layoffs and
discharges rate did not change significantly.  All four regions
experienced a significant increase in the layoffs and discharges rate
over the 12 months ending in April. (See table 9 for not seasonally
adjusted layoffs and discharges.)

     
                           - 4 -


Table B.  Layoffs and discharges by industry, seasonally adjusted
--------------------------------------------------------------------
                   | Levels (in thousands) |        Rates
                   |------------------------------------------------
     Industry      |  Apr. |  Mar. |  Apr. |  Apr. |  Mar. |  Apr.
                   |  2008 |  2009 |  2009p|  2008 |  2009 |  2009p
-------------------|------------------------------------------------
Total..............| 1,899 | 2,528 | 2,557 |   1.4 |   1.9 |   1.9
 Total private.....| 1,792 | 2,399 | 2,409 |   1.6 |   2.2 |   2.2
  Government.......|    94 |   118 |   142 |   0.4 |   0.5 |   0.6

     
     The other separations series is not seasonally adjusted.  In
April, there were 379,000 other separations for total nonfarm, 340,000
for total private, and 39,000 for government.  Compared to April 2008,
the number of other separations was little changed for total nonfarm,
total private, and government.  (See table 10.)

     The total separations rate is influenced by the relative
contribution of its three components—quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations.  The percentage of total separations at the
total nonfarm level attributable to the individual components has
varied over time.  The proportion of quits has been trending downward
from 59 percent in January 2008 to a series low of 38 percent in April
2009.  The proportion of layoffs and discharges has increased from 33
percent in August 2006 to 54 percent in April 2009.  (See tables 3, 4,
and table B above.)

Net Change in Employment
     In the 12 months ending in April, hires totaled 53.7 million and
separations totaled 58.4 million, yielding a net employment loss over
the year of 4.7 million.  Hires trended downward while total
separations remained relatively level over the year.  The two major
components of separations had offsetting movements; quits declined
while layoffs increased.

For More Information
     For additional information, please read the Technical Note
attached to this release, visit the JOLTS Web site at
www.bls.gov/jlt/, send e-mail to Joltsinfo@bls.gov, or call (202) 691-
5870.
     
     
           _________________________________________  
     
     The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for May 2009 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, July 7.





                         - 5 -

Technical Note


  The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business
establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Collection

  In a monthly survey of business establishments, data are
collected for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs
and discharges, and other separations.  Data collection methods
include computer-assisted telephone interviewing, touchtone data
entry, fax, e-mail, and mail.

Coverage

  The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such
as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and
local government entities in the 50 states and the District of
Columbia.

Concepts

  Industry classification.  The industry classifications in this
release are in accordance with the 2007 version of the North
American Industry Classification System (NAICS).  In order to
ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce
Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the
industry code, location, and ownership classification of all
establishments on a 3-year cycle.  Changes in establishment
characteristics resulting from the verification process are always
introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for
the first month of the year.

  Employment.  Employment includes persons on the payroll who
worked or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th
day of the reference month.  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 temporary help
agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the
establishment where they are working.

  Job openings.  Establishments submit job openings information for
the last business day of the reference month.  A job opening
requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work
available for that position, 2) work could start within 30 days
regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the
employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to
fill the position.  Included are full-time, part-time, permanent,
short-term, and seasonal openings.  Active recruiting means that
the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising
in newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted signs,
accepting applications, or using other similar methods.

  Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions,
demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded.  Also excluded are
jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for
which employees have been hired but have not yet reported for work,
and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help agencies,
employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job
openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying
that quotient by 100.

  Hires.  Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll
occurring at any time during the reference month, including both
new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent,
short-term and seasonal employees, employees recalled to the
location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or
intermittent employees who returned to work after having been
formally separated, and transfers from other locations.  The hires
count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting
site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help
agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or
consultants.  The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of
hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.

  Separations.  Separations are the total number of terminations of
employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and
are reported by type of separation--quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations.  Quits are voluntary separations by
employees (except for retirements, which are reported as other
separations).  Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations
initiated by the employer and include layoffs with no intent to
rehire; formal layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7
days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings;
firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or
short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees.
Other separations include retirements, transfers to other
locations, deaths, and separations due to disability.  Separations
do not include transfers within the same location or employees on
strike.

