Job Openings and Labor Turnover: April 2024

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 changed little at 8.1 million on the last business day of April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, both the number of hires and total separations were little changed at 5.6 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, quits (3.5 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.5 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 April, the number of job openings changed little at 8.1 million; this measure was down by 1.8 million over the year. The rate was little changed at 4.8 percent in April. Job openings decreased in health care and social assistance (-204,000) and in state and local government education (-59,000) but increased in private educational services (+50,000). (See table 1.)

Hires

In April, the number of hires was little changed at 5.6 million. The rate held at 3.6 percent. Hires increased in durable goods manufacturing (+52,000), but decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-45,000) and in federal government (-8,000). (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 of total separations in April changed little at 5.4 million, and the rate was unchanged at 3.4 percent. Over the month, the number of total separations increased in durable goods manufacturing (+49,000). (See table 3.)

In April, the number of quits was little changed at 3.5 million, and the rate was 2.2 percent for the sixth month in a row. The number of quits decreased in professional and business services (-131,000), but increased in other services (+67,000), durable goods manufacturing (+39,000), and state and local government education (+32,000). (See table 4.)

In April, the number of layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.5 million, and the rate held at 1.0 percent. The number of layoffs and discharges decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-37,000). (See table 5.)

The number of other separations was little changed in April at 349,000. (See table 6.)

Establishment Size Class

In April, for establishments with 1 to 9 employees, the job openings rate, hires rate, and total separations rate changed little. For establishments with 5,000 or more employees, the hires rate increased while the job openings rate and total separations rate changed little. (See table 7.)

March 2024 Revisions

The number of job openings for March was revised down by 133,000 to 8.4 million, the number of hires was revised up by 117,000 to 5.6 million, and the number of total separations was revised up by 130,000 to 5.3 million. Within separations, the number of quits was revised up by 80,000 to 3.4 million and the number of layoffs and discharges was revised up by 75,000 to 1.6 million. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)