JOLTS 2021 Benchmark Article

Incorporation of March 2021 Benchmarks into Estimates for the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

• Overview of the revisions
• Benchmarking & Associated Annual Processing Overview
• Benchmarking process
• Associated Annual Processing Adjustments
• Seasonal adjustment
• Seasonal adjustment changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Additional information
• Availability of revised estimates
• Table of figures
  • Tables

Authored by Jonathan Krause

Jonathan Krause is an economist in the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual revisions to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) estimates on March 9, 2022. This release includes revisions to national and regional estimates of job openings, hires, and separations for a 5-year period. The revised estimates incorporate benchmarks based on Current Employment Statistics (CES) benchmarked employment estimates and revised seasonal adjustment factors, as well as special adjustments for 2020 to incorporate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and temporary hiring for the decennial census.

Overview of the revisions

• For job openings, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 8,480,000. This is a revision of 192,000, or 2.3 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for job openings is 8,286,000. This is a revision of -80,000, or -1.0 percent.
• For hires, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 6,208,000. This is a revision of 202,000, or 3.3 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for hires is 5,632,000. This is a revision of 15,000, or 0.3 percent.
• For total separations, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 5,540,000. This is a revision of 104,000, or 1.9 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for separations is 4,855,000. This is a revision of 110,000, or 2.3 percent.
• For quits, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 3,695,000. This is a revision of 127,000, or 3.4 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for quits is 3,325,000. This is a revision of 29,000, or 0.9 percent.
• For layoffs and discharges, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 1,512,000. This is a revision of -13,000, or -0.9 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for layoffs and discharges is 1,218,000. This is a revision of 86,000, or 7.1 percent.
• For other separations, the March 2021 benchmarked seasonally adjusted level is 333,000. This is a revision of -10,000, or -3.0 percent. The not seasonally adjusted benchmarked level for other separations is 311,000. This is a revision of -6,000, or -1.9 percent.

Table 1:  Percent and level differences (in thousands) between March 2021 benchmarks and estimates by data element for total nonfarm

Data element	Seasonally adjusted				Not seasonally adjusted
	As revised	As previously published	Level difference	Percent difference	As revised	As previously published	Level difference	Percent difference
Job openings	8,480	8,288	+192	+2.3	8,286	8,366	-80	-1.0
Hires	6,208	6,006	+202	+3.3	5,632	5,617	+15	+0.3
Total separations	5,540	5,436	+104	+1.9	4,855	4,745	+110	+2.3
Quits	3,695	3,568	+127	+3.4	3,325	3,296	+29	+0.9
Layoffs and discharges	1,512	1,525	-13	-0.9	1,218	1,132	+86	+7.1
Other separations	333	343	-10	-3.0	311	317	-6	-1.9

Benchmarking & Associated Annual Processing Overview

Benchmarking process

The JOLTS estimates are revised each year to reflect annual updates to the CES employment estimates. Once the CES benchmarked employment estimates are available, the JOLTS employment levels (not published) are ratio-adjusted to the CES employment levels. The resulting ratios are applied to all JOLTS data elements. This annual benchmark process results in revisions to both the not seasonally adjusted and seasonally adjusted estimates for the period since the last benchmark was established.

Associated Annual Processing Adjustments

Seasonal adjustment

Each year, seasonally adjusted estimates are recalculated for the most recent 5 years for each of the JOLTS data elements in order to reflect annual updates to the seasonal adjustment factors. The JOLTS alignment process aligns the JOLTS seasonally adjusted estimates to the CES seasonally adjusted trend. After these estimates are aligned, the process removes the seasonal factors to obtain the not seasonally adjusted series. The seasonal adjustment process is repeated using the aligned not-seasonally-adjusted estimates. Because of this process, the series that are not seasonally adjusted are also recalculated for the most recent 5 years. More information on the JOLTS alignment procedure can be found in the JOLTS Handbook of Methods.

