Job Openings and Labor Turnover: May 2023

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 number of job openings decreased to 9.8 million on the last business day of May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 6.2 million and 5.9 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (4.0 million) increased, while layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector, by industry, and by establishment size class.

Job Openings

On the last business day of May, the number of job openings decreased to 9.8 million (-496,000), following an increase in April. In May, the job openings rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 5.9 percent, offsetting an increase of the same magnitude in the prior month. In May, the largest decreases in job openings were in health care and social assistance (-285,000), finance and insurance (-139,000), and other services (-78,000). Job openings increased in educational services (+45,000), state and local government education (+37,000), and federal government (+24,000). (See table 1.)

Hires

In May, the number and rate of hires changed little at 6.2 million and 4.0 percent, respectively. Hires increased in durable goods manufacturing (+41,000). (See table 2.)

Separations

Total separations include quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. 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, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm.

The number and rate of total separations in May changed little at 5.9 million and 3.8 percent, respectively. Over the month, the number of total separations increased in retail trade (+113,000). (See table 3.)

In May, the number and rate of quits increased to 4.0 million (+250,000) and 2.6 percent, respectively. The number of quits increased in health care and social assistance (+69,000) and in construction (+57,000). (See table 4.)

In May, the number of layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.6 million, and the rate held at 1.0 percent. Layoffs and discharges increased in retail trade (+87,000). (See table 5.)

The number of other separations was little changed in May at 301,000. (See table 6.)

Establishment Size Class

In May, establishments with 1 to 9 employees and establishments with more than 5,000 employees saw decreases in their job openings rates. (See table 7.)