  The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of
separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.
The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are
computed similarly, dividing the number by employment and
multiplying by 100.

  Annual estimates.  Annual estimates of rates and levels

                         - 6 -

of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total
separations are released with the January news release each year.

   The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and
discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of
the 12 published monthly levels.  The annual rate estimates are
computed by dividing the annual level by the Current Employment
Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and multiplying
that quotient by 100.  This figure will be approximately equal to
the sum of the 12 monthly rates.  Note that both the JOLTS and CES
annual levels are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual
estimates are calculated.  Consistent with BLS practices, annual
estimates are published only for not seasonally adjusted data.

  Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job
openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last
business day of each month.  Only jobs still open on the last day
of the month are counted.  For the same reason job openings cannot
be cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job openings
cannot be created by summing the monthly estimates.  Hires and
separations are flow measures and are cumulated over the month with
a total reported for the month.  Therefore, the annual figures can
be created by summing the monthly estimates.

Special Collection Procedures

  An implied measure of employment change can be derived from the
JOLTS data by subtracting separations from hires for a given
month.  Aggregating these monthly changes historically produced
employment levels that overstated employment change as measured by
CES at the total nonfarm level.  Research into this problem showed
that a significant amount of the divergence between the CES
employment levels and the derived JOLTS employment levels was
traceable to the Employment Services industry and to the State
Government Education industry.  In the former industry, businesses
have a difficult time reporting hires and separations of temporary
help workers.  In the latter industry, employers have difficulty
reporting hires and separations of student workers.  BLS now
devotes additional resources to the collection, editing, and review
of data for these industries.  BLS analysts more closely examine
reported data that do not provide a consistent picture over time,
and re-contact the respondents as necessary.  Analysts work with
the respondents to adjust their reporting practices as possible.
Units that cannot be reconciled but are clearly incorrect on a
consistent basis are not used, they are replaced by imputed values
using standard techniques.

Sample and estimation methodology

  The JOLTS survey design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm
business establishments, including factories, offices, and stores,
as well as federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states
and the District of Columbia.  The establishments are drawn from a
universe of over 9.1 million establishments compiled as part of the
operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW)
program.  This program includes all employers subject to state
Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).

  The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry
sector, and size class. The JOLTS sample is constructed from
individual panels of sample units drawn on an annual basis. The
full annual sample consists of one certainty panel composed of only
large units selected with virtual certainty based on their size and
24 non-certainty panels.  Each month a new non-certainty panel is
rolled into collection, and the oldest non-certainty panel is
rolled out.  This means that at any given time the JOLTS sample is
constructed from panels from three different annual sampling
frames.  The entire sample of old plus new panels is post-
stratified and re-weighted annually to represent the most recent
sampling frame.  Additionally, the out-of-business establishments
are removed from the old panels.  The annual sample is supplemented
with a quarterly sample of birth establishments (i.e., new
establishments) to better reflect the impact of younger
establishments in the JOLTS sample.

  JOLTS total employment estimates are benchmarked monthly to the
employment estimates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES)
survey.  A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the
levels for all other JOLTS data elements.

  JOLTS Business Birth/Death Model

  As with any sample survey, the JOLTS sample can only be as
current as its sampling frame.  The time lag from the birth of an
establishment until its appearance on the sampling frame is
approximately one year.  In addition, many of these new units may
fail within the first year.  Since these universe units cannot be
reflected on the sampling frame immediately, the JOLTS sample
cannot capture job openings, hires, and separations from these
units during their early existence.  BLS has developed a model to
estimate birth/death activity for current months by examining the
birth/death activity from previous years on the QCEW and projecting
forward to the present using an econometric technique known as X-12
ARIMA modeling. The birth/death model also uses historical JOLTS
data to estimate the amount of “churn” (hires and separations) that
exists in establishments of various sizes.  The model then combines
the estimated churn with the projected employment change to
estimate the number of hires and separations taking place in these
units that cannot be measured through sampling.

