Figure 2. Job openings, hires, and total nonfarm employment, seasonally adjusted, December 2000–December 2018 (levels in thousands)
Month Job openings Hires Payroll employment

Dec 2000

 4,868 5,426 132,722

Jan 2001

 5,362 5,722 132,712

Feb 2001

 5,008 5,303 132,804

Mar 2001

 4,698 5,528 132,761

Apr 2001

 4,752 5,204 132,475

May 2001

 4,503 5,410 132,426

Jun 2001

 4,378 5,109 132,312

Jul 2001

 4,578 5,244 132,187

Aug 2001

 4,042 5,223 132,043

Sep 2001

 4,045 4,954 131,791

Oct 2001

 3,729 5,078 131,468

Nov 2001

 3,649 4,914 131,158

Dec 2001

 3,523 4,829 130,997

Jan 2002

 3,782 4,855 130,868

Feb 2002

 3,377 4,801 130,752

Mar 2002

 3,573 4,706 130,732

Apr 2002

 3,576 4,928 130,636

May 2002

 3,508 4,857 130,647

Jun 2002

 3,415 4,869 130,695

Jul 2002

 3,461 4,946 130,604

Aug 2002

 3,531 4,871 130,603

Sep 2002

 3,290 4,879 130,524

Oct 2002

 3,502 4,798 130,643

Nov 2002

 3,405 4,792 130,632

Dec 2002

 3,039 4,893 130,488

Jan 2003

 3,500 5,058 130,596

Feb 2003

 3,178 4,714 130,461

Mar 2003

 3,064 4,470 130,246

Apr 2003

 3,208 4,600 130,194

May 2003

 3,336 4,678 130,210

Jun 2003

 3,398 4,682 130,209

Jul 2003

 3,073 4,639 130,207

Aug 2003

 3,204 4,666 130,167

Sep 2003

 3,082 4,799 130,279

Oct 2003

 3,330 4,902 130,473

Nov 2003

 3,218 4,767 130,490

Dec 2003

 3,281 4,984 130,605

Jan 2004

 3,462 4,900 130,787

Feb 2004

 3,478 4,788 130,844

Mar 2004

 3,492 5,227 131,156

Apr 2004

 3,615 5,152 131,426

May 2004

 3,758 4,976 131,710

Jun 2004

 3,345 5,009 131,807

Jul 2004

 3,900 4,891 131,864

Aug 2004

 3,556 5,013 131,955

Sep 2004

 3,829 5,062 132,112

Oct 2004

 3,970 5,149 132,466

Nov 2004

 3,360 5,181 132,521

Dec 2004

 3,935 5,153 132,644

Jan 2005

 3,827 5,201 132,791

Feb 2005

 3,901 5,276 133,050

Mar 2005

 4,019 5,273 133,172

Apr 2005

 4,272 5,362 133,536

May 2005

 3,842 5,271 133,706

Jun 2005

 4,072 5,376 133,957

Jul 2005

 4,337 5,328 134,314

Aug 2005

 4,160 5,409 134,517

Sep 2005

 4,376 5,493 134,583

Oct 2005

 4,218 5,124 134,673

Nov 2005

 4,118 5,344 135,012

Dec 2005

 4,146 5,294 135,168

Jan 2006

 4,404 5,271 135,446

Feb 2006

 4,260 5,474 135,753

Mar 2006

 4,706 5,524 136,063

Apr 2006

 4,915 5,215 136,221

May 2006

 4,505 5,498 136,261

Jun 2006

 4,625 5,455 136,342

Jul 2006

 4,467 5,573 136,538

Aug 2006

 4,739 5,373 136,713

Sep 2006

 4,778 5,288 136,860

Oct 2006

 4,643 5,375 136,870

Nov 2006

 4,530 5,495 137,082

Dec 2006

 4,469 5,214 137,268

Jan 2007

 4,750 5,426 137,493

Feb 2007

 4,618 5,160 137,573

Mar 2007

 4,926 5,479 137,810

Apr 2007

 4,820 5,353 137,860

May 2007

 4,699 5,469 138,012

Jun 2007

 4,882 5,267 138,088

Jul 2007

 4,668 5,217 138,055

Aug 2007

 4,586 5,358 138,032

Sep 2007

 4,682 5,344 138,114

Oct 2007

 4,676 5,398 138,190

Nov 2007

 4,537 5,176 138,299

Dec 2007

 4,400 5,119 138,409

Jan 2008

 4,604 5,071 138,422

Feb 2008

 4,233 5,077 138,340

Mar 2008

 4,205 4,924 138,292

Apr 2008

 4,124 4,948 138,056

May 2008

 4,237 4,691 137,872

Jun 2008

 3,849 4,893 137,706

Jul 2008

 3,800 4,637 137,508

Aug 2008

 3,709 4,682 137,229

Sep 2008

 3,240 4,499 136,769

Oct 2008

 3,403 4,548 136,288

Nov 2008

 3,158 4,104 135,561

Dec 2008

 3,059 4,348 134,857

Jan 2009

 2,731 4,095 134,074

Feb 2009

 2,838 4,061 133,332

Mar 2009

 2,521 3,858 132,529

Apr 2009

 2,343 3,888 131,835

May 2009

 2,574 3,758 131,491

Jun 2009

 2,517 3,639 131,026

Jul 2009

 2,264 3,857 130,685

Aug 2009

 2,365 3,810 130,501

Sep 2009

 2,481 3,944 130,259

Oct 2009

