Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 08-1142
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, August 12,2008
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JUNE 2008
On the last business day of June, there were 3.6 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.6
percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today. The job openings rate, hires rate, and total
separations rate were all essentially unchanged in June. 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.
Although the month-to-month changes in job openings, hires, and
turnover data are often small, the trends over time are notable. The
job openings rate remained essentially flat from August 2006 through
September 2007, followed by a downward trend until March 2008 when the
rate leveled off at 2.6 percent for four consecutive months. The
hires rate has trended downward since July 2006 and experienced a
large drop in May 2008. The uptick in the hires rate in June 2008 was
not statistically significant, and the rate remains at the lowest
levels since 2003. After remaining essentially flat for much of 2007,
the separations rate began an overall downward trend in December 2007.
(See tables 1, 2, and 3.)
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Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | June | May | June | June | May | June | June | May | June
| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|4,267 |3,631 |3,627 |4,843 |4,123 |4,333 |4,609 |4,313 |4,251
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).|3,819 |3,185 |3,193 |4,419 |3,871 |4,081 |4,289 |4,046 |3,981
Construction...| 139 | 130 | 108 | 358 | 286 | 284 | 374 | 393 | 373
Manufacturing..| 336 | 249 | 250 | 370 | 274 | 301 | 378 | 359 | 368
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 723 | 572 | 541 | 943 | 828 | 900 |1,001 | 868 | 908
Retail trade..| 414 | 363 | 325 | 602 | 585 | 621 | 685 | 605 | 645
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 717 | 649 | 713 | 884 | 770 | 871 | 737 | 741 | 780
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 709 | 648 | 689 | 500 | 479 | 492 | 475 | 434 | 428
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 577 | 503 | 475 | 874 | 847 | 761 | 839 | 801 | 767
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 504 | 438 | 427 | 735 | 731 | 670 | 715 | 675 | 659
Government(4)....| 453 | 451 | 427 | 395 | 329 | 308 | 315 | 269 | 272
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 416 | 407 | 372 | 318 | 304 | 278 | 252 | 240 | 243
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........| 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 3.1
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).| 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5
Construction...| 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 5.2
Manufacturing..| 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.7
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 2.6 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.4
Retail trade..| 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.2
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.3
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 3.7 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.3
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.6
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 5.8 | 5.6
Government(4)....| 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.2
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
4 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
Job Openings
In June, the job openings rate was unchanged at 2.6 percent. Job
openings include only those jobs open on the last business day of the
month. Over the month, the job openings rate changed significantly
only in state and local government and the West region, falling for
both. Since the series began in December 2000, three industries
consistently have had higher job openings rates than the other
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industries: professional and business services (3.8 percent in June),
education and health services (3.5 percent), and accommodation and
food services (3.5 percent). (See table 1.)
Over the year, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted)
rose significantly only in natural resources and mining (to 2.2
percent) and federal government (2.0 percent). The rate fell over the
year for total nonfarm (2.6 percent) and total private (2.7 percent)
as well as in most industries, including durable goods manufacturing
(1.7 percent); nondurable goods manufacturing (2.1 percent); wholesale
trade (2.1 percent); retail trade (1.9 percent); transportation,
warehousing, and utilities (1.8 percent); information (2.5 percent);
finance and insurance (2.5 percent); real estate and rental and
leasing (1.2 percent); educational services (1.9 percent); arts,
entertainment, and recreation (1.8 percent); accommodation and food
services (3.5 percent); and state and local government (2.1 percent).
Regionally, the job openings rate fell over the year in the Midwest
(2.2 percent), South (2.9 percent), and West (2.7 percent). (See
table 5.)
Hires
The hires rate was essentially unchanged in June at 3.1 percent.
After dropping in May, the hires rate remains at the lowest point
since June 2003. Hires are any additions to the payroll during the
month. The hires rate did not change significantly in any industry or
region in June. As occurs nearly every month, the seasonally adjusted
hires rate was highest in June in accommodation and food services (5.7
percent) and lowest in state and local government (1.4 percent). (See
table 2.)
