July 31, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

New job openings and labor turnover survey

New data on job openings and labor turnover were introduced this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job openings are a measure of unmet labor demand and can be compared with unemployment, which measures unused labor supply.

Job openings, total and by region, May 2001 and May 2002  (in thousands)
[Chart data—TXT]

The number and rate of job openings in May 2002 were substantially lower than a year earlier. On the last business day of May 2002, there were 3.5 million job openings, 2.6 percent of the number of total filled and unfilled positions (employment plus job openings) in the United States. This was down significantly from 4.3 million openings, or a job openings rate of 3.2 percent, in May 2001. Over the same period, the total U.S. unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) rose to 5.5 percent from 4.1 percent a year earlier.

These data are a product of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Job openings refer to the number on the last business day of the month. Also, these data are not seasonally adjusted. Find additional information in "New Monthly Data Series on Job Openings and Labor Turnover Announced by BLS," USDL 02-412.

Happy 10th Birthday, TED!

The very first issue of The Editor's Desk (TED) was posted on September 28, 1998. TED was the first online-only publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For 10 years, BLS has been committed to posting a new TED article each business day, for a total of over 2,400 articles so far.

Find out more about the story of TED