Seasonal adjustment changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Selecting outliers, or any data points that fall outside of the normal monthly values, is a standard part of seasonally adjusting any time series. Until the 2021 benchmark, BLS included only point outliers (also known as additive outliers, or AO) in its annual seasonal adjustment processing. Point outliers only affect the month in which they occur and do not have a persistent influence over subsequent months. Using AOs allowed for more control over outliers from the end of the input series in the most recent year of data. However, research into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on seasonal patterns has resulted in improvements to how BLS will treat outliers in JOLTS seasonal adjustment from January 2022 forward.

With the 2021 benchmark, BLS will allow other types of outliers, known as temporary change (TC) and level shift (LS) outliers, to be included in seasonal adjustment of series to better account for seasonal patterns without removing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Temporary change outliers show a shock to one month of data followed by an effect on subsequent months that diminishes over time. Level shift outliers show a shock that interrupts a normal seasonal pattern that is then continued at the new post-shock level. Any shock at the end of a time series must be an AO because TC and LS outliers can only be identified after enough time has passed to recognize either a diminishing effect (for a TC) or a continuation of seasonal pattern at a new level (for an LS).

A seasonal adjustment run selecting only AOs is run initially. The other two outlier types, in addition to the AO outliers, are automatically chosen by X13-ARIMA-SEATS and used in a second seasonal adjustment run. Both the AO-only and additional outlier runs are manually reviewed by JOLTS analysts for each basic level series, and the seasonally adjusted series with the best fit is chosen.

For technical information on how seasonal adjustment is performed in the JOLTS program, see the Seasonal Adjustment section of the JOLTS Handbook of Methods.

Additional information

See the JOLTS 2020 Benchmark Article for information on additional processes implemented to incorporate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decennial census.

Availability of revised estimates

The BLS public database contains all historical JOLTS estimates that have been revised as a result of the benchmark process. The estimates can be accessed on the JOLTS database page.

Tables

Table 2a. Revisions in job openings data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	7,232	7,099	+133	4.8	4.7	+0.1
February	7,860	7,526	+334	5.2	5.0	+0.2
March	8,480	8,288	+192	5.5	5.4	+0.1
April	9,265	9,193	+72	6.0	6.0	+0.0
May	9,639	9,483	+156	6.2	6.1	+0.1
June	9,852	10,185	-333	6.3	6.5	-0.2
July	10,783	11,098	-315	6.9	7.0	-0.1
August	10,629	10,629	+0	6.7	6.7	+0.0
September	10,673	10,602	+71	6.8	6.7	+0.1
October	11,094	11,091	+3	7.0	7.0	+0.0
November	10,922	10,775	+147	6.8	6.8	+0.0
December	11,448	10,925	+523	7.1	6.8	+0.3

Table 2b. Revisions in hires data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	5,719	5,465	+254	4.0	3.8	+0.2
February	6,028	5,794	+234	4.2	4.0	+0.2
March	6,208	6,006	+202	4.3	4.2	+0.1
April	6,121	6,012	+109	4.2	4.2	+0.0
May	6,092	6,022	+70	4.2	4.2	+0.0
June	6,414	6,827	-413	4.4	4.7	-0.3
July	6,556	6,761	-205	4.5	4.6	-0.1
August	6,362	6,497	-135	4.3	4.4	-0.1
September	6,504	6,546	-42	4.4	4.4	+0.0
October	6,460	6,506	-46	4.4	4.4	+0.0
November	6,705	6,596	+109	4.5	4.4	+0.1
December	6,450	6,263	+187	4.3	4.2	+0.1

Table 2c. Revisions in total separations data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	5,172	5,323	-151	3.6	3.7	-0.1
February	5,400	5,429	-29	3.8	3.8	+0.0
March	5,540	5,436	+104	3.8	3.8	+0.0
April	5,753	5,803	-50	4.0	4.0	+0.0
May	5,513	5,330	+183	3.8	3.7	+0.1
June	5,793	5,612	+181	4.0	3.8	+0.2
July	5,874	5,792	+82	4.0	3.9	+0.1
August	5,913	6,032	-119	4.0	4.1	-0.1
September	6,008	6,147	-139	4.1	4.2	-0.1
October	5,852	5,891	-39	4.0	4.0	+0.0
November	6,197	6,205	-8	4.2	4.2	+0.0
December	6,042	5,900	+142	4.1	4.0	+0.1