                         - 7 -

  The model-based estimate of total separations is distributed to
the three components – quits; layoffs and discharges; and other
separations - in proportion to their contribution to the sample-
based estimate of total separations.  Additionally, job openings
for the modeled units are estimated by computing the ratio of
openings to hires in the collected data and applying that ratio to
the modeled hires.  The estimates of job openings, hires, and
separations produced by the birth/death model are then added to the
sample-based estimates produced from the survey to arrive at the
estimates for openings, hires, and separations.

Seasonal adjustment

  BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA
seasonal adjustment program.  Seasonal adjustment is the process of
estimating and removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such
as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school
year.  Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental
changes in the level of the series, particularly those associated
with general economic expansions and contractions.  A concurrent
seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal
adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all relevant
data, up to and including the data for the current month.

Alignment procedure

  JOLTS hires minus separations should be comparable to the CES net
employment change.  However, definitional differences as well as
sampling and non-sampling errors between the two surveys
historically caused JOLTS to diverge from CES over time. To limit
the divergence, and improve the quality of the JOLTS hires and
separations series, BLS implemented the Monthly Alignment Method.
The Monthly Alignment Method applies the CES employment trends to
the seasonally adjusted JOLTS implied employment trend (hires minus
separations) forcing them to be approximately the same, while
preserving the seasonality of the JOLTS data.  First, the two
series are seasonally adjusted and the difference between the JOLTS
implied employment trend and the CES net employment change is
calculated. Next, the JOLTS implied employment trend is adjusted to
equal the CES net employment change through a proportional
adjustment. This proportional adjustment procedure adjusts the two
components (hires, separations) proportionally to their
contribution to the total churn (hires plus separations).  For
example, if hires are 40 percent of the churn for a given month,
they will receive 40 percent of the needed adjustment and
separations will receive 60 percent of the needed adjustment. The
adjusted hires and separations are converted back to not seasonally
adjusted data by reversing the application of the original seasonal
factors.  After the monthly alignment method has been used to
adjust the level estimates, rate estimates are computed from the
adjusted levels.  The Monthly Alignment procedure assures a close
match of the JOLTS implied employment trend with the CES trend. The
CES series is considered a highly accurate measure of net
employment change owing to its very large sample size and annual
benchmarking to universe counts of employment from the QCEW
program.

Using JOLTS data

  The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are
relatively new.  The full sample is divided into panels, with one
panel enrolled each month.  A full complement of panels for the
original data series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the
survey until January 2002.  The supplemental panels of
establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not completely
enrolled until May 2003.  The data collected up until those points
are from less than a full sample.  Therefore, estimates from
earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units
were reporting data at that time.

  In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and
separations data were revised to address possible underreporting.
As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior
to March 2002 may not be comparable to estimates for March 2002 and
later.

  The federal government reorganization that involved transferring
approximately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland
Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations
estimates for the federal government.  The Office of Personnel
Management's record shows these transfers were completed in March
2003.  The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires
and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers
between establishments.  The Department of Homeland Security
reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of
these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal
government time series.

  JOLTS uses moving averages as seasonal filters in seasonal
adjustment.  JOLTS seasonal adjustment includes both additive and
multiplicative seasonal adjustment models and REGARIMA (regression
with autocorrelated errors) modeling to improve the seasonal
adjustment factors at the beginning and end of the series and to
detect and adjust for outliers in the series.

Reliability of the estimates

  JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error.  When a sample rather than the entire population is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ
from the "true" population values they represent.  The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular
sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard
error of the estimate.  BLS analysis is generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.  That means that there is a

                         - 8 -

90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a
sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the
"true" population value because of sampling error.  Estimates of
sampling errors are available upon request.

  The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure
to include a segment of the population, the inability to obtain
data from all units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness
of respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by
respondents, errors made in the collection or processing of the
data, and errors from the employment benchmark data used in
estimation.

Other information

  Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request.  Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD
message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.

