Full text of December 2006 : Text File, USDL-07-0197
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Technical information: (202) 691-5870 USDL 07-0197
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact: 691-5902 Tuesday, February 6, 2007
JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER: DECEMBER 2006
The job openings, hires, and total separations rates were essentially
unchanged in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor reported today. Despite little month-to-month change in
the hires and separations rates, there continues to be considerable churn-
ing in the labor market with large numbers of hires and separations every
month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job open-
ings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and
geographic region.
Job Openings
On the last business day of December 2006, there were 4.4 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 3.2 percent.
The job openings rate was little changed during the first half of 2006, but
trended upward in the latter part of the year. The December rate is the
highest since February 2001. In December, the job openings rate rose in
manufacturing and in trade, transportation, and utilities; the rate did not
fall significantly in any industry. Geographically, the job openings rate
increased in the Northeast and South over the month. None of the regions
experienced a significant decline in its rate. The seasonally adjusted job
openings rate was highest in December for the following industries: profes-
sional and business services (4.4 percent), leisure and hospitality (4.1 per-
cent), and education and health services (3.9 percent). (See table 1.)
Over the year, the job openings rate increased in nearly half the industries
and decreased only in construction and in finance and insurance. The job open-
ings rate also rose over the year in the Northeast and West regions. (See
table 5.)
Hires
The hires rate was essentially unchanged at 3.6 percent in December.
Hires are any additions to the payroll during the month. In December, the
hires rate did not change significantly in any industry but did decline in
the South and West regions. The seasonally adjusted hires rate was highest
in December in the leisure and hospitality industry (7.2 percent). (See
table 2.)
From December 2005 to December 2006, the hires rate rose in federal govern-
ment but fell in transportation, warehousing, and utilities. The hires rate
did not change significantly in any region over the year. (See table 6.)
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Table A. Job openings, hires, and total separations by industry, seasonally
adjusted
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Job openings | Hires | Total separations
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Industry | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec. | Dec. | Nov. | Dec.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2006p| 2005 | 2006 | 2006p| 2005 | 2006 | 2006p
--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Levels (in thousands)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total (1)...........|3,941 |4,288 |4,433 |4,694 |5,042 |4,889 |4,359 |4,699 |4,521
| | | | | | | | |
Total private (1).|3,509 |3,828 |3,953 |4,397 |4,681 |4,534 |4,067 |4,400 |4,235
Construction....| 170 | 103 | 118 | 426 | 383 | 321 | 348 | 420 | 366
Manufacturing...| 313 | 355 | 395 | 307 | 370 | 358 | 355 | 346 | 358
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities......| 661 | 673 | 788 |1,011 | 990 | 937 |1,027 |1,011 |1,012
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 750 | 780 | 814 | 849 |1,055 |1,000 | 735 | 990 | 860
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices..........| 618 | 719 | 738 | 467 | 488 | 500 | 400 | 422 | 408
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality....| 522 | 599 | 570 | 853 | 918 | 948 | 843 | 804 | 824
Government........| 435 | 465 | 485 | 293 | 355 | 348 | 270 | 296 | 268
|--------------------------------------------------------------
| Rates (percent)
|--------------------------------------------------------------
Total (1)...........| 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.3
| | | | | | | | |
Total private (1).| 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.7
Construction....| 2.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 4.9
Manufacturing...| 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.5
Trade, trans- | | | | | | | | |
portation, and | | | | | | | | |
utilities......| 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9
Professional | | | | | | | | |
and business | | | | | | | | |
services.......| 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 4.9
Education and | | | | | | | | |
health ser- | | | | | | | | |
vices..........| 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.3
Leisure and | | | | | | | | |
hospitality....| 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 6.2
Government........| 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Includes natural resources and mining, information, financial activities, and
other services, not shown separately.
p = preliminary.
Separations
The total separations, or turnover, rate was little changed at 3.3 percent
in December. Separations are terminations of employment that occur at any time
during the month. In December, the total separations rate declined in profes-
sional and business services and in government. Geographically, the separations
rate fell in the South over the month. From December 2005 to December 2006, the
total separations rate fell in transportation, warehousing, and utilities and in
arts, entertainment, and recreation; the rate did not rise significantly in any
industry. Geographically, only the rate for the Midwest region increased. The
other regions did not experience a significant change in the total separations
rate over the year. (See tables 3 and 7.)
- 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, was little
changed at 2.0 percent in December. Over the month, the only industry or region to
experience a change in the quits rate was the professional and business services in-
dustry, in which the rate declined. In December, the seasonally adjusted quits rate
was highest in the leisure and hospitality industry (4.4 percent), which also had the
highest hires rate. (See table 4.)
Over the year, the quits rate rose in nondurable goods manufacturing but fell in
construction; transportation, warehousing and utilities; and arts, entertainment, and
recreation. (See table 8.)
