August 01, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Job openings rates by industry

Over the year ended in May 2002, the largest decline in job openings occurred in construction, where the rate fell from 3.4 percent to 1.9 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

Large declines also occurred in retail trade, services, and mining. Job openings were about the same in May 2002 as they were a year earlier in manufacturing and government.

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.

These data are a product of the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. 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.