Table 1.  Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Apr.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Apr.   Apr.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.  Apr.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  3,967  3,311  3,224  2,920  2,973  2,633  2,531    2.8   2.4   2.3   2.1   2.2   1.9   1.9

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,547  2,928  2,861  2,461  2,606  2,269  2,080    3.0   2.5   2.5   2.2   2.3   2.0   1.9
  Construction...........................    109     76     66     55     58     51     30    1.5   1.1    .9    .8    .9    .8    .5
  Manufacturing..........................    274    203    188    115    141    115     95    2.0   1.5   1.4    .9   1.1    .9    .8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    630    624    495    488    488    414    332    2.3   2.3   1.9   1.9   1.9   1.6   1.3
   Retail trade..........................    388    410    337    362    334    265    219    2.4   2.6   2.2   2.4   2.2   1.8   1.5
  Professional and business services.....    749    505    562    501    482    428    458    4.0   2.8   3.1   2.8   2.8   2.5   2.7
  Education and health services..........    719    697    685    636    589    537    522    3.7   3.5   3.5   3.2   3.0   2.7   2.7
  Leisure and hospitality................    520    302    315    272    332    289    330    3.7   2.2   2.3   2.0   2.4   2.1   2.4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     57     35     40     27     30     25     20    2.8   1.8   2.0   1.4   1.5   1.3   1.0
   Accommodation and food services.......    470    284    274    242    302    263    317    3.9   2.4   2.4   2.1   2.6   2.3   2.7
 Government(6)...........................    413    378    345    417    367    353    450    1.8   1.6   1.5   1.8   1.6   1.5   2.0
  State and local government.............    383    337    312    328    317    291    317    1.9   1.7   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.6


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    647    582    633    560    607    583    550    2.4   2.2   2.4   2.2   2.4   2.3   2.2
  South..................................  1,498  1,267  1,245  1,109  1,109  1,000    951    2.9   2.5   2.5   2.2   2.2   2.0   2.0
  Midwest................................    851    644    607    587    563    499    519    2.6   2.0   1.9   1.9   1.8   1.6   1.7
  West...................................    956    767    689    655    638    556    572    3.0   2.5   2.2   2.1   2.1   1.8   1.9


  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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of
Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
  p = preliminary.


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

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Apr.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Apr.   Apr.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.  Apr.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  4,955  4,226  4,508  4,460  4,339  4,099  4,165    3.6   3.1   3.3   3.3   3.2   3.1   3.1

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,635  3,928  4,214  4,141  4,042  3,799  3,803    4.0   3.5   3.7   3.7   3.6   3.4   3.5
  Construction...........................    401    340    366    381    370    343    348    5.5   4.9   5.3   5.7   5.6   5.3   5.5
  Manufacturing..........................    337    257    252    237    257    244    235    2.5   2.0   2.0   1.9   2.1   2.0   1.9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)  1,035    852    891    949    814    883    897    3.9   3.3   3.4   3.7   3.2   3.5   3.5
   Retail trade..........................    699    576    595    587    563    595    655    4.5   3.8   4.0   3.9   3.8   4.0   4.4
  Professional and business services.....    903    783    786    762    730    668    743    5.0   4.5   4.5   4.4   4.3   4.0   4.4
  Education and health services..........    554    528    528    539    527    483    486    3.0   2.8   2.8   2.8   2.8   2.5   2.5
  Leisure and hospitality................    868    706    711    743    704    693    691    6.4   5.3   5.3   5.6   5.3   5.3   5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    112     92    111    105     89     85     80    5.7   4.7   5.7   5.4   4.6   4.4   4.2
   Accommodation and food services.......    750    620    605    627    614    607    606    6.5   5.4   5.3   5.5   5.4   5.4   5.4
 Government(6)...........................    319    281    271    306    275    271    338    1.4   1.2   1.2   1.4   1.2   1.2   1.5
  State and local government.............    292    251    253    261    252    247    252    1.5   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.3


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    802    661    726    753    837    696    732    3.1   2.6   2.9   3.0   3.3   2.8   2.9
  South..................................  1,798  1,572  1,659  1,663  1,566  1,458  1,591    3.6   3.2   3.4   3.4   3.2   3.0   3.3
  Midwest................................  1,092    934  1,009  1,003    904    943    921    3.5   3.0   3.3   3.3   3.0   3.1   3.1
  West...................................  1,293  1,043  1,053  1,002    960    931    965    4.2   3.4   3.5   3.3   3.2   3.1   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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 3.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Apr.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Apr.   Apr.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.  Apr.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  5,152  4,863  4,958  4,949  4,833  4,712  4,718    3.7   3.6   3.7   3.7   3.6   3.5   3.6