From June 2007 to June 2008, the hires rate (not seasonally adjusted)
increased significantly only in real estate and rental and leasing (to
4.7 percent); the rate decreased significantly for total nonfarm (to
3.8 percent) and total private (4.2 percent), and in construction (4.9
percent); durable goods manufacturing (2.3 percent); wholesale trade
(2.6 percent); information (1.9 percent); arts, entertainment, and
recreation (6.5 percent); accommodation and food services (6.8
percent); federal government (1.2 percent); and state and local
government (1.9 percent). Regionally, the hires rate fell over the
year in the South (3.8 percent) and West (4.0 percent). (See table
6.)
Separations
The total separations, or turnover, rate was unchanged at 3.1
percent in June. Separations are terminations of employment that
occur at any time during the month. Over the month, the separations
rate did not change significantly in any industry or region. As often
occurs, the seasonally adjusted separations rate was highest in June
in accommodation and food services (5.6 percent) and lowest in state
and local government (1.2 percent). From June 2007 to June 2008, the
total separations rate did not rise in any industry or region. The
rate fell for total nonfarm (to 3.2 percent) and total private (3.5
percent), and in wholesale trade (2.3 percent); finance and insurance
(1.6 percent); educational services (3.0 percent); other services (2.6
percent); and federal government (0.9 percent); and the West region
(3.6 percent). (See tables 3 and 7.)
Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs
and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations
(including retirements). The quits rate, which can serve as a
barometer of workers' ability to change jobs, was unchanged in June
for total nonfarm (at 1.7 percent) and has been stable since November
2007. The quits rate did not change significantly in any industry or
region in June. As has occurred every month since the series began in
December 2000, the seasonally adjusted quits rate was highest in the
accommodation and food services industry (4.3 percent) and lowest in
state and local government (0.6 percent). (See table 4.)
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From June 2007 to June 2008, the quits rate (not seasonally
adjusted) did not rise significantly for any industry. The rate fell
for total nonfarm (to 1.9 percent) and total private (2.1 percent),
and for several industries, including nondurable goods manufacturing
(1.3 percent); wholesale trade (1.1 percent); finance and insurance
(1.0 percent); educational services (1.1 percent); and federal
government (0.3 percent). The quits rate did not change significantly
in June in any region. (See table 8.)
The other two components of total separations-layoffs and
discharges, and other separations-are not seasonally adjusted. For
June, the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) and level (1.6
million) are essentially unchanged from a year earlier. The layoffs
and discharges rate did not increase significantly in any industry or
region; the rate fell for educational services (to 1.8 percent); other
services (0.7 percent); and federal government (0.4 percent). The
layoffs and discharges rate in June 2008 was highest in construction
(2.4 percent) and lowest in federal government (0.4 percent). The
other separations rate (0.2 percent) and level (295,000) were lower in
June than a year earlier. The other separations rate was highest in
June 2008 for state and local government (0.4 percent). The other
separations rate for most of the other industries range from 0.1 to
0.3 percent each month. (See tables 9 and 10.)
The total separations rate is driven by the relative contribution
of its three components (quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations), with quits contributing the largest portion. The
percentage of total separations attributable to quits has risen and
fallen over time. The proportion of total separations due to quits
(seasonally adjusted) rose from a post-recession low of 50 percent in
December 2003 to a high of 61 percent in December 2006 before trending
downward again. The proportion has been essentially level in 2008;
quits accounted for 56 percent of total separations in June 2008. The
proportion of separations attributable to quits has varied the most
over the history of the series in the construction industry (ranging
from 26 percent to 55 percent) and in the Northeast region (ranging
from 39 percent to 65 percent). The proportion of separations
attributable to quits varies widely by industry with the highest
proportion regularly occurring in the accommodation and food services
industry (76 percent in June) and the lowest proportion regularly
occurring in the construction industry (37 percent in June). (See
tables 3 and 4.)
Flows in the Labor Market
Several industries consistently have high rates of both hires and
separations. These include construction; retail trade; professional
and business services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and
accommodation and food services. In the 12 months ending in June
2008, these 5 industries produced 32.1 million hires and 31.5 million
separations. Therefore, these five industries accounted for 58
percent of total nonfarm hires and 59 percent of total nonfarm
separations while comprising only 40 percent of total nonfarm
employment.
For More Information
For additional information, please read the Technical Note or
visit the JOLTS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional
information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing
Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for July 2008 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, September 9.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
