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1 Technical information: (202) 691-5870 http://www.bls.gov/jlt/ Media contact: USDL 06-943 For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT Tuesday, June 6, 2006 691-5902 JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: APRIL 2006 The job openings rate was unchanged, while the hires and total separations rates decreased in April, 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. Chart 2. Hires and separations rates, seasonally adjusted, Percent May 2003 - April 2006 Chart 1. Job openings rate, seasonally adjusted, Percent May 2003 - April 2006 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.7 Hires 3.5 3.3 3.5 3.1 3.3 2.9 2.7 Separations 3.1 2.5 2.3 2.9 2.1 1.9 2.7 1.7 2.5 1.5 2004 2005 2006 2004 2005 2006 Job Openings On the last business day of April 2006, there were 4.1 million job openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.9 percent. The job openings rate was unchanged over the month in every industry and region, but the overall rate has generally trended upward since September 2003. The industries with the highest seasonally adjusted job openings rate in April 2006 were professional and business services (4.1 percent), leisure and hospitality (3.8 percent), and education and health services (3.7 percent). (See table 1.) Over the year, the job openings rate increased in several industries, with the largest gains in information and educational services. The job openings rate also increased over the year in three of the four regions— the Northeast, South, and West. None of the industries or regions experienced a significant decrease in their job openings rate from the prior year. (See table 5.) Hires The hires rate decreased to 3.4 percent in April. Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month. Over the month, the hires rate increased in education and health services and decreased in trade, transporta- 2 Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally adjusted Job openings Industry 1 Total ......................................................... Total private 1........................................ Construction ................................... Manufacturing ................................ Trade, transportation, and utilities ........................................... Professional and business services ......................................... Education and health services .... Leisure and hospitality ................. Government .......................................... Apr. 2005 Mar. 2006 Hires Apr. p 2006 Total separations Apr. Apr. Mar. 2005 2006 2006 p Apr. p 2006 Apr. 2005 Levels (in thousands) 4,884 4,544 4,574 4,246 4,503 4,227 440 344 372 320 341 320 4,614 4,351 429 378 4,681 4,360 422 427 4,419 4,157 385 355 Mar. 2006 3,589 3,208 110 266 4,089 3,633 144 318 4,095 3,643 137 333 642 651 662 1,019 1,103 969 1,008 989 973 645 616 465 378 702 692 506 458 743 673 516 451 830 498 707 328 922 435 899 397 858 485 750 331 877 438 707 263 798 399 769 326 786 422 769 268 Rates (percent) Total 1......................................................... Total private 1..................................... Construction ................................... Manufacturing ................................ Trade, transportation, and utilities ........................................... Professional and business services ......................................... Education and health services .... Leisure and hospitality ................. Government .......................................... 2.6 2.8 1.5 1.8 2.9 3.1 1.9 2.2 2.9 3.1 1.8 2.3 3.4 3.8 6.1 2.2 3.6 4.0 4.6 2.4 3.4 3.7 5.0 2.2 3.5 3.9 5.9 2.7 3.5 3.9 5.6 3.0 3.3 3.7 5.1 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.5 3.9 4.2 3.7 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.5 3.5 1.7 3.9 3.8 3.8 2.0 4.1 3.7 3.8 2.0 4.9 2.9 5.5 1.5 5.4 2.5 6.9 1.8 5.0 2.7 5.8 1.5 5.2 2.5 5.5 1.2 4.6 2.3 5.9 1.5 4.6 2.4 5.9 1.2 1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. p = preliminary. tion, and utilities; leisure and hospitality; government; and in the Midwest region. In April, the seasonally adjusted hires rate was highest in the leisure and hospitality industry (5.8 percent). (See table 2.) From April 2005 to April 2006, the hires rate rose in educational services, but fell in construction and health care and social assistance. The hires rate did not change significantly over the year in any geographic region. (See table 6.) Separations The total separations, or turnover, rate declined to 3.3 percent in April. Separations are terminations of employment that occur at any time during the month. In April, the total separations rate decreased in manufacturing, government, and in the South region. (See table 3.) 