Job Openings and Labor Turnover: August 2005

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain source. Statistical tables, standard technical appendices, administrative material and attendance rosters are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's historical context and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete document.

The job openings, hires, and total separations rates were all essentially unchanged in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region.

Job Openings

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. (See table 1.) 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.

Hires and Separations

The hires rate was unchanged at 3.5 percent in August. (See table 2.) Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month. In August, the hires rate did not change significantly in any industry, but did decrease in the Midwest region.

The total separations, or turnover, rate was little changed at 3.3 per- cent in August. (See table 3.) Separations are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. In August, the total separations rate decreased in the professional and business services industry. The total separations rates in all other industries and the regions did not change significantly from July.

Total separations include quits (voluntary separations), layoffs and discharges (involuntary separations), and other separations (including retirements). The quits rate, which can serve as a barometer of workers' ability to change jobs, was essentially unchanged at 1.9 percent in August. (See table 4.) The quits rate increased in the construction industry but did not change significantly in any other industry or in any of the regions.

The other two components of total separations--layoffs and discharges, and other separations--are not seasonally adjusted. From August 2004 to August 2005, the layoffs and discharges rate decreased to 1.3 percent, but the other separations rate was unchanged at 0.3 percent. (See tables 9 and 10.)

Hires and separations data help show dynamic flows in the labor market. Over the last 12 months, hires have averaged 4.7 million per month and separations have averaged 4.4 million per month (not seasonally adjusted). The comparable figures a year earlier were 4.4 million hires and 4.2 mil- lion separations. (See the Technical Note for additional information on these measures.)

For additional information, please read the Technical Note or visit the JOLTS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be obtained by e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for September 2005 is scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, November 8, 2005.