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Economic News Release
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JOLTS JLT Program Links

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey News Release


For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Wednesday, October 10, 2012   USDL-12-2030

Technical information:   (202) 691-5870  •  JoltsInfo@bls.gov  •  www.bls.gov/jlt
Media contact:           (202) 691-5902  •  PressOffice@bls.gov


             Job Openings and Labor Turnover – August 2012

There were 3.6 million job openings on the last business day of
August, essentially unchanged from July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.3 percent) and
separations rate (3.3 percent) were little changed in August. This
release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings,
hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by
geographic region.

Job Openings

The number of job openings in August was 3.6 million, essentially
unchanged from July. (See table 1.) The number of openings was little
changed in all industries except accommodation and food services,
where the number decreased. The number of openings was also little
changed in all four regions in August. The level of total nonfarm job
openings in August was up from 2.4 million at the end of the recession
in June 2009. (Recession dates are determined by the National Bureau
of Economic Research.)

The number of job openings in August (not seasonally adjusted)
increased over the year for total nonfarm and total private, and was
little changed for government. Job openings increased over the year
for nondurable goods manufacturing, wholesale trade, finance and
insurance, and federal government, but fell in mining and logging. The
Northeast and South regions experienced a rise in job openings over
the year. (See table 7.)

Table A.  Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               |    Job openings    |       Hires        | Total separations
                               |--------------------------------------------------------------
     Industry                  | Aug. | July | Aug. | Aug. | July | Aug. | Aug. | July | Aug.
                               | 2011 | 2012 | 2012p| 2011 | 2012 | 2012p| 2011 | 2012 | 2012p
-------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
                               |                     Levels (in thousands)
                               |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..........................|3,152 |3,593 |3,561 |4,221 |4,278 |4,390 |4,112 |4,088 |4,354
                               |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..............|2,818 |3,211 |3,192 |3,932 |3,989 |4,087 |3,835 |3,789 |4,042
  Construction.................|  103 |   67 |   82 |  325 |  359 |  308 |  338 |  358 |  312
  Manufacturing................|  238 |  273 |  255 |  257 |  244 |  233 |  247 |  228 |  248
  Trade, transportation,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and utilities(2)............|  491 |  585 |  605 |  823 |  848 |  888 |  805 |  815 |  876
   Retail trade................|  321 |  334 |  353 |  544 |  570 |  582 |  544 |  556 |  585
  Professional and             |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   business services...........|  622 |  641 |  708 |  890 |  871 |  934 |  845 |  807 |  935
  Education and health         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services(3).................|  606 |  689 |  657 |  489 |  500 |  505 |  460 |  463 |  480
   Health care and             |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    social assistance..........|  542 |  604 |  596 |  414 |  427 |  433 |  382 |  396 |  405
  Leisure and hospitality......|  362 |  469 |  414 |  711 |  720 |  731 |  716 |  685 |  721
   Arts, entertainment         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and recreation.............|   41 |   50 |   56 |  115 |  106 |   98 |  116 |  105 |   85
   Accommodation and           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    food services..............|  321 |  419 |  358 |  596 |  614 |  633 |  600 |  579 |  636
 Government(4).................|  334 |  382 |  369 |  290 |  288 |  302 |  276 |  299 |  312
  State and local government...|  287 |  329 |  307 |  263 |  268 |  273 |  245 |  271 |  281
                               |--------------------------------------------------------------
                               |                       Rates (percent)
                               |--------------------------------------------------------------
Total..........................|  2.3 |  2.6 |  2.6 |  3.2 |  3.2 |  3.3 |  3.1 |  3.1 |  3.3
                               |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
 Total private(1)..............|  2.5 |  2.8 |  2.8 |  3.6 |  3.6 |  3.7 |  3.5 |  3.4 |  3.6
  Construction.................|  1.8 |  1.2 |  1.5 |  5.9 |  6.5 |  5.6 |  6.1 |  6.5 |  5.7
  Manufacturing................|  2.0 |  2.2 |  2.1 |  2.2 |  2.0 |  1.9 |  2.1 |  1.9 |  2.1
  Trade, transportation,       |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   and utilities(2)............|  1.9 |  2.3 |  2.3 |  3.3 |  3.3 |  3.5 |  3.2 |  3.2 |  3.5
   Retail trade................|  2.1 |  2.2 |  2.3 |  3.7 |  3.9 |  3.9 |  3.7 |  3.8 |  4.0
  Professional and             |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   business services...........|  3.5 |  3.5 |  3.8 |  5.1 |  4.9 |  5.2 |  4.9 |  4.5 |  5.2
  Education and health         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
   services(3).................|  3.0 |  3.3 |  3.1 |  2.5 |  2.5 |  2.5 |  2.3 |  2.3 |  2.4
   Health care and             |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    social assistance..........|  3.1 |  3.4 |  3.4 |  2.5 |  2.5 |  2.5 |  2.3 |  2.3 |  2.4
  Leisure and hospitality......|  2.6 |  3.3 |  2.9 |  5.3 |  5.3 |  5.3 |  5.4 |  5.0 |  5.3
   Arts, entertainment         |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    and recreation.............|  2.1 |  2.5 |  2.8 |  6.0 |  5.5 |  5.1 |  6.1 |  5.5 |  4.4
   Accommodation and           |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |      |
    food services..............|  2.7 |  3.5 |  3.0 |  5.2 |  5.2 |  5.4 |  5.2 |  4.9 |  5.4
 Government(4).................|  1.5 |  1.7 |  1.7 |  1.3 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  1.4
  State and local government...|  1.5 |  1.7 |  1.6 |  1.4 |  1.4 |  1.4 |  1.3 |  1.4 |  1.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  4 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  p Preliminary