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  4,825  4,571  4,673  4,686  4,555  4,434  4,431    4.2   4.0   4.1   4.2   4.1   4.0   4.0
  Construction...........................    461    472    452    524    463    463    441    6.3   6.8   6.6   7.8   7.0   7.2   7.0
  Manufacturing..........................    393    384    419    476    424    401    379    2.9   2.9   3.2   3.8   3.4   3.3   3.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)  1,090  1,030  1,041  1,049    920  1,001  1,008    4.1   4.0   4.0   4.1   3.6   3.9   4.0
   Retail trade..........................    741    680    664    645    590    646    691    4.8   4.5   4.4   4.3   3.9   4.3   4.7
  Professional and business services.....    924    909    898    866    951    778    851    5.1   5.2   5.2   5.0   5.6   4.6   5.1
  Education and health services..........    506    466    498    494    498    466    471    2.7   2.4   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.4   2.5
  Leisure and hospitality................    884    773    755    763    731    751    712    6.5   5.8   5.7   5.7   5.5   5.7   5.4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    122     98    106    117     88     95     90    6.1   5.0   5.4   6.0   4.5   4.9   4.7
   Accommodation and food services.......    763    673    647    650    635    649    616    6.6   5.9   5.7   5.7   5.6   5.8   5.5
 Government(6)...........................    300    282    278    277    271    265    270    1.3   1.3   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2
  State and local government.............    277    258    251    267    251    251    249    1.4   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    842    767    799    813    783    878    705    3.3   3.0   3.2   3.2   3.1   3.5   2.8
  South..................................  1,890  1,841  1,815  1,898  1,742  1,741  1,704    3.8   3.8   3.7   3.9   3.6   3.6   3.6
  Midwest................................  1,140  1,105  1,088  1,120  1,121  1,085  1,054    3.6   3.6   3.5   3.7   3.7   3.6   3.5
  West...................................  1,244  1,205  1,227  1,180  1,188    978  1,231    4.0   4.0   4.0   3.9   4.0   3.3   4.1


  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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


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

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Apr.   Nov.   Dec.   Jan.   Feb.   Mar.   Apr.   Apr.  Nov.  Dec.  Jan.  Feb.  Mar.  Apr.
                                            2008   2008   2008   2009   2009   2009   2009p  2008  2008  2008  2009  2009  2009  2009p

Total(4).................................  2,820  2,201  2,114  2,063  1,911  1,856  1,771    2.0   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.4   1.4   1.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  2,668  2,076  1,984  1,945  1,831  1,749  1,674    2.3   1.8   1.8   1.7   1.6   1.6   1.5
  Construction...........................    161    109     92     85     87    102     64    2.2   1.6   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.6   1.0
  Manufacturing..........................    187    122     87    105    105     81     82    1.4    .9    .7    .8    .8    .7    .7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    595    489    518    469    372    444    385    2.2   1.9   2.0   1.8   1.5   1.7   1.5
   Retail trade..........................    416    352    379    360    323    344    263    2.7   2.3   2.5   2.4   2.2   2.3   1.8
  Professional and business services.....    464    349    297    326    310    278    269    2.6   2.0   1.7   1.9   1.8   1.6   1.6
  Education and health services..........    321    251    256    248    258    249    230    1.7   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.2
  Leisure and hospitality................    625    469    461    443    431    433    424    4.6   3.5   3.5   3.3   3.3   3.3   3.2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     50     35     29     31     36     35     39    2.5   1.8   1.5   1.6   1.9   1.8   2.0
   Accommodation and food services.......    576    437    435    412    399    402    389    5.0   3.8   3.8   3.6   3.5   3.6   3.5
 Government(6)...........................    150    122    130    105    115    107     99     .7    .5    .6    .5    .5    .5    .4
  State and local government.............    142    117    121    100    110    106     93     .7    .6    .6    .5    .6    .5    .5