Table 2d. Revisions in quits data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	3,311	3,306	+5	2.3	2.3	+0.0
February	3,439	3,383	+56	2.4	2.4	+0.0
March	3,695	3,568	+127	2.6	2.5	+0.1
April	4,015	3,992	+23	2.8	2.8	+0.0
May	3,838	3,630	+208	2.6	2.5	+0.1
June	4,035	3,870	+165	2.8	2.7	+0.1
July	4,088	4,028	+60	2.8	2.7	+0.1
August	4,126	4,270	-144	2.8	2.9	-0.1
September	4,253	4,362	-109	2.9	3.0	-0.1
October	4,132	4,157	-25	2.8	2.8	+0.0
November	4,510	4,499	+11	3.0	3.0	+0.0
December	4,403	4,338	+65	3.0	2.9	+0.1

Table 2e. Revisions in layoffs and discharges data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	1,582	1,724	-142	1.1	1.2	-0.1
February	1,641	1,723	-82	1.1	1.2	-0.1
March	1,512	1,525	-13	1.0	1.1	-0.1
April	1,384	1,450	-66	1.0	1.0	+0.0
May	1,343	1,353	-10	0.9	0.9	+0.0
June	1,361	1,354	+7	0.9	0.9	+0.0
July	1,440	1,423	+17	1.0	1.0	+0.0
August	1,404	1,385	+19	1.0	0.9	+0.1
September	1,405	1,396	+9	1.0	0.9	+0.1
October	1,342	1,350	-8	0.9	0.9	+0.0
November	1,295	1,309	-14	0.9	0.9	+0.0
December	1,262	1,169	+93	0.8	0.8	+0.0

Table 2f. Revisions in other separations data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted

2021	Levels (in thousands)			Rates (percent)
	As revised	As previously published	Difference	As revised	As previously published	Difference
January	278	294	-16	0.2	0.2	+0.0
February	319	323	-4	0.2	0.2	+0.0
March	333	343	-10	0.2	0.2	+0.0
April	354	360	-6	0.2	0.2	+0.0
May	333	347	-14	0.2	0.2	+0.0
June	397	389	+8	0.3	0.3	+0.0
July	346	341	+5	0.2	0.2	+0.0
August	383	378	+5	0.3	0.3	+0.0
September	349	388	-39	0.2	0.3	-0.1
October	379	385	-6	0.3	0.3	+0.0
November	393	397	-4	0.3	0.3	+0.0
December	377	392	-15	0.3	0.3	+0.0

Tables 3a: Revisions to job openings by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	8,480	8,288	+192	+2.3
Total private	7,662	7,446	+216	+2.8
Mining and logging	25	31	-6	-24.0
Construction	336	334	+2	+0.6
Manufacturing	751	749	+2	+0.3
Durable goods	387	393	-6	-1.6
Nondurable goods	365	356	+9	+2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,667	1,562	+105	+6.3
Wholesale trade	246	256	-10	-4.1
Retail trade	966	899	+67	+6.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	456	406	+50	+11.0
Information	111	102	+9	+8.1
Financial activities	335	346	-11	-3.3
Finance and insurance	266	264	+2	+0.8
Real estate and rental and leasing	69	82	-13	-18.8
Professional and business services	1,588	1,421	+167	+10.5
Education and health services	1,499	1,431	+68	+4.5
Educational services	129	144	-15	-11.6
Healthcare and social assistance	1,370	1,287	+83	+6.1
Leisure and hospitality	1,108	1,195	-87	-7.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	174	206	-32	-18.4
Accommodation and food services	934	989	-55	-5.9
Other services	241	275	-34	-14.1
Government	818	843	-25	-3.1
Federal	127	126	+1	+0.8
State and local	691	717	-26	-3.8
State and local education	266	267	-1	-0.4
State and local, excluding education	426	450	-24	-5.6
Region
Midwest	1,807	1,783	+24	+1.3
Northeast	1,521	1,524	-3	-0.2
South	3,310	3,163	+147	+4.4
West	1,841	1,818	+23	+1.2

