Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 08-1270
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Tuesday, September 9,2008
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: JULY 2008
On the last business day of July, there were 3.4 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.4
percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of
Labor reported today. The job openings rate and total separations
rate were little changed in July, while the hires rate decreased
slightly. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of
job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by
industry and geographic region.
Although the month-to-month changes in job openings, hires, and
turnover data are often small, the trends over time are notable. The
job openings rate remained essentially flat from August 2006 through
September 2007 followed by an overall downward trend through July
2008. The hires rate has trended downward since July 2006. At 3.0
percent in two of the last three months, the hires rate is at the
lowest level since May 2003. After remaining essentially flat for
much of 2007, the separations rate began an overall downward trend in
December 2007. (See tables 1, 2, and 3.)
- 2 -
Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | July | June | July | July | June | July | July | June | July
| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p| 2007 | 2008 | 2008p
-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........|4,116 |3,497 |3,416 |4,818 |4,438 |4,062 |4,562 |4,368 |4,308
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).|3,648 |3,073 |2,983 |4,489 |4,136 |3,792 |4,222 |4,115 |4,085
Construction...| 162 | 100 | 84 | 401 | 354 | 267 | 382 | 409 | 436
Manufacturing..| 331 | 241 | 233 | 355 | 285 | 253 | 370 | 353 | 304
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 693 | 539 | 591 | 952 | 906 | 893 | 987 |1,003 |1,025
Retail trade..| 378 | 322 | 374 | 638 | 608 | 597 | 687 | 679 | 719
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 686 | 670 | 600 | 879 | 889 | 788 | 765 | 799 | 756
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 692 | 682 | 674 | 501 | 485 | 473 | 420 | 417 | 465
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 530 | 452 | 436 | 869 | 741 | 775 | 835 | 749 | 674
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 482 | 406 | 395 | 739 | 645 | 654 | 723 | 641 | 570
Government(4)....| 470 | 417 | 432 | 387 | 340 | 325 | 322 | 259 | 237
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 431 | 361 | 379 | 305 | 309 | 303 | 258 | 233 | 214
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total(1)...........| 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.1
| | | | | | | | |
Total private(1).| 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.5
Construction...| 2.1 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.1
Manufacturing..| 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.3
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and| | | | | | | | |
utilities(2)..| 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9
Retail trade..| 2.4 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.7
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services......| 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices.........| 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.5
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality(3)| 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 4.9
Accommodation | | | | | | | | |
and food | | | | | | | | |
services.....| 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 6.4 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 5.5 | 4.9
Government(4)....| 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.1
State and local| | | | | | | | |
government....| 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
2 Includes wholesale trade and transportation, warehousing, and utilities, not
shown separately.
3 Includes arts, entertainment, and recreation, not shown separately.
4 Includes federal government, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
Job Openings
In July, the job openings rate was essentially unchanged at 2.4
percent. The rate has been trending downward and is at the lowest
level since November 2004. Job openings include only those jobs open
on the last business day of the month. In July, the job openings rate
changed significantly only in retail trade, where the rate increased.
Since the series began in December 2000, three industries consistently
have had higher job openings rates than the other industries:
education and health services (3.4 percent in July),
- 3 -
accommodation and food services (3.3 percent) and professional and
business services (3.2 percent). (See table 1.)
Over the year, the job openings rate (not seasonally adjusted)
rose significantly only in federal government (to 2.2 percent). The
rate fell over the year for total nonfarm (2.5 percent) and total
private (2.5 percent) as well as in most industries, including
construction; durable goods manufacturing; nondurable goods
manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation, warehousing, and
utilities; information; finance and insurance; professional and
business services; educational services; accommodation and food
services; other services; and state and local government. Regionally,
the job openings rate fell over the year in all four regions. (See
table 5.)
Hires
The hires rate decreased in July to 3.0 percent and was at the
lowest level since May 2003. Hires are any additions to the payroll
during the month. The hires rate fell significantly in July for total
nonfarm, total private, the construction industry, and the Northeast
and South regions. The hires rate did not increase significantly in
any industry or region in July. As occurs nearly every month, the
seasonally adjusted hires rate was highest in accommodation and food
services (5.6 percent) and lowest in state and local government (1.5
percent). (See table 2.)
