Job Openings and Labor Turnover: November 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 5.0 million job openings on the last business day of November, little changed from 4.8 million in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires (5.0 million) were little changed and separations (4.6 million) declined in November. Within separations, the quits rate (1.9 percent) was unchanged and the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) was little changed. 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

There were 5.0 million job openings on the last business day of November. The job openings rate was 3.4 percent. The number of job openings was little changed for total private and increased for government in November. (See table 1.) Job openings increased for nondurable goods manufacturing and for state and local government. The number of job openings was little changed in all four regions.

The number of job openings (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in November for total nonfarm, total private, and government. Job openings increased over the year for many industries, including professional and business services, health care and social assistance, and accommodation and food services. Job openings decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation. The number of openings increased over the year in all four regions. (See table 7.)

Hires

There were 5.0 million hires in November, little changed from October. The hires rate in November was 3.6 percent. The number of hires was little changed for total private and government. Hires decreased over the month in professional and business services and in the West region. (See table 2.)

Over the 12 months ending in November, the number of hires (not seasonally adjusted) increased for total nonfarm and total private, and was little changed for government. Hires increased over the year in several industries, including retail trade and accommodation and food services. The number of hires increased in the Northeast and Midwest regions. (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 4.6 million total separations in November, down from October. The separations rate was 3.3 percent in November. The number of total separations was little changed for total private and government and decreased in the Northeast region. (See table 3.)

There were 2.6 million quits in November, little changed from October. The quits rate in November was 1.9 percent. The number of quits was little changed for total private and decreased for government. Quits decreased in durable goods manufacturing, professional and business services, and state and local government. The number of quits was little changed in all four regions. (See table 4.)

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in November for total nonfarm and total private and was unchanged for government. Over the year, quits increased for many industries, including both health care and social assistance and accommodation and food services. The number of quits also increased over the year in the South region. (See table 10.)

There were 1.6 million layoffs and discharges in November, little changed from October. The rate was 1.2 percent in November. The number of layoffs and discharges was little changed over the month for total private and government, and fell in the Northeast region. (See table 5.) Seasonally adjusted estimates of layoffs and discharges are not available for individual industries.

The number of layoffs and discharges (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed over the 12 months ending in November for total nonfarm, total private, and government. The number of layoffs and discharges increased over the year in mining and logging and in the Midwest region. (See table 11.)

In November, there were 393,000 other separations for total nonfarm, little changed from October. Over the month, the number of other separations was little changed for total private at 331,000 and for government at 62,000. (See table 6.) Seasonally adjusted estimates of other separations are not available for individual industries or regions.

Over the 12 months ending in November, the number of other separations (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm, total private, and government. Other separations fell over the year for information and was little changed in all four regions. (See table 12.)

Net Change in Employment