September 12, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Hires and separations in July 2007

The hires rate was little changed at 3.5 percent in July, and the total separations, or turnover, rate was essentially unchanged at 3.2 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Several industries consistently have high rates of both hires and separations. These include construction; retail trade; professional and business services; arts, entertainment, and recreation (which is part of leisure and hospitality); and accommodation and food services (which is also part of leisure and hospitality).

In the 12 months ending in July 2007, these 5 industries produced 34.2 million hires and 32.3 million separations. Thus, these five industries accounted for 58 percent of total nonfarm hires and 59 percent of total nonfarm separations while comprising only 39 percent of total nonfarm employment.

These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. These data are seasonally adjusted. Data for the most recent month are preliminary. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover: July 2007" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-1381. Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. Separations are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100.