Hires

In August, the hires rate was little changed at 3.3 percent. The hires
rate also was little changed in all industries and regions. (See table
2.) The number of hires in August was 4.4 million, up from 3.7 million
at the end of the recession in June 2009.

Over the 12 months ending in August, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and
government. The hires rate was up for finance and insurance and little
changed in all other industries and all four regions. (See table 8.)
Separations

The total separations figure includes quits, layoffs and discharges,
and other separations. Total separations is also referred to as
turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the
employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’
willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are
involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations
include separations due to retirement, death, and disability, as well
as transfers to other locations of the same firm.

In August, the total separations rate was essentially unchanged for
total nonfarm and total private, and unchanged for government. (See
table 3.) Over the year, the total separations rate (not seasonally
adjusted) was essentially unchanged for total nonfarm and total
private but rose for government. (See table 9.)

In August, the quits rate was unchanged for total nonfarm, total
private, and government. (See table 4.) The number of quits was 2.1
million in August, up from 1.8 million at the end of the recession in
June 2009.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) in August was little
changed over the year for total nonfarm and total private but rose for
government. Quits also increased over the year in several industries
and in the Northeast. (See table 10.)

The layoffs and discharges component of total separations is
seasonally adjusted at the total nonfarm, total private, and
government levels and for the four regions. The layoffs and discharges
rate rose in August for total nonfarm and total private but was
unchanged for government. The layoffs and discharges rate increased in
the South in August. (See table 5.) The number of layoffs and
discharges for total nonfarm was 1.8 million in August, down from 2.1
million at the end of the recession in June 2009.

The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) was little
changed for total nonfarm, total private, and government over the 12
months ending in August 2012. Two industries experienced increases in
layoffs and discharges over the year, while one reported a decrease.
The number of layoffs and discharges was essentially unchanged over
the year in all four regions. (See table 11.)

In August, there were 365,000 other separations for total nonfarm,
little changed from the previous month but up over the year. (See
tables 6 and 12.)

Net Change in Employment

Large numbers of hires and separations occur every month throughout
the business cycle. Net employment change results from the
relationship between hires and separations. When the number of hires
exceeds the number of separations, employment rises, even if the hires
level is steady or declining. Conversely, when the number of hires is
less than the number of separations, employment declines, even if the
hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in August
2012, hires totaled 51.6 million and separations totaled 49.8 million,
yielding a net employment gain of 1.8 million. These figures include
workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during
the year.

