Abstract

Kelly Clark, Mary Anne Phillips, and Brady Stephens (2001) "The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Preparing to Publish Data for a New Survey."

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has developed an establishment survey that produces new, nationally representative data on labor demand and turnover in the United States. Currently, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is collecting monthly information on the number of job openings, hires, and separations for selected establishments. This paper briefly describes the JOLTS program and outlines the process leading up to the release of its new data series. The paper is divided into three main sections, the first being a brief background on the development of the survey. The second section will describe how, as part of the survey development, the JOLTS staff researched prior and existing data series that estimate job openings and labor turnover-type information. Each month, JOLTS estimates are tracked against each of these data series to determine if there are recognizable trends and if those trends are as predicted, taking into consideration the differences between JOLTS and each of the other surveys. Part three of the paper will discuss publication issues, including the format, style, availability, and frequency of the official press release.

 

Last Modified Date: July 19, 2008