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, dropped to 1.8 percent in April. The quits rate declined in the manufacturing industry and in the South region. In April, the seasonally adjusted quits rate was highest in the leisure and hospitality industry (3.9 percent), which also had the highest hires rate. (See table 4.) 3 Over the year, the quits rate fell in health care and social assistance, other services, and in the Northeast region. The quits rate did not rise significantly in any industry or region over the year. (See table 8.) The other two components of total separations—layoffs and discharges, and other separations—are not seasonally adjusted. From April 2005 to April 2006, the layoffs and discharges rate was little changed at 1.0 percent. For April 2006, the arts, entertainment, and recreation industry had the highest layoffs and discharges rate (2.3 percent). From April 2005 to April 2006, the other separations rate increased to 0.3 percent. (See tables 9 and 10.) Flows in the Labor Market Hires and separations data help show dynamic flows in the labor market. Over the 12 months ending in April 2006, hires have averaged 4.8 million per month and separations have averaged 4.5 million per month (not seasonally adjusted). The comparable figures for the prior 12-month period were 4.7 million hires and 4.4 million separations. (See the Technical Note for additional information on these measures.) For More Information For additional information, please read the Technical Note or visit the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (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 May 2006 is scheduled to be issued on Tuesday, July 11, 2006. Technical Note The data for the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) are collected and compiled monthly from a sample of business establishments by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Collection Each month, data are collected in a survey of business establishments for total employment, job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Data collection methods include computer-assisted telephone interviewing, touchtone data entry, fax, and mail. Coverage The JOLTS program covers all private nonfarm establishments such as factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local government entities in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Concepts Industry classification. The industry classifications in this release are in accordance with the 2002 version of the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). In order to ensure the highest possible quality of data, State Workforce Agencies verify with employers and update, if necessary, the industry code, location, and ownership classification of all establishments on a 3-year cycle. Changes in establishment characteristics resulting from the verification process are always introduced into the JOLTS sampling frame with the data reported for the first month of the year. Employment. Employment includes persons on the payroll who worked or received pay for the pay period that includes the 12th day of the reference month. Full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, seasonal, salaried, and hourly employees are included, as are employees on paid vacations or other paid leave. Proprietors or partners of unincorporated businesses, unpaid family workers, or persons on leave without pay or on strike for the entire pay period, are not counted as employed. Employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the establishment where they are working. Job openings. Establishments submit job openings information for the last business