                 REGION(7)

  Northeast..............................    481    321    302    278    271    273    271    1.9   1.3   1.2   1.1   1.1   1.1   1.1
  South..................................  1,122    879    847    790    759    751    682    2.3   1.8   1.7   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.4
  Midwest................................    602    491    452    491    468    431    412    1.9   1.6   1.5   1.6   1.5   1.4   1.4
  West...................................    658    510    498    492    453    408    439    2.1   1.7   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.4   1.5


  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 mining and logging, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately.
  5 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not shown separately.
  6 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  7 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 5.  Job openings levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  4,379    2,512    2,826           3.1      1.9      2.1

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  3,952    2,180    2,365           3.3      2.0      2.1
  Mining and Logging............................     21       11       11           2.7      1.5      1.5
  Construction..................................    127       54       33           1.7       .9       .5
  Manufacturing.................................    301      118      115           2.2      1.0       .9
   Durable goods................................    174       57       57           2.0       .8       .8
   Nondurable goods.............................    127       61       58           2.5      1.3      1.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    671      403      352           2.5      1.6      1.4
   Wholesale trade..............................    163      109       75           2.6      1.9      1.3
   Retail trade.................................    403      236      210           2.6      1.6      1.4
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    106       58       67           2.0      1.2      1.4
  Information...................................    111       55       43           3.5      1.9      1.5
  Financial activities..........................    279      172      194           3.3      2.2      2.4
   Finance and insurance........................    207      126      154           3.3      2.1      2.6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     72       46       40           3.3      2.3      2.0
  Professional and business services............    813      396      510           4.3      2.3      3.0
  Education and health services.................    805      519      566           4.1      2.6      2.8
   Educational services.........................     79       33       52           2.4      1.0      1.6
   Health care and social assistance............    726      486      514           4.4      2.9      3.1
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    627      301      399           4.5      2.3      3.0
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     78       26       27           3.9      1.5      1.4
   Accommodation and food services.............     549      274      373           4.6      2.4      3.2
  Other services................................    197      151      141           3.4      2.7      2.5

 Government.....................................    427      331      460           1.8      1.4      2.0
  Federal.......................................     38       58      134           1.4      2.0      4.5
  State and local...............................    389      274      326           1.9      1.3      1.6

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    719      540      589           2.7      2.1      2.3
  South.........................................  1,673      959    1,008           3.3      2.0      2.1
  Midwest.......................................    940      497      571           2.9      1.6      1.9
  West..........................................  1,047      517      658           3.3      1.7      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.
  3 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 6.  Hires levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  5,417    3,701    4,584           3.9      2.8      3.5

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  5,174    3,513    4,313           4.5      3.2      3.9
  Mining and Logging............................     36       16       18           4.8      2.2      2.4
  Construction..................................    552      356      475           7.7      5.8      7.7
  Manufacturing.................................    346      237      236           2.6      1.9      2.0
   Durable goods................................    201      145      133           2.3      1.9      1.8
   Nondurable goods.............................    145       92      103           2.9      2.0      2.2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........  1,086      818      957           4.1      3.2      3.8
   Wholesale trade..............................    201      125      147           3.4      2.2      2.6
   Retail trade.................................    703      552      675           4.6      3.8      4.6
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    181      140      136           3.6      2.9      2.8
  Information...................................     77       57       79           2.5      2.0      2.7
  Financial activities..........................    261      148      191           3.2      1.9      2.5
   Finance and insurance........................    168       93      105           2.8      1.6      1.8
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     93       55       87           4.4      2.8      4.4
  Professional and business services............    995      629      827           5.6      3.8      4.9
  Education and health services.................    552      419      473           2.9      2.2      2.4
   Educational services.........................     70       39       43           2.2      1.2      1.3
   Health care and social assistance............    483      379      430           3.1      2.4      2.7
  Leisure and hospitality.......................  1,027      676      816           7.7      5.3      6.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    153       82      102           7.9      4.6      5.5
   Accommodation and food services.............     874      595      714           7.6      5.4      6.4
  Other services................................    243      156      241           4.4      2.9      4.5

