Job Openings and Labor Turnover: April 2014

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.

There were 4.5 million job openings on the last business day of April, up from 4.2 million in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The hires rate (3.4 percent) and separations rate (3.3 percent) were unchanged in April. Within separations, the quits rate (1.8 percent) and the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) were unchanged in April. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by four geographic regions.

Job Openings

Job openings rose to 4.5 million in April, up from 4.2 million in March. The number of job openings rose for total private and was little changed for government. In retail trade and in arts, entertainment, and recreation, the number of job openings increased in April. The number of openings also increased in the Midwest region in April. (See table 1.)

Over the 12 months ending in April, the number of job openings (not seasonally adjusted) rose for total nonfarm and total private, but was little changed for government. Over the year, the job openings level increased in several industries and decreased only in federal government. The number of job openings increased over the year in three of the four regions: Midwest, Northeast, and West. (See table 7.)

Hires

There were 4.7 million hires in April, little changed from March. The number of hires was little changed for total private and government, and in all industries and regions. (See table 2.)

Over the 12 months ending in April, the number of hires (not seasonally adjusted) increased for total nonfarm and total private and was little changed for government. The hires level increased over the year in mining and logging and in retail trade. The number of hires also rose in the Midwest region. (See table 8.)

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations include separations due to retirement, death, and disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm.

There were 4.5 million total separations in April, unchanged from March. The number of total separations was unchanged for total private and declined in government. (See table 3.)

The quits rate was unchanged at 1.8 percent in April. The rate also was unchanged for total private (2.0 percent) and government (0.6 percent). The quits rate was little changed over the month in all industries and in all four regions. (See table 4.)

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in April for total nonfarm and total private and was little changed for government. The number of quits increased over the year in retail trade and in accommodation and food services while decreasing in finance and insurance. In the regions, the number of quits rose over the year in the Midwest and West. (See table 10.)

The layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged in April at 1.2 percent. The rate was unchanged over the month for total private (1.3 percent) and little changed for government (0.4 percent). The layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged in all four regions. Seasonally adjusted estimates of layoffs and discharges are not available for individual industries. (See table 5.)

The layoffs and discharges level (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed over the 12 months ending in April for total nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of layoffs and discharges decreased over the year in other services and federal government. The number of layoffs and discharges was little changed in all four regions over the year. (See table 11.)

In April, there were 373,000 other separations for total nonfarm, little changed from March. The number of other separations for total private was little changed over the month at 313,000 but fell to 59,000 for government. (See table 6.) Seasonally adjusted estimates of other separations are not available for individual industries or regions. Over the 12 months ending in April, the number of other separations (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private, and was unchanged for government. (See table 12.)

Net Change in Employment

Large numbers of hires and separations occur every month throughout the business cycle. Net employment change results from the relationship between hires and separations. When the number of hires exceeds the number of separations, employment rises, even if the hires level is steady or declining. Conversely, when the number of hires is less than the number of separations, employment declines, even if the hires level is steady or rising. Over the 12 months ending in April 2014, hires totaled 55.1 million and separations totaled 52.8 million, yielding a net employment gain of 2.2 million. These figures include workers who may have been hired and separated more than once during the year.