day of the reference month. A job opening requires that: 1) a specific position exists and there is work available for that position, 2) work could start within 30 days regardless of whether a suitable candidate is found, and 3) the employer is actively recruiting from outside the establishment to fill the position. Included are full-time, part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal openings. Active recruiting means that the establishment is taking steps to fill a position by advertising in newspapers or on the Internet, posting help-wanted signs, accepting applications, or using other similar methods. Jobs to be filled only by internal transfers, promotions, demotions, or recall from layoffs are excluded. Also excluded are jobs with start dates more than 30 days in the future, jobs for which employees have been hired but have not yet reported for work, and jobs to be filled by employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The job openings rate is computed by dividing the number of job openings by the sum of employment and job openings and multiplying that quotient by 100. Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occurring at any time during the reference month, including both new and rehired employees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees, employees recalled to the location after a layoff lasting more than 7 days, on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated, and transfers from other locations. The hires count does not include transfers or promotions within the reporting site, employees returning from strike, employees of temporary help agencies or employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants. The hires rate is computed by dividing the number of hires by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. Separations. Separations are the total number of terminations of employment occurring at any time during the reference month, and are reported by type of separation— quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits are voluntary separations by employees (except for retirements, which are reported as other separations). Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer and include layoffs with no intent to rehire, formal layoffs lasting or expected to last more than 7 days, discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings, firings or other discharges for cause, terminations of permanent or short-term employees, and terminations of seasonal employees. Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. Separations do not include transfers within the same location or employees on strike. The separations rate is computed by dividing the number of separations by employment and multiplying that quotient by 100. The quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed similarly, dividing the number by employment and multiplying by 100. Annual estimates. Annual estimates of rates and levels of hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total separations are released with the January news release each year. The JOLTS annual level estimates for hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, other separations, and total separations are the sum of the 12 published monthly levels. The annual rate estimates are computed by dividing the annual level by the Current Employment Statistics (CES) annual average employment level, and multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be approximately equal to the sum of the 12 monthly rates. Note that both the JOLTS and CES annual levels are rounded to the nearest thousand before the annual estimates are calculated. Consistent with BLS practices, annual estimates will be published only for not seasonally adjusted data. Annual estimates are not calculated for job openings because job openings are a stock, or point-in-time, measurement for the last business day of each month. Only jobs still open on the last day of the month are counted. For the same reason job openings cannot be cumulated throughout each month, annual figures for job openings cannot be created by summing the monthly estimates. Hires and separations are flow measures and are cumulated over the month with a