Tables 3b: Revisions to hires by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	6,208	6,006	+202	+3.3
Total private	5,832	5,646	+186	+3.2
Mining and logging	24	31	-7	-29.2
Construction	444	442	+2	+0.5
Manufacturing	449	434	+15	+3.3
Durable goods	261	255	+6	+2.3
Nondurable goods	188	180	+8	+4.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,270	1,156	+114	+9.0
Wholesale trade	157	148	+9	+5.7
Retail trade	812	755	+57	+7.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	301	252	+49	+16.3
Information	102	94	+8	+7.8
Financial activities	205	209	-4	-2.0
Finance and insurance	135	132	+3	+2.2
Real estate and rental and leasing	70	77	-7	-10.0
Professional and business services	1,214	1,129	+85	+7.0
Education and health services	763	754	+9	+1.2
Educational services	102	114	-12	-11.8
Healthcare and social assistance	661	640	+21	+3.2
Leisure and hospitality	1,143	1,172	-29	-2.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	154	157	-3	-1.9
Accommodation and food services	989	1,015	-26	-2.6
Other services	219	226	-7	-3.2
Government	376	360	+16	+4.3
Federal	38	35	+3	+7.9
State and local	338	325	+13	+3.8
State and local education	175	162	+13	+7.4
State and local, excluding education	162	164	-2	-1.2
Region
Midwest	1,354	1,295	+59	+4.4
Northeast	1,014	997	+17	+1.7
South	2,406	2,295	+111	+4.6
West	1,434	1,419	+15	+1.0

Tables 3c: Revisions to total separations by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	5,540	5,436	+104	+1.9
Total private	5,212	5,100	+112	+2.1
Mining and logging	15	14	+1	+6.7
Construction	353	358	-5	-1.4
Manufacturing	414	402	+12	+2.9
Durable goods	235	229	+6	+2.6
Nondurable goods	179	172	+7	+3.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,188	1,120	+68	+5.7
Wholesale trade	153	141	+12	+7.8
Retail trade	744	726	+18	+2.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	292	253	+39	+13.4
Information	87	89	-2	-2.3
Financial activities	195	198	-3	-1.5
Finance and insurance	128	132	-4	-3.1
Real estate and rental and leasing	67	66	+1	+1.5
Professional and business services	1,106	1,058	+48	+4.3
Education and health services	690	678	+12	+1.7
Educational services	80	80	+0	+0.0
Healthcare and social assistance	611	598	+13	+2.1
Leisure and hospitality	958	981	-23	-2.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	107	116	-9	-8.4
Accommodation and food services	851	865	-14	-1.6
Other services	204	203	+1	+0.5
Government	328	335	-7	-2.1
Federal	38	36	+2	+5.3
State and local	290	299	-9	-3.1
State and local education	139	149	-10	-7.2
State and local, excluding education	151	150	+1	+0.7
Region
Midwest	1,243	1,200	+43	+3.5
Northeast	818	815	+3	+0.4
South	2,251	2,197	+54	+2.4
West	1,228	1,223	+5	+0.4