____________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for September 2012
are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 at 10:00
a.m. (EST).


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, web, 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 2012 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 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 stratified random sample of 16,400
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 establishment 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 or ratio adjusted
monthly to the strike-adjusted 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 using the ratio of over-the-year CES employment change. 
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.

  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.

  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.

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.

Historical changes in 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.

Reliability of the estimates

  JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling
error.  When a sample rather than the entire population is
surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ
from the "true" population values they represent.  The exact
difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular
sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard
error of the estimate.  BLS analysis is generally conducted at the
90-percent level of confidence.  That means that there is a 90-
percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a
sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the
"true" population value because of sampling error.  Estimates of
sampling errors are available upon request.

  The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure
to include a 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;
Federal Relay Service: (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              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................  3,152  3,741  3,447  3,657  3,722  3,593  3,561    2.3   2.7   2.5   2.7   2.7   2.6   2.6

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  2,818  3,362  3,093  3,285  3,346  3,211  3,192    2.5   2.9   2.7   2.9   2.9   2.8   2.8
  Construction...........................    103     92     69     69     68     67     82    1.8   1.6   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.5
  Manufacturing..........................    238    308    259    297    296    273    255    2.0   2.5   2.1   2.4   2.4   2.2   2.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    491    598    562    591    588    585    605    1.9   2.3   2.2   2.3   2.3   2.3   2.3
   Retail trade..........................    321    368    338    348    348    334    353    2.1   2.4   2.2   2.3   2.3   2.2   2.3
  Professional and business services.....    622    787    660    718    693    641    708    3.5   4.2   3.6   3.9   3.7   3.5   3.8
  Education and health services(6).......    606    670    665    687    713    689    657    3.0   3.2   3.2   3.3   3.4   3.3   3.1
   Health care and social assistance.....    542    605    610    629    660    604    596    3.1   3.5   3.5   3.6   3.7   3.4   3.4
  Leisure and hospitality................    362    431    419    432    460    469    414    2.6   3.1   3.0   3.1   3.3   3.3   2.9
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     41     57     61     52     47     50     56    2.1   2.8   3.1   2.6   2.4   2.5   2.8
   Accommodation and food services.......    321    375    358    381    413    419    358    2.7   3.1   3.0   3.2   3.4   3.5   3.0
 Government(7)...........................    334    378    354    372    376    382    369    1.5   1.7   1.6   1.7   1.7   1.7   1.7
  State and local government.............    287    310    282    302    304    329    307    1.5   1.6   1.5   1.6   1.6   1.7   1.6


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................    552    688    679    675    664    671    662    2.2   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.6   2.5
  South..................................  1,135  1,453  1,370  1,474  1,490  1,399  1,409    2.3   2.9   2.8   3.0   3.0   2.8   2.8
  Midwest................................    714    853    666    755    777    759    760    2.3   2.7   2.2   2.4   2.5   2.4   2.4
  West...................................    750    746    732    754    792    763    731    2.5   2.5   2.5   2.5   2.6   2.5   2.4


  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 and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 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              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................  4,221  4,335  4,213  4,461  4,284  4,278  4,390    3.2   3.3   3.2   3.4   3.2   3.2   3.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,932  4,041  3,916  4,176  4,000  3,989  4,087    3.6   3.6   3.5   3.8   3.6   3.6   3.7
  Construction...........................    325    286    276    314    355    359    308    5.9   5.1   5.0   5.7   6.4   6.5   5.6
  Manufacturing..........................    257    263    260    262    270    244    233    2.2   2.2   2.2   2.2   2.3   2.0   1.9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    823    827    826    872    821    848    888    3.3   3.3   3.3   3.4   3.2   3.3   3.5
   Retail trade..........................    544    550    556    577    556    570    582    3.7   3.7   3.8   3.9   3.8   3.9   3.9
  Professional and business services.....    890    888    888    982    931    871    934    5.1   5.0   5.0   5.5   5.2   4.9   5.2
  Education and health services(6).......    489    523    495    540    494    500    505    2.5   2.6   2.4   2.7   2.4   2.5   2.5
   Health care and social assistance.....    414    442    427    466    425    427    433    2.5   2.6   2.5   2.7   2.5   2.5   2.5
  Leisure and hospitality................    711    795    717    715    700    720    731    5.3   5.8   5.3   5.3   5.1   5.3   5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    115    154    123    115    108    106     98    6.0   7.9   6.4   6.0   5.7   5.5   5.1
   Accommodation and food services.......    596    640    594    600    592    614    633    5.2   5.5   5.1   5.1   5.1   5.2   5.4
 Government(7)...........................    290    294    297    285    284    288    302    1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.4
  State and local government.............    263    264    263    254    256    268    273    1.4   1.4   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.4   1.4