total reported for the month. Therefore, the annual figures can be created by summing the monthly estimates. Sample methodology The JOLTS sample design is a random sample of 16,000 nonfarm business establishments, including factories, offices, and stores, as well as federal, state, and local governments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The establishments are drawn from a universe of over eight million establishments compiled as part of the operations of the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, or QCEW, program. This program includes all employers subject to state Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws and federal agencies subject to Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE). The sampling frame is stratified by ownership, region, industry sector, and size class. Large firms fall into the sample with virtual certainty. JOLTS total employment estimates are controlled to the employment estimates of the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey. A ratio of CES to JOLTS employment is used to adjust the levels for all other JOLTS data elements. Rates are then computed from the adjusted levels. Using JOLTS data The JOLTS data series on job openings, hires, and separations are relatively new. The full sample is divided into panels, with one panel enrolled each month. A full complement of panels for the original data series based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system was not completely enrolled in the survey until January 2002. The supplemental panels of establishments needed to create NAICS estimates were not completely enrolled until May 2003. The data collected up until those points are from less than a full sample. Therefore, estimates from earlier months should be used with caution, as fewer sampled units were reporting data at that time. In March 2002, BLS procedures for collecting hires and separations data were revised to address possible underreporting. As a result, JOLTS hires and separations estimates for months prior to March 2002 may not be comparable with estimates for March 2002 and later. The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approximately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal government. The Office of Personnel Management’s record shows these transfers were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS definitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reorganization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these intergovernmental transfers would distort the federal government time series. Seasonal adjustment BLS seasonally adjusts several JOLTS series using the X-12-ARIMA seasonal adjustment program. Seasonal adjustment is the process of estimating and removing periodic fluctuations caused by events such as weather, holidays, and the beginning and ending of the school year. Seasonal adjustment makes it easier to observe fundamental changes in the level of the series, particularly those associated with general economic expansions and contractions. A concurrent seasonal adjustment methodology is used in which new seasonal adjustment factors are calculated each month, using all relevant data, up to and including the data for the current month. Data users should note that seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS series is conducted with fewer data observations than is customary. The historical data, therefore, may be subject to larger than normal revisions. Since the seasonal patterns in economic data series typically emerge over time, the standard use of moving averages as seasonal filters to capture these effects requires longer series than are currently available. As a result, the stable seasonal filter option is used in the seasonal adjustment of the JOLTS data. When calculating seasonal factors, this filter takes an average for each calendar month after detrending the series. The stable seasonal filter assumes that the seasonal factors are fixed; a necessary assumption until sufficient data are available. When the stable seasonal filter is no longer needed, other program features also may be introduced, such as outlier adjustment and extended diagnostic testing. Additionally, it