Tables 3d: Revisions to quits by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	3,695	3,568	+127	+3.4
Total private	3,513	3,387	+126	+3.6
Mining and logging	9	9	+0	+0.0
Construction	187	198	-11	-5.9
Manufacturing	278	262	+16	+5.8
Durable goods	161	150	+11	+6.8
Nondurable goods	117	113	+4	+3.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	852	787	+65	+7.6
Wholesale trade	94	89	+5	+5.3
Retail trade	573	543	+30	+5.2
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	185	155	+30	+16.2
Information	56	57	-1	-1.8
Financial activities	124	122	+2	+1.6
Finance and insurance	79	80	-1	-1.3
Real estate and rental and leasing	44	42	+2	+4.5
Professional and business services	633	613	+20	+3.2
Education and health services	526	507	+19	+3.6
Educational services	52	46	+6	+11.5
Healthcare and social assistance	474	460	+14	+3.0
Leisure and hospitality	718	703	+15	+2.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	58	52	+6	+10.3
Accommodation and food services	660	650	+10	+1.5
Other services	130	129	+1	+0.8
Government	182	181	+1	+0.5
Federal	19	16	+3	+15.8
State and local	163	164	-1	-0.6
State and local education	79	84	-5	-6.3
State and local, excluding education	85	80	+5	+5.9
Region
Midwest	834	780	+54	+6.5
Northeast	509	491	+18	+3.5
South	1,541	1,505	+36	+2.3
West	810	792	+18	+2.2

Tables 3e: Revisions to layoffs and discharges by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	1,512	1,525	-13	-0.9
Total private	1,430	1,433	-3	-0.2
Mining and logging	5	4	+1	+20.0
Construction	156	149	+7	+4.5
Manufacturing	114	119	-5	-4.4
Durable goods	59	65	-6	-10.2
Nondurable goods	55	54	+1	+1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	279	279	+0	+0.0
Wholesale trade	48	41	+7	+14.6
Retail trade	136	148	-12	-8.8
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	95	90	+5	+5.3
Information	28	27	+1	+3.6
Financial activities	61	63	-2	-3.3
Finance and insurance	38	40	-2	-5.3
Real estate and rental and leasing	22	23	-1	-4.5
Professional and business services	393	357	+36	+9.2
Education and health services	125	130	-5	-4.0
Educational services	22	29	-7	-31.8
Healthcare and social assistance	102	102	+0	+0.0
Leisure and hospitality	207	244	-37	-17.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	47	61	-14	-29.8
Accommodation and food services	160	182	-22	-13.8
Other services	61	61	+0	+0.0
Government	83	92	-9	-10.8
Federal	8	9	-1	-12.5
State and local	75	83	-8	-10.7
State and local education	40	42	-2	-5.0
State and local, excluding education	35	41	-6	-17.1
Region
Midwest	340	349	-9	-2.6
Northeast	248	263	-15	-6.0
South	581	562	+19	+3.3
West	344	351	-7	-2.0

Tables 3f: Revisions to other separations by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	333	343	-10	-3.0
Total private	269	280	-11	-4.1
Mining and logging	1	1	+0	+0.0
Construction	10	10	+0	+0.0
Manufacturing	22	21	+1	+4.5
Durable goods	15	15	+0	+0.0
Nondurable goods	7	6	+1	+14.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	57	53	+4	+7.0
Wholesale trade	11	11	+0	+0.0
Retail trade	35	35	+0	+0.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	11	7	+4	+36.4
Information	4	4	+0	+0.0
Financial activities	11	13	-2	-18.2
Finance and insurance	11	13	-2	-18.2
Real estate and rental and leasing	1	1	+0	+0.0
Professional and business services	80	89	-9	-11.3
Education and health services	40	41	-1	-2.5
Educational services	5	5	+0	+0.0
Healthcare and social assistance	34	36	-2	-5.9
Leisure and hospitality	33	35	-2	-6.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	2	2	+0	+0.0
Accommodation and food services	31	33	-2	-6.5
Other services	13	13	+0	+0.0
Government	64	63	+1	+1.6
Federal	12	11	+1	+8.3
State and local	52	51	+1	+1.9
State and local education	21	23	-2	-9.5
State and local, excluding education	31	28	+3	+9.7
Region
Midwest	69	71	-2	-2.9
Northeast	61	62	-1	-1.6
South	129	129	+0	+0.0
West	75	80	-5	-6.7