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................    685    711    673    696    701    675    678    2.7   2.8   2.7   2.7   2.8   2.7   2.7
  South..................................  1,617  1,677  1,676  1,781  1,691  1,674  1,721    3.4   3.5   3.5   3.7   3.5   3.5   3.6
  Midwest................................    978  1,004    938  1,030    985    993  1,044    3.3   3.3   3.1   3.4   3.3   3.3   3.4
  West...................................    942    943    925    953    908    935    946    3.3   3.2   3.2   3.3   3.1   3.2   3.2


  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 and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 See footnote 8, 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              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................  4,112  4,167  4,142  4,463  4,249  4,088  4,354    3.1   3.1   3.1   3.4   3.2   3.1   3.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  3,835  3,869  3,838  4,163  3,943  3,789  4,042    3.5   3.5   3.5   3.7   3.5   3.4   3.6
  Construction...........................    338    281    290    359    342    358    312    6.1   5.1   5.2   6.5   6.2   6.5   5.7
  Manufacturing..........................    247    234    239    248    263    228    248    2.1   2.0   2.0   2.1   2.2   1.9   2.1
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    805    832    817    835    827    815    876    3.2   3.3   3.2   3.3   3.3   3.2   3.5
   Retail trade..........................    544    566    560    586    558    556    585    3.7   3.8   3.8   4.0   3.8   3.8   4.0
  Professional and business services.....    845    835    855  1,035    921    807    935    4.9   4.7   4.8   5.8   5.1   4.5   5.2
  Education and health services(6).......    460    473    470    479    493    463    480    2.3   2.3   2.3   2.4   2.4   2.3   2.4
   Health care and social assistance.....    382    414    408    414    409    396    405    2.3   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.4   2.3   2.4
  Leisure and hospitality................    716    753    710    712    679    685    721    5.4   5.5   5.2   5.2   5.0   5.0   5.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...    116    128    133    135    101    105     85    6.1   6.6   6.9   7.0   5.3   5.5   4.4
   Accommodation and food services.......    600    625    577    577    578    579    636    5.2   5.4   4.9   4.9   4.9   4.9   5.4
 Government(7)...........................    276    299    304    300    306    299    312    1.3   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4
  State and local government.............    245    267    271    270    276    271    281    1.3   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.4   1.5


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................    677    624    697    690    668    711    674    2.7   2.5   2.8   2.7   2.6   2.8   2.7
  South..................................  1,578  1,678  1,556  1,772  1,690  1,579  1,697    3.3   3.5   3.2   3.7   3.5   3.3   3.5
  Midwest................................    951    943    971  1,038    912    894  1,054    3.2   3.1   3.2   3.4   3.0   3.0   3.5
  West...................................    906    923    918    963    979    905    929    3.1   3.2   3.1   3.3   3.4   3.1   3.2


  1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month.
  2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 
  3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 See footnote 8, 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              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................  2,048  2,159  2,114  2,176  2,133  2,163  2,140    1.6   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.6