is expected that more series, such as layoffs and discharges and additional industries, may be seasonally adjusted when more data are available. Reliability of the estimates JOLTS estimates are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample estimates may differ from the “true” population values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. BLS analysis is generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. That means that there is a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the “true” population value because of sampling error. Estimates of sampling errors are available upon request. The JOLTS estimates also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the failure to include a segment of the population, the inability to obtain data from all units in the sample, the inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide data on a timely basis, mistakes made by respondents, errors made in the collection or processing of the data, and errors from the employment benchmark data used in estimation. JOLTS hires and separations estimates cannot be used to exactly explain net changes in nonfarm payroll employment. Some reasons why it is problematic to compare changes in payroll employment with JOLTS hires and separations, especially on a monthly basis, are: 1) the reference period for payroll employment is the pay period including the 12th of the month, while the reference period for hires and separations is the calendar month; and 2) payroll employment can vary from month to month simply because part-time and on-call workers may not always work during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Additionally, research has found that some reporters systematically underreport separations relative to hires due to a number of factors, including the nature of their payroll systems and practices. The shortfall appears to be about 2 percent or less over a 12-month period. Other information Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339. Table 1. Job openings levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels3 (in thousands) Industry and region Rates Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 p 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 4,031 3,941 3,981 3,994 4,089 4,095 2.6 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 3,604 146 333 696 782 601 519 434 3,509 170 313 661 750 618 522 435 3,533 114 324 687 777 627 507 449 3,531 121 318 660 716 640 587 460 3,633 144 318 651 702 692 506 458 3,643 137 333 662 743 673 516 451 2.8 1.5 1.8 2.4 3.7 3.5 3.5 1.7 3.1 1.9 2.3 2.6 4.4 3.3 3.9 1.9 3.0 2.2 2.2 2.5 4.2 3.4 3.9 2.0 3.0 1.5 2.2 2.6 4.3 3.4 3.8 2.0 3.0 1.6 2.2 2.5 4.0 3.5 4.3 2.1 3.1 1.9 2.2 2.4 3.9 3.8 3.8 2.0 3.1 1.8 2.3 2.5 4.1 3.7 3.8 2.0 704 1,562 748 1,046 718 1,612 738 919 740 1,550 745 928 707 1,547 797 957 732 1,634 721 985 744 1,653 733 956 2.4 2.9 2.3 2.8 2.7 3.2 2.3 3.4 2.8 3.3 2.3 3.0 2.8 3.1 2.3 3.0 2.7 3.1 2.5 3.1 2.8 3.3 2.2 3.2 2.8 3.3 2.3 3.1 Total4………………………………………………… 3,589 p INDUSTRY 4 Total private ………………………………………3,208 110 Manufacturing………………………………… 266 Trade, transportation, and utilities…………… 642 Professional and business services………… 645 Education and health services……………… 616 Leisure and hospitality………………...……… 465 Government……………………………………… 378 Construction…………………………………… REGION 5 Northeast……………………………………… 605 South…………………………………………… 1,405 Midwest………………………………………… West…………………………………………… 1 732 839 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, of the month. 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, and Wyoming. p = preliminary. and other services, not shown separately. 5 The States (including the District of Columbia) that comprise the regions are: Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont; South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Table 2. Hires levels 1 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels3 (in thousands) Industry and region Rates Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Apr. