October 13, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Job openings in August 2005

On the last business day of August 2005, there were 3.5 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.6 percent.

[Chart data—TXT]

The job openings rate was unchanged in August, but has generally trended upward since September 2003. In August, the job openings rate did not change significantly in any industry or region.

The job openings rate is the number of openings divided by employment plus job openings. A job opening requires that a specific position exists and there is work available for that position, work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and the employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to fill the position.

These data come from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The above data are seasonally adjusted. Data for August 2005 are preliminary and subject to revision. Find additional information in "Job Openings and Labor Turnover: August 2005" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-1962. Hurricane Katrina struck Florida and the Gulf Coast at the end of August, the reference month for the estimates in this news release. All possible efforts were made to contact survey respondents in the hurricane-affected areas. Special estimation procedures were used for selected nonresponding sample units.