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  1,932  2,025  1,969  2,041  1,998  2,033  2,002    1.8   1.8   1.8   1.8   1.8   1.8   1.8
  Construction...........................     69     74     70     79     86     87     70    1.3   1.3   1.3   1.4   1.6   1.6   1.3
  Manufacturing..........................     99    112    114    117    108    107    113     .8    .9   1.0   1.0    .9    .9    .9
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)    439    472    455    440    465    482    478    1.8   1.9   1.8   1.7   1.8   1.9   1.9
   Retail trade..........................    327    343    332    318    330    340    339    2.2   2.3   2.3   2.2   2.2   2.3   2.3
  Professional and business services.....    387    380    396    439    400    386    378    2.2   2.1   2.2   2.5   2.2   2.2   2.1
  Education and health services(6).......    270    284    266    269    269    279    282    1.4   1.4   1.3   1.3   1.3   1.4   1.4
   Health care and social assistance.....    223    253    238    239    229    248    237    1.3   1.5   1.4   1.4   1.3   1.5   1.4
  Leisure and hospitality................    439    471    445    448    440    432    424    3.3   3.5   3.3   3.3   3.2   3.2   3.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     45     47     47     52     49     47     46    2.4   2.4   2.5   2.7   2.6   2.5   2.4
   Accommodation and food services.......    394    425    398    396    391    385    377    3.4   3.6   3.4   3.4   3.3   3.3   3.2
 Government(7)...........................    116    134    145    136    135    130    139     .5    .6    .7    .6    .6    .6    .6
  State and local government.............    106    122    132    124    126    119    129     .6    .6    .7    .6    .7    .6    .7


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................    283    278    309    305    300    315    322    1.1   1.1   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.2   1.3
  South..................................    831    908    855    899    925    945    900    1.7   1.9   1.8   1.9   1.9   2.0   1.9
  Midwest................................    495    508    495    521    474    449    497    1.7   1.7   1.6   1.7   1.6   1.5   1.6
  West...................................    439    465    456    452    434    454    420    1.5   1.6   1.6   1.6   1.5   1.6   1.4


  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 and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 See footnote 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary



Table 5.  Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................  1,755  1,652  1,743  1,956  1,761  1,582  1,848    1.3   1.2   1.3   1.5   1.3   1.2   1.4

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................  1,648  1,552  1,644  1,852  1,655  1,482  1,742    1.5   1.4   1.5   1.7   1.5   1.3   1.6
  Construction...........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Manufacturing..........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Retail trade..........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Professional and business services.....     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Education and health services(6).......     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Health care and social assistance.....     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Leisure and hospitality................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Accommodation and food services.......     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
 Government(7)...........................    108    100     98    104    106    100    106     .5    .5    .4    .5    .5    .5    .5
  State and local government.............     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................    327    277    334    331    298    323    275    1.3   1.1   1.3   1.3   1.2   1.3   1.1
  South..................................    640    648    614    761    633    522    691    1.3   1.3   1.3   1.6   1.3   1.1   1.4
  Midwest................................    389    364    406    443    366    365    440    1.3   1.2   1.3   1.5   1.2   1.2   1.5
  West...................................    400    364    388    421    464    372    442    1.4   1.2   1.3   1.4   1.6   1.3   1.5


  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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 See footnote 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary
  - Data not available.


Table 6.  Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted

                                                      Levels(3) (in thousands)                              Rates

           Industry and region              Aug.   Mar.   Apr.   May    June   July   Aug.   Aug.  Mar.  Apr.  May   June  July  Aug.
                                            2011   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012   2012p  2011  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012  2012p

Total....................................    308    356    285    331    355    343    365    0.2   0.3   0.2   0.2   0.3   0.3   0.3

                INDUSTRY

 Total private(4)........................    255    292    224    270    290    274    298     .2    .3    .2    .2    .3    .2    .3
  Construction...........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Manufacturing..........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Trade, transportation, and utilities(5)     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Retail trade..........................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Professional and business services.....     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Education and health services(6).......     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Health care and social assistance.....     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Leisure and hospitality................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation...     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
   Accommodation and food services.......     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
 Government(7)...........................     53     64     61     61     65     69     67     .2    .3    .3    .3    .3    .3    .3
  State and local government.............     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -


                 REGION(8)

  Northeast..............................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  South..................................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  Midwest................................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -
  West...................................     -      -      -      -      -      -      -       -     -     -     -     -     -     -


  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 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series and because not all series are shown.
  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 educational services, not shown separately.
  7 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
  8 See footnote 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary
  - Data not available.