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 p 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 4,813 4,694 4,941 4,954 4,884 4,544 3.4 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.4 4,498 393 335 954 907 459 895 314 4,397 426 307 1,011 849 467 853 293 4,584 379 366 1,177 953 446 847 352 4,578 403 333 1,117 841 435 1,019 379 4,503 344 341 1,103 922 435 899 397 4,227 372 320 969 858 485 750 331 3.8 6.1 2.2 3.9 4.9 2.9 5.5 1.5 4.0 5.3 2.4 3.7 5.3 2.6 6.9 1.4 3.9 5.8 2.2 3.9 5.0 2.7 6.6 1.3 4.1 5.1 2.6 4.5 5.6 2.5 6.6 1.6 4.1 5.4 2.3 4.3 4.9 2.5 7.9 1.7 4.0 4.6 2.4 4.2 5.4 2.5 6.9 1.8 3.7 5.0 2.2 3.7 5.0 2.7 5.8 1.5 747 1,813 1,031 1,188 698 1,817 1,038 1,127 727 1,946 1,043 1,176 814 2,061 1,045 1,083 914 1,803 1,117 1,127 838 1,742 1,001 1,087 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.6 3.0 3.8 3.3 4.0 2.8 3.8 3.3 3.8 2.9 4.1 3.3 4.0 3.2 4.3 3.3 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.5 3.8 3.3 3.6 3.2 3.6 Total4………………………………………………… 4,574 INDUSTRY 4 Total private ………………………………………4,246 440 Manufacturing………………………………… 320 Trade, transportation, and utilities……………1,019 Professional and business services………… 830 Education and health services……………… 498 Leisure and hospitality………………...……… 707 Government……………………………………… 328 Construction…………………………………… REGION 5 Northeast……………………………………… 874 South…………………………………………… 1,696 Midwest………………………………………… 1,024 West…………………………………………… 1,073 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. 5 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. p 1 2 Table 3. Total separations levels and rates by industry and region, seasonally adjusted Levels3 (in thousands) Industry and region Apr. Rates Dec. 2005 Jan. 2006 Feb. 2006 Mar. 2006 Apr. Apr. 2005 Nov. 2005 2006p Total 4……………………………………………… 4,614 4,476 4,359 4,285 4,531 4,681 4,205 371 388 1,003 753 418 834 270 4,067 348 355 1,027 735 400 843 270 3,995 374 353 880 780 353 848 300 4,252 335 380 997 826 403 881 285 619 1,711 1,081 1,004 685 1,759 934 997 701 1,653 987 970 736 1,694 1,032 1,054 2005 Nov. 2005 Dec. 2005 Jan. 2006 Feb. 2006 Mar. 2006 2006p Apr. 4,419 3.5 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.3 4,360 422 427 989 798 399 769 326 4,157 385 355 973 786 422 769 268 3.9 5.9 2.7 3.9 5.2 2.5 5.5 1.2 3.7 5.0 2.7 3.9 4.4 2.4 6.5 1.2 3.6 4.7 2.5 3.9 4.3 2.3 6.5 1.2 3.5 5.0 2.5 3.4 4.6 2.0 6.6 1.4 3.8 4.5 2.7 3.8 4.8 2.3 6.8 1.3 3.9 5.6 3.0 3.8 4.6 2.3 5.9 1.5 3.7 5.1 2.5 3.7 4.6 2.4 5.9 1.2 714 1,810 1,014 1,188 718 1,668 981 1,093 3.3 3.7 3.3 3.5 2.4 3.6 3.5 3.4 2.7 3.7 3.0 3.4 2.8 3.4 3.1 3.3 2.9 3.5 3.3 3.5 2.8 3.8 3.2 4.0 2.8 3.5 3.1 3.7 Dec. 2005 Jan. 2006 Feb. 2006 Mar. 2006 2006p INDUSTRY Total private4…………………………………… 4,351 429 Manufacturing………………………………… 378 Trade, transportation, and utilities………… 1,008 Professional and business services……… 877 Education and health services……………… 438 Leisure and hospitality………………...…… 707 Government……………………………………… 263 Construction………………………………… REGION 5 Northeast……………………………………… 840 South………………………………………… 1,748 Midwest……………………………………… 1,030 West…………………………………………… 1,027 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. 5 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 4. Quits levels 1 and rates2 by industry and region, seasonally adjusted 3 Levels (in thousands) Industry and region Apr. Rates Dec. 2005 Jan. 2006 Feb. 2006 Mar. 2006 Apr. Apr. 2005 Nov. 2005 2006p 2005 Nov. 2005 Total 4……………………………………………… 2,586 2,683 2,567 2,577 2,663 2,763 2,488 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.8 2,540 183 210 606 359 277 595 142 2,428 189 184 634 365 254 558 139 2,435 179 196 551 415 225 569 143 2,526 153 202 602 422 279 607 139 2,606 182 205 598 426 267 561 156 2,345 177 176 577 413 252 508 144 2.2 2.0 1.3 2.2 2.7 1.6 3.9 .6 2.3 2.5 1.5 2.3 2.1 1.6 4.6 .6 2.2 2.6 1.3 2.4 2.1 1.4 4.3 .6 2.2 2.4 1.4 2.1 2.4 1.3 4.4 .7 2.2 2.0 1.4 2.3 2.5 1.6 4.7 .6 2.3 2.4 1.4 2.3 2.5 1.5 4.3 .7 2.1 2.4 1.2 2.2 2.4 1.4 3.9 .7 333 1,102 572 657 390 1,069 481 618 369 1,068 571 569 368 1,114 600 567 383 1,129 619 642 366 995 568 577 1.8 2.1 1.7 2.0 1.3 2.3 1.8 2.2 1.5 2.2 1.5 2.1 1.5 2.2 1.8 1.9 1.4 2.3 1.9 1.9 1.5 2.3 2.0 2.2 1.4 2.1 1.8 1.9 Apr. INDUSTRY 4 Total private …………………………………… 2,452 148 Manufacturing………………………………… 182 Trade, transportation, and utilities………… 580 Professional and business services……… 458 Education and health services……………… 281 Leisure and hospitality………………...