Tables 4a: Revisions to job openings by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	8,286	8,366	-80	-1.0
Total private	7,447	7,492	-45	-0.6
Mining and logging	24	31	-7	-29.2
Construction	346	354	-8	-2.3
Manufacturing	742	751	-9	-1.2
Durable goods	385	393	-8	-2.1
Nondurable goods	357	358	-1	-0.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,539	1,520	+19	+1.2
Wholesale trade	233	256	-23	-9.9
Retail trade	858	835	+23	+2.7
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	447	429	+18	+4.0
Information	106	94	+12	+11.3
Financial activities	320	334	-14	-4.4
Finance and insurance	249	256	-7	-2.8
Real estate and rental and leasing	71	78	-7	-9.9
Professional and business services	1,554	1,446	+108	+6.9
Education and health services	1,427	1,434	-7	-0.5
Educational services	118	141	-23	-19.5
Healthcare and social assistance	1,308	1,293	+15	+1.1
Leisure and hospitality	1,144	1,241	-97	-8.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	188	222	-34	-18.1
Accommodation and food services	955	1,019	-64	-6.7
Other services	246	288	-42	-17.1
Government	839	874	-35	-4.2
Federal	138	139	-1	-0.7
State and local	701	735	-34	-4.9
State and local education	267	270	-3	-1.1
State and local, excluding education	434	465	-31	-7.1
Region
Midwest	1,795	1,806	-11	-0.6
Northeast	1,463	1,519	-56	-3.8
South	3,266	3,208	+58	+1.8
West	1,762	1,833	-71	-4.0

Tables 4b: Revisions to hires by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	5,632	5,617	+15	+0.3
Total private	5,363	5,337	+26	+0.5
Mining and logging	26	33	-7	-26.9
Construction	422	425	-3	-0.7
Manufacturing	417	419	-2	-0.5
Durable goods	248	248	+0	+0.0
Nondurable goods	169	172	-3	-1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,114	1,064	+50	+4.5
Wholesale trade	156	148	+8	+5.1
Retail trade	743	710	+33	+4.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	215	206	+9	+4.2
Information	89	89	+0	+0.0
Financial activities	187	189	-2	-1.1
Finance and insurance	122	119	+3	+2.5
Real estate and rental and leasing	65	69	-4	-6.2
Professional and business services	1,139	1,076	+63	+5.5
Education and health services	688	704	-16	-2.3
Educational services	66	78	-12	-18.2
Healthcare and social assistance	622	626	-4	-0.6
Leisure and hospitality	1,094	1,145	-51	-4.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	143	164	-21	-14.7
Accommodation and food services	951	980	-29	-3.0
Other services	188	192	-4	-2.1
Government	269	280	-11	-4.1
Federal	33	32	+1	+3.0
State and local	236	248	-12	-5.1
State and local education	99	103	-4	-4.0
State and local, excluding education	137	145	-8	-5.8
Region
Midwest	1,237	1,236	+1	+0.1
Northeast	909	922	-13	-1.4
South	2,215	2,152	+63	+2.8
West	1,271	1,307	-36	-2.8

Tables 4c: Revisions to total separations by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	4,855	4,745	+110	+2.3
Total private	4,618	4,521	+97	+2.1
Mining and logging	14	13	+1	+7.1
Construction	303	312	-9	-3.0
Manufacturing	408	394	+14	+3.4
Durable goods	238	228	+10	+4.2
Nondurable goods	169	166	+3	+1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	1,052	981	+71	+6.7
Wholesale trade	151	134	+17	+11.3
Retail trade	633	627	+6	+0.9
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	268	220	+48	+17.9
Information	79	81	-2	-2.5
Financial activities	176	171	+5	+2.8
Finance and insurance	120	118	+2	+1.7
Real estate and rental and leasing	56	53	+3	+5.4
Professional and business services	1,003	978	+25	+2.5
Education and health services	623	617	+6	+1.0
Educational services	47	41	+6	+12.8
Healthcare and social assistance	576	576	+0	+0.0
Leisure and hospitality	789	804	-15	-1.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	63	57	+6	+9.5
Accommodation and food services	726	748	-22	-3.0
Other services	173	170	+3	+1.7
Government	237	224	+13	+5.5
Federal	35	31	+4	+11.4
State and local	202	193	+9	+4.5
State and local education	71	67	+4	+5.6
State and local, excluding education	131	126	+5	+3.8
Region
Midwest	1,079	1,042	+37	+3.4
Northeast	650	662	-12	-1.8
South	2,071	1,973	+98	+4.7
West	1,055	1,067	-12	-1.1