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

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................  3,216    3,912    3,624           2.4      2.9      2.7

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,855    3,504    3,230           2.5      3.0      2.8
  Mining and Logging............................     26       15       16           3.1      1.7      1.8
  Construction..................................    103       78       93           1.7      1.3      1.6
  Manufacturing.................................    245      305      262           2.0      2.5      2.1
   Durable goods................................    170      205      156           2.3      2.6      2.0
   Nondurable goods.............................     75      101      107           1.6      2.2      2.3
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    526      658      649           2.1      2.5      2.5
   Wholesale trade..............................     68      152      147           1.2      2.6      2.5
   Retail trade.................................    351      382      385           2.3      2.5      2.5
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    108      124      118           2.2      2.5      2.3
  Information...................................     97      118      106           3.5      4.3      3.8
  Financial activities..........................    171      269      246           2.2      3.3      3.1
   Finance and insurance........................    126      192      197           2.1      3.2      3.3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     45       77       48           2.2      3.7      2.4
  Professional and business services............    602      657      698           3.3      3.5      3.7
  Education and health services.................    604      741      645           3.0      3.6      3.1
   Educational services.........................     69       93       66           2.3      3.0      2.1
   Health care and social assistance............    535      648      579           3.1      3.7      3.3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    396      531      435           2.8      3.6      3.0
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     47       49       63           2.1      2.2      2.8
   Accommodation and food services..............    349      481      372           2.9      3.8      3.0
  Other services................................     85      132       80           1.6      2.4      1.5

 Government.....................................    360      407      394           1.7      1.9      1.9
  Federal.......................................     52       49       66           1.8      1.7      2.3
  State and local...............................    309      359      328           1.7      2.0      1.8

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    585      727      694           2.3      2.8      2.7
  South.........................................  1,122    1,520    1,392           2.3      3.1      2.8
  Midwest.......................................    761      845      809           2.5      2.7      2.6
  West..........................................    748      821      730           2.5      2.7      2.4


  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 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


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

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................  4,655    4,732    4,843           3.5      3.6      3.6

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  4,154    4,403    4,345           3.8      3.9      3.9
  Mining and Logging............................     28       32       34           3.4      3.8      4.0
  Construction..................................    319      425      295           5.5      7.4      5.1
  Manufacturing.................................    286      282      255           2.4      2.3      2.1
   Durable goods................................    153      159      149           2.1      2.1      2.0
   Nondurable goods.............................    132      123      106           2.9      2.7      2.3
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    842      872      931           3.4      3.4      3.7
   Wholesale trade..............................    132      141      150           2.4      2.5      2.6
   Retail trade.................................    566      569      613           3.9      3.9      4.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    145      162      168           3.0      3.3      3.4
  Information...................................     67       68       77           2.5      2.6      2.9
  Financial activities..........................    168      192      200           2.2      2.5      2.6
   Finance and insurance........................     97      125      132           1.7      2.2      2.3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     71       67       68           3.6      3.4      3.4
  Professional and business services............    894      904      947           5.1      5.0      5.2
  Education and health services.................    620      584      636           3.2      2.9      3.2
   Educational services.........................    125       98      118           4.3      3.2      3.9
   Health care and social assistance............    495      487      518           3.0      2.9      3.0
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    768      806      799           5.5      5.6      5.6
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    107      115       87           4.9      5.2      4.0
   Accommodation and food services..............    660      691      712           5.6      5.7      5.9
  Other services................................    162      238      171           3.0      4.4      3.2

 Government.....................................    501      329      498           2.4      1.6      2.4
  Federal.......................................     30       19       34           1.0       .7      1.2
  State and local...............................    471      310      464           2.6      1.7      2.6

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    698      809      679           2.8      3.2      2.7
  South.........................................  1,852    1,788    1,965           3.9      3.7      4.1
  Midwest.......................................  1,066    1,035    1,157           3.6      3.4      3.8
  West..........................................  1,039    1,100    1,043           3.6      3.8      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 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


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

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................  4,856    4,552    5,124           3.7      3.4      3.9