…… 500 Government……………………………………… 131 Construction………………………………… REGION 5 Northeast……………………………………… 441 South………………………………………… 1,019 Midwest……………………………………… West…………………………………………… 540 600 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 Detail will not necessarily add to totals because of the independent seasonal adjustment of the various series. 4 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and other services, not shown separately. 5 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 5. Job openings levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Rates Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 3,723 4,088 4,258 2.7 3.0 3.1 3,347 10 132 267 179 88 646 135 414 97 82 246 193 53 659 614 57 557 558 79 479 132 3,637 14 155 323 221 102 648 151 379 118 121 306 242 64 675 690 76 614 567 71 495 138 3,810 10 164 337 234 103 665 136 414 115 149 305 243 63 756 677 90 587 624 101 523 122 2.9 1.6 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.6 2.5 2.3 2.7 1.9 2.6 3.0 3.1 2.5 3.8 3.4 1.9 3.7 4.2 4.1 4.2 2.4 3.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.4 1.9 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.3 3.8 3.6 3.8 2.9 3.8 3.7 2.5 4.0 4.3 3.9 4.4 2.5 3.3 1.6 2.2 2.3 2.5 1.9 2.5 2.3 2.7 2.3 4.6 3.6 3.8 2.8 4.2 3.7 2.9 3.8 4.6 5.2 4.5 2.2 376 42 334 451 45 407 447 34 413 1.7 1.5 1.7 2.0 1.6 2.0 2.0 1.3 2.1 629 1,459 768 867 717 1,627 755 989 775 1,725 768 990 2.4 3.0 2.4 2.9 2.8 3.3 2.4 3.2 3.0 3.5 2.4 3.2 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 Job openings are the number of job openings on the last business day of the month. 2 The job openings rate is the number of job openings on the last business day of the month as a percent of total employment plus job openings. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 6. Hires levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Rates Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 4,819 4,718 4,759 3.6 3.5 3.5 4,577 32 585 330 197 132 1,006 162 695 149 82 178 118 60 920 442 42 400 822 161 661 179 4,441 21 369 357 216 141 1,039 115 754 170 62 186 120 66 914 400 41 359 943 135 808 149 4,516 27 489 327 205 121 959 139 679 141 76 187 111 76 943 432 74 358 868 172 696 209 4.1 5.3 8.2 2.3 2.2 2.5 3.9 2.8 4.6 3.1 2.7 2.2 2.0 2.8 5.5 2.5 1.4 2.8 6.5 8.7 6.1 3.3 4.0 3.3 5.2 2.5 2.4 2.7 4.0 2.0 5.0 3.5 2.0 2.3 2.0 3.1 5.4 2.3 1.4 2.4 7.5 7.8 7.4 2.8 4.0 4.1 6.7 2.3 2.3 2.3 3.7 2.4 4.5 2.9 2.5 2.3 1.8 3.5 5.5 2.4 2.5 2.4 6.7 9.3 6.3 3.9 241 37 205 277 45 232 243 29 214 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.2 1.7 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1 850 1,748 1,148 1,073 801 1,752 1,087 1,077 819 1,751 1,112 1,076 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.6 3.2 3.7 3.5 3.6 3.2 3.6 3.5 3.6 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 Hires are the number of hires during the entire month. 2 The hires rate is the number of hires during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 7. Total separations levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 4,267 4,132 4,087 3.2 3.1 3.0 4,068 16 347 374 256 118 872 132 611 129 78 178 114 64 915 401 36 365 693 107 586 194 3,909 25 392 400 216 184 902 132 622 148 63 198 133 64 747 365 41 324 624 68 556 193 3,886 24 311 348 180 169 840 137 582 121 78 174 120 54 820 389 39 350 740 95 645 161 3.7 2.6 4.9 2.6 2.9 2.3 3.4 2.3 4.1 2.6 2.5 2.2 1.9 3.0 5.5 2.3 1.2 2.5 5.5 5.8 5.4 3.6 3.5 3.9 5.5 2.8 2.4 3.5 3.5 2.3 4.1 3.0 2.1 2.4 2.2 3.0 4.4 2.1 1.4 2.2 4.9 3.9 5.1 3.6 3.4 3.6 4.2 2.5 2.0 3.2 3.3 2.3 3.9 2.5 2.6 2.1 2.0 2.5 4.8 2.2 1.3 2.4 5.7 5.1 5.8 3.0 199 29 171 223 51 173 201 25 176 .9 1.1 .9 1.0 1.9 .9 .9 .9 .9 762 1,666 899 940 595 1,592 868 1,077 654 1,582 849 1,002 3.0 3.5 2.9 3.2 2.4 3.3 2.8 3.6 2.6 3.3 2.7 3.4 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 Total separations are the number of total separations during the entire month. 