March 15, 2006 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Annual hires, total separations, and quits rates, 2001 – 2005

In 2005, annual hires rose for the second year in a row, reaching 57 million after weaker hiring in 2002 and 2003.

Annual hires, total separations, and quits levels, 2001 - 2005
[Chart data—TXT]

Total separations rose to 55 million in 2005.

Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including retirements).

The number of quits increased notably for the second year in a row, reaching 31 million in 2005. In contrast, the levels of layoffs and discharges were relatively flat over the past several years, as was the level of other separations.

These data are from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. To learn more about hires, separations, and quits, see Job Openings and Labor Turnover: January 2006 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 06-457. These data are not seasonally adjusted.