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  4,434    4,162    4,645           4.0      3.7      4.1
  Mining and Logging............................     25       31       36           3.1      3.6      4.1
  Construction..................................    347      377      316           6.0      6.5      5.4
  Manufacturing.................................    287      238      297           2.4      2.0      2.5
   Durable goods................................    160      132      187           2.2      1.8      2.5
   Nondurable goods.............................    127      106      110           2.8      2.3      2.4
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    888      857      979           3.5      3.4      3.9
   Wholesale trade..............................    127      143      139           2.3      2.5      2.5
   Retail trade.................................    622      572      674           4.2      3.9      4.6
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...    140      142      165           2.9      2.9      3.4
  Information...................................     72       64       72           2.7      2.4      2.7
  Financial activities..........................    179      186      215           2.3      2.4      2.8
   Finance and insurance........................    103      117      131           1.8      2.0      2.3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     76       69       84           3.9      3.5      4.2
  Professional and business services............    901      882      982           5.1      4.9      5.4
  Education and health services.................    586      571      603           3.0      2.9      3.0
   Educational services.........................    118      109      114           4.0      3.6      3.8
   Health care and social assistance............    468      462      489           2.8      2.7      2.9
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    900      744      895           6.4      5.2      6.3
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........    175       92      130           8.1      4.1      6.0
   Accommodation and food services..............    725      653      765           6.1      5.4      6.3
  Other services................................    248      213      250           4.6      3.9      4.6

 Government.....................................    422      390      480           2.0      1.9      2.3
  Federal.......................................     45       30       43           1.6      1.1      1.5
  State and local...............................    377      360      437           2.1      2.0      2.4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    817      788      816           3.3      3.1      3.2
  South.........................................  1,885    1,787    2,011           4.0      3.7      4.2
  Midwest.......................................  1,126      951    1,266           3.8      3.2      4.2
  West..........................................  1,028    1,026    1,031           3.6      3.5      3.5


  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 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


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

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................  2,672    2,518    2,794           2.0      1.9      2.1

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  2,484    2,360    2,568           2.2      2.1      2.3
  Mining and Logging............................     17       20       24           2.1      2.3      2.8
  Construction..................................     92      115       90           1.6      2.0      1.5
  Manufacturing.................................    138      121      160           1.2      1.0      1.3
   Durable goods................................     72       62       95           1.0       .8      1.3
   Nondurable goods.............................     66       59       65           1.5      1.3      1.4
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    558      528      610           2.2      2.1      2.4
   Wholesale trade..............................     62       89       74           1.1      1.6      1.3
   Retail trade.................................    423      366      440           2.9      2.5      3.0
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     73       73       96           1.5      1.5      2.0
  Information...................................     49       43       43           1.8      1.6      1.6
  Financial activities..........................    105      100      125           1.4      1.3      1.6
   Finance and insurance........................     60       62       80           1.0      1.1      1.4
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     45       39       44           2.3      1.9      2.2
  Professional and business services............    476      455      458           2.7      2.5      2.5
  Education and health services.................    347      327      364           1.8      1.6      1.8
   Educational services.........................     69       44       72           2.4      1.5      2.4
   Health care and social assistance............    277      283      292           1.7      1.7      1.7
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    588      517      563           4.2      3.6      3.9
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     84       60       85           3.9      2.7      3.9
   Accommodation and food services..............    504      457      479           4.3      3.8      4.0
  Other services................................    114      134      131           2.1      2.5      2.4

 Government.....................................    188      158      227            .9       .8      1.1
  Federal.......................................     16       12       15            .6       .4       .5
  State and local...............................    172      146      211           1.0       .8      1.2

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    372      363      429           1.5      1.4      1.7
  South.........................................  1,062    1,103    1,146           2.2      2.3      2.4
  Midwest.......................................    676      517      693           2.3      1.7      2.3
  West..........................................    562      535      526           1.9      1.8      1.8


  1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month.
  2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 
  3 See footnote 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


Table 11.  Layoffs and discharges levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................  1,866    1,619    1,940           1.4      1.2      1.5