2 The total separations rate is the number of total separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 8. Quits levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Rates Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 2,471 2,496 2,367 1.9 1.9 1.8 2,368 9 142 184 116 68 537 72 407 58 52 93 60 33 454 268 20 248 481 50 431 148 2,376 13 169 199 117 81 558 86 398 74 44 106 85 21 424 246 19 227 467 36 431 151 2,254 11 171 175 103 71 527 80 377 70 59 103 68 35 410 239 19 220 486 49 438 72 2.1 1.4 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.1 1.3 2.7 1.2 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.6 2.7 1.5 .7 1.7 3.8 2.7 4.0 2.8 2.1 2.0 2.4 1.4 1.3 1.6 2.2 1.5 2.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.0 2.5 1.4 .6 1.5 3.7 2.1 4.0 2.8 2.0 1.7 2.3 1.2 1.1 1.4 2.0 1.4 2.5 1.4 1.9 1.2 1.1 1.6 2.4 1.3 .6 1.5 3.8 2.6 4.0 1.3 103 10 93 120 22 98 113 14 99 .5 .4 .5 .5 .8 .5 .5 .5 .5 396 1,010 503 563 335 1,017 548 595 321 983 527 536 1.6 2.1 1.6 1.9 1.3 2.1 1.8 2.0 1.3 2.0 1.7 1.8 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 Quits are the number of quits during the entire month. 2 The quits rate is the number of quits during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 9. Layoffs and discharges levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 1,522 1,319 1,368 1.1 1.0 1.0 1,467 5 192 156 115 41 280 56 174 51 16 62 36 26 408 114 13 100 193 54 139 41 1,262 10 202 170 78 93 265 37 173 56 14 74 38 37 266 94 17 77 135 30 105 31 1,317 10 114 140 58 81 238 43 169 25 14 44 28 16 346 109 17 93 225 44 181 78 1.3 .9 2.7 1.1 1.3 .8 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.0 .5 .8 .6 1.2 2.4 .7 .4 .7 1.5 2.9 1.3 .8 1.1 1.5 2.8 1.2 .9 1.8 1.0 .6 1.1 1.1 .5 .9 .6 1.7 1.6 .5 .6 .5 1.1 1.7 1.0 .6 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.0 .6 1.6 .9 .7 1.1 .5 .5 .5 .5 .8 2.0 .6 .6 .6 1.7 2.3 1.6 1.4 55 7 48 57 11 45 50 4 47 .2 .3 .2 .3 .4 .2 .2 .1 .2 311 551 332 327 203 470 267 379 260 457 260 390 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 .8 1.0 .9 1.3 1.0 .9 .8 1.3 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 Layoffs and discharges are the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month. 2 The layoffs and discharges rate is the number of layoffs and discharges during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. p = preliminary. Table 10. Other separations levels1 and rates2 by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted Levels (in thousands) Rates Industry and region Total………………………………………………………… Apr. Mar. Apr. Apr. Mar. Apr. 2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p 274 317 353 0.2 0.2 0.3 233 2 13 34 25 9 55 4 30 20 10 23 19 5 53 19 3 16 19 2 17 4 270 3 21 31 21 10 78 9 52 18 5 17 11 7 57 24 4 20 22 2 20 12 315 2 26 34 18 16 76 14 36 26 5 27 24 3 65 41 4 37 29 3 26 11 .2 .4 .2 .2 .3 .2 .2 .1 .2 .4 .3 .3 .3 .2 .3 .1 .1 .1 .1 0.1 .2 .1 .2 .5 .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 .2 .3 .4 .2 .2 .2 .3 .3 .1 .1 .1 .2 .1 .2 .2 .3 .3 .4 .2 .2 .3 .3 .2 .2 .5 .2 .3 .4 .1 .4 .2 .1 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2 42 12 30 47 17 29 38 7 30 .2 .4 .2 .2 .6 .2 .2 .3 .2 55 105 64 50 56 105 54 102 73 142 62 76 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 .3 .3 .3 .2 .3 INDUSTRY Total private……………………………………………… Natural resources and mining……………………… Construction…………………………………………… Manufacturing………………………………………… Durable goods...…………………………………… Nondurable goods...……………………………… Trade, transportation, and utilities………………… Wholesale trade…………………………………… Retail trade………………………………………… Transportation, warehousing, and utilities……… Information…………………………………………… Financial activities……..……………………………… Finance and insurance…………………………… Real estate and rental and leasing……………… Professional and business services………………… Education and health services……………………… Educational services……………………………… Health care and social assistance……………… Leisure and hospitality………………...…………… Arts, entertainment, and recreation……………… Accommodations and food services…………… Other services………………………………………… Government……………………………………………… Federal………………………………………………… State and local…………….………………………… REGION 3 Northeast……………………………………………… South…………………………………………………… Midwest………………………………………………… West…………………………………………………… 1 2 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month. The other separations rate is the number of other separations during the entire month as a percent of total employment. 3 See footnote 5, table 1. 4 Data round to zero. p = preliminary.