From July 2007 to July 2008, the hires rate (not seasonally
adjusted) decreased significantly for total nonfarm (to 3.1 percent)
and total private (3.4 percent), and in construction; durable goods
manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; information; real
estate and rental and leasing; educational services; accommodation and
food services; other services; and federal government. Regionally,
the hires rate fell over the year in the Northeast, South, and West.
The hires rate did not rise significantly in any industry or region
over the year. (See table 6.)
Separations
The total separations, or turnover, rate was little changed at
3.1 percent in July. Separations are terminations of employment that
occur at any time during the month. Over the month, the separations
rate did not change significantly in any industry or region. As often
occurs, the seasonally adjusted separations rate was highest in
construction (6.1 percent) and lowest in state and local government
(1.1 percent). From July 2007 to July 2008, the total separations
rate rose significantly only in the construction industry. The rate
fell in nondurable goods manufacturing; finance and insurance;
accommodation and food services; federal government; and state and
local government. Regionally, the rate rose in the Northeast and fell
in the South over the year. (See tables 3 and 7.)
Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs
and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations
(including retirements). The quits rate, which can serve as a
barometer of workers’ ability to change jobs, was unchanged in July
for total nonfarm (1.7 percent) and has been stable since November
2007. The quits rate did not change significantly in any industry or
region in July. As has occurred every month since the series began in
December 2000, the seasonally adjusted quits rate was highest in the
accommodation and food services industry (3.6 percent) and lowest in
state and local government (0.5 percent). (See table 4.)
From July 2007 to July 2008, the quits rate (not seasonally
adjusted) did not rise significantly for any industry or region. The
rate fell for total nonfarm (to 1.8 percent) and total private (2.1
percent), and for several industries, including durable goods
manufacturing; nondurable goods manufacturing; finance and
- 4 -
insurance; accommodation and food services; federal government; and
state and local government. The quits rate fell in July in the South
and West regions. (See table 8.)
The other two components of total separations—layoffs and
discharges, and other separations—are not seasonally adjusted. For
July, the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) and level (1.7
million) were essentially unchanged from a year earlier. The layoffs
and discharges rate increased significantly for total private and in
construction; educational services; health care and social assistance;
and the Northeast region. The rate fell for federal government and
state and local government. The layoffs and discharges rate in July
2008 was highest in construction (3.3 percent) and lowest in federal
government (0.2 percent). The other separations rate (0.2 percent)
and level (269,000) were lower in July than a year earlier. The other
separations rate was highest in July 2008 for transportation,
warehousing, and utilities (0.4 percent). The other separations rate
for most of the other industries range from 0.1 to 0.3 percent each
month. (See tables 9 and 10.)
The total separations rate is driven by the relative contribution
of its three components (quits, layoffs and discharges, and other
separations), with quits contributing the largest portion. The
percentage of total separations attributable to quits has varied over
time. The proportion of total separations due to quits (seasonally
adjusted) rose from a post-recession low of 50 percent in December
2003 to a high of 61 percent in December 2006 before trending downward
again. Quits accounted for 54 percent of total separations in July
2008. The proportion of separations attributable to quits has varied
the most over the history of the series in the construction industry
(ranging from 26 percent to 55 percent) and in the Northeast region
(ranging from 39 percent to 65 percent). The proportion of
separations attributable to quits varies widely by industry with the
highest proportion regularly occurring in the accommodation and food
services industry (74 percent in July) and the lowest proportion
regularly occurring in the construction industry (33 percent in July).
(See tables 3 and 4.)
Flows in the Labor Market
Several industries consistently have high rates of both hires and
separations. These include construction; retail trade; professional
and business services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and
accommodation and food services. In the 12 months ending in July
2008, these 5 industries produced 31.8 million hires and 31.5 million
separations, accounting for 58 percent of total nonfarm hires and 59
percent of total nonfarm separations while comprising only 40 percent
of total nonfarm employment.
For More Information
For additional information, please read the Technical Note or
visit the JOLTS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional
information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing
Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for August 2008 is
scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, October 7.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