 2,422 3,838 130,061

Nov 2009

 2,435 4,024 130,073

Dec 2009

 2,487 4,004 129,804

Jan 2010

 2,833 3,904 129,807

Feb 2010

 2,651 3,864 129,715

Mar 2010

 2,679 4,302 129,895

Apr 2010

 3,217 4,159 130,132

May 2010

 3,019 4,420 130,666

Jun 2010

 2,813 4,111 130,530

Jul 2010

 3,127 4,163 130,442

Aug 2010

 3,025 4,046 130,437

Sep 2010

 2,912 4,034 130,373

Oct 2010

 3,256 4,173 130,642

Nov 2010

 3,134 4,182 130,765

Dec 2010

 2,969 4,299 130,839

Jan 2011

 3,100 4,000 130,859

Feb 2011

 3,213 4,231 131,072

Mar 2011

 3,253 4,430 131,304

Apr 2011

 3,337 4,296 131,625

May 2011

 3,207 4,261 131,720

Jun 2011

 3,467 4,366 131,955

Jul 2011

 3,676 4,261 132,016

Aug 2011

 3,358 4,298 132,138

Sep 2011

 3,763 4,429 132,374

Oct 2011

 3,650 4,370 132,578

Nov 2011

 3,485 4,365 132,710

Dec 2011

 3,662 4,356 132,914

Jan 2012

 3,904 4,457 133,269

Feb 2012

 3,605 4,560 133,531

Mar 2012

 3,976 4,575 133,769

Apr 2012

 3,878 4,389 133,852

May 2012

 3,861 4,533 133,951

Jun 2012

 3,916 4,440 134,023

Jul 2012

 3,790 4,327 134,176

Aug 2012

 3,839 4,450 134,346

Sep 2012

 3,861 4,302 134,535

Oct 2012

 3,808 4,389 134,693

Nov 2012

 3,787 4,489 134,851

Dec 2012

 3,840 4,452 135,088

Jan 2013

 3,915 4,487 135,283

Feb 2013

 3,981 4,571 135,562

Mar 2013

 4,080 4,369 135,698

Apr 2013

 4,078 4,572 135,890

May 2013

 4,173 4,663 136,114

Jun 2013

 4,166 4,440 136,295

Jul 2013

 3,946 4,561 136,400

Aug 2013

 4,112 4,730 136,642

Sep 2013

 4,105 4,726 136,831

Oct 2013

 4,268 4,518 137,056

Nov 2013

 4,002 4,622 137,323

Dec 2013

 3,996 4,614 137,390

Jan 2014

 4,131 4,626 137,567

Feb 2014

 4,347 4,696 137,735

Mar 2014

 4,388 4,763 137,985

Apr 2014

 4,662 4,880 138,312

May 2014

 4,775 4,808 138,533

Jun 2014

 4,999 4,925 138,857

Jul 2014

 4,919 5,008 139,084

Aug 2014

 5,383 4,810 139,272

Sep 2014

 4,876 5,149 139,583

Oct 2014

 5,066 5,111 139,841

Nov 2014

 4,719 4,978 140,127

Dec 2014

 4,981 5,192 140,396

Jan 2015

 5,377 5,071 140,609

Feb 2015

 5,410 5,096 140,857

Mar 2015

 5,223 5,138 140,934

Apr 2015

 5,726 5,205 141,234

May 2015

 5,587 5,166 141,553

Jun 2015

 5,259 5,127 141,723

Jul 2015

 6,147 5,170 142,016

Aug 2015

 5,517 5,183 142,138

Sep 2015

 5,450 5,260 142,271

Oct 2015

 5,846 5,321 142,610

Nov 2015

 5,564 5,341 142,845

Dec 2015

 5,678 5,546 143,125

Jan 2016

 5,977 5,214 143,215

Feb 2016

 5,747 5,493 143,447

Mar 2016

 6,151 5,369 143,681

Apr 2016

 5,872 5,304 143,892

May 2016

 5,775 5,228 143,907

Jun 2016

 5,778 5,288 144,189

Jul 2016

 6,088 5,427 144,525

Aug 2016

 5,720 5,321 144,660

Sep 2016

 5,828 5,273 144,930

Oct 2016

 5,616 5,177 145,058

Nov 2016

 5,862 5,320 145,228

Dec 2016

 5,831 5,408 145,443

Jan 2017

 5,624 5,528 145,695

Feb 2017

 5,875 5,313 145,836

Mar 2017

 5,848 5,389 145,963

Apr 2017

 6,157 5,292 146,176

May 2017

 5,821 5,469 146,304

Jun 2017

 6,371 5,652 146,533

Jul 2017

 6,349 5,510 146,737

Aug 2017

 6,352 5,548 146,924

Sep 2017

 6,256 5,395 146,942

Oct 2017

 6,405 5,587 147,202

Nov 2017

 6,163 5,486 147,422

Dec 2017

 6,204 5,488 147,596

Jan 2018

 6,591 5,525 147,767

Feb 2018

 6,530 5,594 148,097

Mar 2018

 6,894 5,625 148,279

Apr 2018

 7,106 5,694 148,475

May 2018

 7,126 5,862 148,745

Jun 2018

 7,393 5,833 149,007

Jul 2018

 7,442 5,833 149,185

Aug 2018

 7,342 5,826 149,467

Sep 2018

 7,392 5,670 149,575

Oct 2018

 7,593 5,877 149,852

Nov 2018

 7,626 5,821 150,048

Dec 2018

 7,479 5,717 150,275

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.