Tables 4d: Revisions to quits by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	3,325	3,296	+29	+0.9
Total private	3,183	3,162	+21	+0.7
Mining and logging	8	8	+0	+0.0
Construction	168	181	-13	-7.7
Manufacturing	274	262	+12	+4.4
Durable goods	161	152	+9	+5.6
Nondurable goods	113	110	+3	+2.7
Trade, transportation, and utilities	789	748	+41	+5.2
Wholesale trade	95	90	+5	+5.3
Retail trade	507	505	+2	+0.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	186	153	+33	+17.7
Information	52	53	-1	-1.9
Financial activities	108	105	+3	+2.8
Finance and insurance	70	69	+1	+1.4
Real estate and rental and leasing	38	36	+2	+5.3
Professional and business services	566	567	-1	-0.2
Education and health services	486	483	+3	+0.6
Educational services	33	28	+5	+15.2
Healthcare and social assistance	453	454	-1	-0.2
Leisure and hospitality	611	627	-16	-2.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	41	38	+3	+7.3
Accommodation and food services	571	589	-18	-3.2
Other services	123	128	-5	-4.1
Government	142	134	+8	+5.6
Federal	18	15	+3	+16.7
State and local	124	119	+5	+4.0
State and local education	44	42	+2	+4.5
State and local, excluding education	80	77	+3	+3.8
Region
Midwest	741	721	+20	+2.7
Northeast	433	449	-16	-3.7
South	1,452	1,401	+51	+3.5
West	699	725	-26	-3.7

Tables 4e: Revisions to layoffs and discharges by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	1,218	1,132	+86	+7.1
Total private	1,175	1,090	+85	+7.2
Mining and logging	5	4	+1	+20.0
Construction	122	117	+5	+4.1
Manufacturing	111	111	+0	+0.0
Durable goods	62	62	+0	+0.0
Nondurable goods	49	49	+0	+0.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	214	187	+27	+12.6
Wholesale trade	45	33	+12	+26.7
Retail trade	98	96	+2	+2.0
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	71	58	+13	+18.3
Information	23	24	-1	-4.3
Financial activities	57	55	+2	+3.5
Finance and insurance	40	39	+1	+2.5
Real estate and rental and leasing	17	16	+1	+5.9
Professional and business services	354	319	+35	+9.9
Education and health services	101	98	+3	+3.0
Educational services	11	10	+1	+9.1
Healthcare and social assistance	90	88	+2	+2.2
Leisure and hospitality	150	147	+3	+2.0
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	20	17	+3	+15.0
Accommodation and food services	129	130	-1	-0.8
Other services	37	28	+9	+24.3
Government	44	41	+3	+6.8
Federal	7	6	+1	+14.3
State and local	36	35	+1	+2.8
State and local education	16	14	+2	+12.5
State and local, excluding education	20	21	-1	-5.0
Region
Midwest	273	257	+16	+5.9
Northeast	162	160	+2	+1.2
South	506	459	+47	+9.3
West	277	256	+21	+7.6

Tables 4f: Revisions to other separations by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)