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................  1,693    1,489    1,767           1.5      1.3      1.6
  Mining and Logging............................      7        7       11            .9       .8      1.2
  Construction..................................    247      250      211           4.2      4.3      3.6
  Manufacturing.................................    127       96      112           1.1       .8       .9
   Durable goods................................     73       59       77           1.0       .8      1.0
   Nondurable goods.............................     54       36       35           1.2       .8       .8
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........    251      246      290           1.0      1.0      1.1
   Wholesale trade..............................     40       43       54            .7       .8       .9
   Retail trade.................................    164      146      182           1.1      1.0      1.2
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     48       57       54           1.0      1.2      1.1
  Information...................................     20       19       26            .7       .7      1.0
  Financial activities..........................     53       52       58            .7       .7       .7
   Finance and insurance........................     28       27       31            .5       .5       .5
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........     25       25       27           1.2      1.2      1.4
  Professional and business services............    378      356      475           2.2      2.0      2.6
  Education and health services.................    202      208      179           1.0      1.0       .9
   Educational services.........................     38       59       35           1.3      2.0      1.2
   Health care and social assistance............    163      149      143           1.0       .9       .8
  Leisure and hospitality.......................    284      192      303           2.0      1.3      2.1
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........     89       30       43           4.1      1.4      2.0
   Accommodation and food services..............    195      162      261           1.7      1.3      2.2
  Other services................................    125       64      103           2.3      1.2      1.9

 Government.....................................    173      131      172            .8       .6       .8
  Federal.......................................     21        6       18            .7       .2       .6
  State and local...............................    152      124      155            .8       .7       .9

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................    383      330      310           1.5      1.3      1.2
  South.........................................    709      546      756           1.5      1.1      1.6
  Midwest.......................................    372      345      429           1.2      1.1      1.4
  West..........................................    402      399      445           1.4      1.4      1.5


  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 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


Table 12.  Other separations levels(1) and rates(2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted

                                                    Levels (in thousands)                  Rates

              Industry and region                  Aug.     July     Aug.          Aug.     July     Aug.
                                                   2011     2012     2012p         2011     2012     2012p

Total...........................................    318      415      390           0.2      0.3      0.3

                   INDUSTRY

 Total private..................................    258      313      310            .2       .3       .3
  Mining and Logging............................      1        4        1            .1       .4       .1
  Construction..................................      9       12       16            .1       .2       .3
  Manufacturing.................................     22       21       25            .2       .2       .2
   Durable goods................................     15       11       16            .2       .1       .2
   Nondurable goods.............................      7       11        9            .2       .2       .2
  Trade, transportation, and utilities..........     79       83       79            .3       .3       .3
   Wholesale trade..............................     25       11       12            .4       .2       .2
   Retail trade.................................     35       60       52            .2       .4       .4
   Transportation, warehousing, and utilities...     20       12       15            .4       .2       .3
  Information...................................      3        3        3            .1       .1       .1
  Financial activities..........................     21       33       33            .3       .4       .4
   Finance and insurance........................     15       28       20            .3       .5       .3
   Real estate and rental and leasing...........      7        6       13            .3       .3       .7
  Professional and business services............     46       72       48            .3       .4       .3
  Education and health services.................     38       36       60            .2       .2       .3
   Educational services.........................     10        6        6            .4       .2       .2
   Health care and social assistance............     28       30       53            .2       .2       .3
  Leisure and hospitality.......................     28       36       29            .2       .3       .2
   Arts, entertainment, and recreation..........      2        2        2            .1       .1       .1
   Accommodation and food services..............     26       34       26            .2       .3       .2
  Other services................................      9       15       16            .2       .3       .3

 Government.....................................     60      102       81            .3       .5       .4
  Federal.......................................      8       12       10            .3       .4       .3
  State and local...............................     53       90       71            .3       .5       .4

                    REGION (3)

  Northeast.....................................     62       96       77            .2       .4       .3
  South.........................................    115      137      109            .2       .3       .2
  Midwest.......................................     78       90      144            .3       .3       .5
  West..........................................     64       93       61            .2       .3       .2


  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 8, table 1.
  p Preliminary


Last Modified Date: October 10, 2012