 Government.....................................    243      188      271           1.1       .8      1.2
  Federal.......................................     30       23       88           1.1       .8      3.1
  State and local...............................    213      165      183           1.1       .8       .9

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    885      610      803           3.4      2.5      3.2
  South.........................................  1,914    1,348    1,719           3.9      2.8      3.6
  Midwest.......................................  1,217      888    1,010           3.9      3.0      3.4
  West..........................................  1,401      854    1,052           4.5      2.9      3.6


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


Table 7.  Total separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  5,248    3,904    4,744           3.8      3.0      3.6

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  5,019    3,737    4,538           4.4      3.4      4.2
  Mining and Logging............................     31       31       29           4.1      4.3      4.0
  Construction..................................    445      374      426           6.2      6.1      6.9
  Manufacturing.................................    432      371      401           3.2      3.0      3.3
   Durable goods................................    265      251      268           3.1      3.3      3.6
   Nondurable goods.............................    168      120      134           3.4      2.6      2.9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........  1,099      822    1,035           4.2      3.3      4.1
   Wholesale trade..............................    201      148      177           3.4      2.6      3.1
   Retail trade.................................    728      523      696           4.8      3.6      4.8
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    170      151      162           3.3      3.1      3.4
  Information...................................     83       69       91           2.8      2.4      3.1
  Financial activities..........................    285      197      228           3.5      2.5      2.9
   Finance and insurance........................    185      112      139           3.1      1.9      2.4
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........    100       85       89           4.7      4.3      4.5
  Professional and business services............    948      741      872           5.3      4.4      5.2
  Education and health services.................    520      393      475           2.8      2.0      2.5
   Educational services.........................     62       41       52           2.0      1.3      1.6
   Health care and social assistance............    458      352      423           2.9      2.2      2.6
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    928      580      737           6.9      4.5      5.7
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    116       62       87           6.0      3.5      4.7
   Accommodation and food services.............     811      518      650           7.1      4.7      5.8
  Other services................................    248      158      244           4.5      2.9      4.5

 Government.....................................    229      167      205           1.0       .7       .9
  Federal.......................................     22       12       20            .8       .4       .7
  State and local...............................    207      156      185           1.0       .8       .9

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    853      687      713           3.3      2.8      2.9
  South.........................................  2,070    1,475    1,807           4.2      3.1      3.8
  Midwest.......................................  1,085      880      982           3.5      2.9      3.3
  West..........................................  1,240      862    1,243           4.0      2.9      4.2


  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 See footnote 7, table 1.
  p = preliminary.


Table 8.  Quits levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  2,996    1,591    1,869           2.2      1.2      1.4

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,867    1,515    1,789           2.5      1.4      1.6
  Mining and Logging............................     18        7       12           2.4       .9      1.7
  Construction..................................    173       80       68           2.4      1.3      1.1
  Manufacturing.................................    198       73       88           1.5       .6       .7
   Durable goods................................    117       35       42           1.4       .5       .6
   Nondurable goods.............................     81       38       46           1.6       .8      1.0
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    633      380      398           2.4      1.5      1.6
   Wholesale trade..............................    101       48       47           1.7       .8       .8
   Retail trade.................................    431      273      276           2.8      1.9      1.9
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    101       59       75           2.0      1.2      1.6
  Information...................................     51       22       40           1.7       .8      1.4
  Financial activities..........................    162       63       86           2.0       .8      1.1
   Finance and insurance........................    104       37       50           1.7       .6       .9
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     59       26       36           2.8      1.3      1.8
  Professional and business services............    463      275      264           2.6      1.6      1.6
  Education and health services.................    336      211      234           1.8      1.1      1.2
   Educational services.........................     24       19       21            .7       .6       .6
   Health care and social assistance............    312      192      214           2.0      1.2      1.3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    663      336      448           5.0      2.6      3.4
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     44       20       34           2.3      1.1      1.8
   Accommodation and food services.............     619      316      414           5.4      2.9      3.7
  Other services................................    170       69      152           3.1      1.3      2.8