Industry	As revised	As previously published	Differences
			Amount	Percent
Total nonfarm	311	317	-6	-1.9
Total private	260	269	-9	-3.5
Mining and logging	1	1	+0	+0.0
Construction	13	13	+0	+0.0
Manufacturing	22	21	+1	+4.5
Durable goods	15	14	+1	+6.7
Nondurable goods	8	7	+1	+12.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities	50	46	+4	+8.0
Wholesale trade	11	10	+1	+9.1
Retail trade	28	27	+1	+3.6
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities	11	8	+3	+27.3
Information	4	5	-1	-25.0
Financial activities	10	11	-1	-10.0
Finance and insurance	10	10	+0	+0.0
Real estate and rental and leasing	1	1	+0	+0.0
Professional and business services	83	92	-9	-10.8
Education and health services	36	36	+0	+0.0
Educational services	3	3	+0	+0.0
Healthcare and social assistance	33	34	-1	-3.0
Leisure and hospitality	28	30	-2	-7.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	2	1	+1	+50.0
Accommodation and food services	27	29	-2	-7.4
Other services	13	13	+0	+0.0
Government	51	49	+2	+3.9
Federal	10	9	+1	+10.0
State and local	41	39	+2	+4.9
State and local education	11	11	+0	+0.0
State and local, excluding education	30	28	+2	+6.7
Region
Midwest	65	65	+0	+0.0
Northeast	54	53	+1	+1.9
South	114	114	+0	+0.0
West	79	85	-6	-7.6

Table 5:  Percent and level differences (in thousands) between benchmarks and estimates by data element for total nonfarm March 2011 - March 2021, not seasonally adjusted

Data element	Type	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Job openings	Percent	-1.2%	+2.1%	-0.9%	+0.2%	+1.7%	+3.2%	-4.5%	+4.3%	-1.1%	-2.1%	-1.0%
	Level	-37	+80	-33	+7	+85	+186	-247	+294	-81	-123	-80
Hires	Percent	+0.0%	+2.0%	+1.6%	-0.4%	+0.9%	-0.4%	-0.9%	+3.0%	+0.0%	+1.5%	+0.3%
	Level	+1	+83	+64	-18	+44	-20	-46	+161	+0	+72	+15
Total separations	Percent	+1.9%	+1.6%	+0.3%	+0.3%	-0.6%	-0.9%	-0.7%	+1.8%	+0.5%	+10.6%	+2.3%
	Level	+62	+56	+12	+12	-28	-38	-30	+85	+26	+1655	+110
Quits	Percent	+0.6%	+1.4%	-1.7%	-1.6%	-0.6%	-0.7%	+0.7%	-3.3%	+2.0%	+6.1%	+0.9%
	Level	+11	+27	-32	-36	-15	-19	+19	-99	+63	+159	+29
Layoffs and discharges	Percent	+3.9%	+4.1%	+3.2%	+3.1%	+1.2%	-1.5%	-0.7%	+13.5%	-0.7%	+11.8%	+7.1%
	Level	+52	+55	+44	+41	+18	-22	-10	+197	-10	+1497	+86
Other separations	Percent	-0.7%	-9.2%	+0.0%	+1.8%	-10.1%	+0.6%	-11.8%	-3.8%	-8.9%	-0.6%	-1.9%
	Level	-2	-26	+0	+6	-32	+2	-38	-13	-27	-2	-6

Table of figures

Tables

• Table 1. Percent and level differences (in thousands) between March 2021 benchmarks and estimates by data element for total nonfarm
• Table 2a. Revisions in job openings data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 2b. Revisions in hires data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 2c. Revisions in total separations data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 2d. Revisions in quits data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 2e. Revisions in layoffs and discharges data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 2f. Revisions in other separations data January 2021 - December 2021, seasonally adjusted
• Table 3a. Revisions to job openings by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 3b. Revisions to hires by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 3c. Revisions to total separations by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 3d. Revisions to quits by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 3e. Revisions to layoffs and discharges by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 3f. Revisions to other separations by industry, March 2021, seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4a. Revisions to job openings by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4b. Revisions to hires by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4c. Revisions to total separations by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4d. Revisions to quits by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4e. Revisions to layoffs and discharges by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 4f. Revisions to other separations by industry, March 2021, not seasonally adjusted (in thousands)
• Table 5. Percent and level differences (in thousands) between benchmarks and estimates by data element for total nonfarm March 2011 - March 2021, not seasonally adjusted

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Last Modified Date: March 18, 2022