 Government.....................................    129       76       79            .6       .3       .3
  Federal.......................................      8        2        5            .3       .1       .2
  State and local...............................    121       74       75            .6       .4       .4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    490      237      273           1.9      1.0      1.1
  South.........................................  1,250      658      759           2.5      1.4      1.6
  Midwest.......................................    603      360      398           1.9      1.2      1.3
  West..........................................    653      335      438           2.1      1.1      1.5


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


Table 9.  Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................  1,829    2,029    2,496           1.3      1.5      1.9

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,773    1,970    2,409           1.5      1.8      2.2
  Mining and Logging............................     10       23       14           1.4      3.1      1.9
  Construction..................................    235      285      340           3.3      4.7      5.5
  Manufacturing.................................    202      274      292           1.5      2.3      2.4
   Durable goods................................    127      202      212           1.5      2.7      2.8
   Nondurable goods.............................     74       73       80           1.5      1.6      1.7
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    336      368      511           1.3      1.5      2.0
   Wholesale trade..............................     89       82      116           1.5      1.4      2.0
   Retail trade.................................    188      204      319           1.2      1.4      2.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     59       83       76           1.2      1.7      1.6
  Information...................................     22       40       41            .7      1.4      1.4
  Financial activities..........................     92      115      105           1.1      1.5      1.4
   Finance and insurance........................     62       61       57           1.0      1.0      1.0
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     30       54       48           1.4      2.7      2.4
  Professional and business services............    452      418      540           2.5      2.5      3.2
  Education and health services.................    139      132      199            .7       .7      1.0
   Educational services.........................     35       13       27           1.1       .4       .9
   Health care and social assistance............    104      119      172            .7       .7      1.1
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    225      228      274           1.7      1.8      2.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     65       40       52           3.3      2.3      2.8
   Accommodation and food services.............     161      188      222           1.4      1.7      2.0
  Other services................................     60       87       92           1.1      1.6      1.7

 Government.....................................     56       59       87            .2       .3       .4
  Federal.......................................      7        4        8            .3       .1       .3
  State and local...............................     48       55       79            .2       .3       .4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    275      376      379           1.1      1.5      1.5
  South.........................................    668      720      900           1.3      1.5      1.9
  Midwest.......................................    380      461      509           1.2      1.5      1.7
  West..........................................    507      473      709           1.6      1.6      2.4


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


Table 10.  Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Apr.     Mar.     Apr.          Apr.     Mar.     Apr.
                                                   2008     2009     2009p         2008     2009     2009p

Total...........................................    422      284      379           0.3      0.2      0.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    378      251      340            .3       .2       .3
  Mining and Logging............................      3        2        3            .3       .3       .5
  Construction..................................     37        9       17            .5       .2       .3
  Manufacturing.................................     33       23       22            .2       .2       .2
   Durable goods................................     21       15       14            .2       .2       .2
   Nondurable goods.............................     12        8        8            .3       .2       .2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    130       74      126            .5       .3       .5
   Wholesale trade..............................     11       18       14            .2       .3       .2
   Retail trade.................................    110       46      100            .7       .3       .7
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     10       10       12            .2       .2       .3
  Information...................................     10        7       10            .3       .2       .3
  Financial activities..........................     31       20       37            .4       .3       .5
   Finance and insurance........................     19       14       32            .3       .2       .6
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     12        6        5            .5       .3       .2
  Professional and business services............     33       48       68            .2       .3       .4
  Education and health services.................     45       50       42            .2       .3       .2
   Educational services.........................      4        9        4            .1       .3       .1
   Health care and social assistance............     41       41       38            .3       .3       .2
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     39       16       15            .3       .1       .1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      8        2        2            .4       .1       .1
   Accommodation and food services.............      31       14       14            .3       .1       .1
  Other services................................     17        2      (4)            .3      (4)      (4)

 Government.....................................     44       33       39            .2       .1       .2
  Federal.......................................      6        6        7            .2       .2       .3
  State and local...............................     38       27       32            .2       .1       .2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................     88       74       61            .3       .3       .2
  South.........................................    152       98      148            .3       .2       .3
  Midwest.......................................    102       59       75            .3       .2       .2
  West..........................................     81       53       96            .3       .2       .3


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


Last Modified Date: June 09, 2009