The other two components of total separations--layoffs and discharges, and other
separations--are not seasonally adjusted. For December, the layoffs and discharges
rate (1.3 percent) and level (1.8 million) were little changed from the prior year.
The construction industry had the highest layoffs and discharges rate (3.8 percent).
From December 2005 to December 2006, the other separations rate decreased slightly
to 0.2 percent and the level declined significantly to 286,000. (See tables 9 and 10.)
Flows in the Labor Market
Hires and separations data help show dynamic flows in the labor market. For the
year 2006, hires have averaged 4.9 million per month and separations have averaged
4.5 million per month (not seasonally adjusted). The average monthly hires have in-
creased each year since 2003 when there were 4.1 million hires per month. The aver-
age monthly separations increased in 2004 and in 2005 but fell slightly in 2006.
(See the Technical Note for additional information on these measures.)
Several industries have high rates of both hires and separations. These include
construction; retail trade; professional and business services; arts, entertainment,
and recreation; and accommodations and food services. In the last 12 months, these
five industries produced 34.8 million hires and 32.2 million separations. Thus,
these five industries accounted for 59 percent of total nonfarm hires and 59 percent
of total nonfarm separations, while comprising only 39 percent of total nonfarm em-
ployment.
For More Information
For additional information, please read the Technical Note or visit the JOLTS Web
site at http://www.bls.gov/jlt/. Additional information about JOLTS also may be ob-
tained by e-mailing Joltsinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-5870.
_______________________________
The Job Openings and Labor Turnover release for January 2007 is scheduled to be
issued on Tuesday, March 13, 2007.
------------------------------------------------------------------
| Revisions to the JOLTS Data |
| |
| With the release of January data on March 13, BLS will revise |
| the job openings, hires, and separations data to incorporate the |
| annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment |
| estimates and the JOLTS seasonal adjustment factors. Unadjusted |
| data from April 2005 forward and seasonally adjusted data from |
| December 2000 forward are subject to revision. |
------------------------------------------------------------------
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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 characteris-
tics 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 re-
ceived 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 tempo-
rary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, and
consultants are counted by their employer of record, not by the establish-
ment 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 posi-
tion, 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 news-
papers 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.
- 5 -
Hires. Hires are the total number of additions to the payroll occurring
at any time during the reference month, including both new and rehired em-
ployees, full-time and part-time, permanent, short-term and seasonal em-
ployees, 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 (ex-
cept for retirements, which are reported as other separations). Lay-
offs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the em-
ployer 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 re-
tirements, 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, divid-
ing 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 an-
nual level by the Current Employment Statistics (CES) annual average employ-
ment level, and multiplying that quotient by 100. This figure will be ap-
proximately 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 es-
timates 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.
- 6 -
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 rel-
atively 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 supple-
mental 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 compar-
able with estimates for March 2002 and later.
The federal government reorganization that involved transferring approx-
imately 180,000 employees to the new Department of Homeland Security is not
reflected in the JOLTS hires and separations estimates for the federal gov-
ernment. The Office of Personnel Management's record shows these transfers
were completed in March 2003. The inclusion of transfers in the JOLTS defi-
nitions of hires and separations is intended to cover ongoing movements of
workers between establishments. The Department of Homeland Security reorgan-
ization was a massive one-time event, and the inclusion of these intergovern-
mental 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 adjust-
ment 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.
- 7 -
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 cal-
endar 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 seg-
ment 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 ex-
plain 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 in-
cludes 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 prac-
tices. 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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p
Total (4).............................. 3,941 3,844 4,061 4,154 4,248 4,288 4,433 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)..................... 3,509 3,363 3,604 3,659 3,790 3,828 3,953 3.0 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3
Construction......................... 170 148 162 140 134 103 118 2.2 1.9 2.1 1.8 1.8 1.4 1.6
Manufacturing........................ 313 305 310 307 364 355 395 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.5 2.4 2.7
Trade, transportation, and utilities. 661 605 686 736 639 673 788 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.7 2.4 2.5 2.9
Professional and business services... 750 651 661 728 805 780 814 4.2 3.6 3.7 4.0 4.4 4.3 4.4
Education and health services........ 618 643 678 691 754 719 738 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.7 4.0 3.9 3.9
Leisure and hospitality.............. 522 482 501 520 573 599 570 3.9 3.6 3.7 3.8 4.2 4.3 4.1
Government............................ 435 478 464 492 476 465 485 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1
REGION (5)
Northeast............................ 718 699 747 824 791 819 900 2.8 2.7 2.8 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.4
South................................ 1,612 1,498 1,548 1,582 1,630 1,553 1,702 3.3 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.4
Midwest.............................. 738 739 809 783 764 776 808 2.3 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.5
West................................. 919 911 955 991 1,062 1,119 1,055 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.4
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 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 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, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia; Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin; West: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah,
Washington, and Wyoming.
p = preliminary.
Table 2. Hires levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p
Total (4).............................. 4,694 4,995 4,831 4,803 4,988 5,042 4,889 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.7 3.7 3.6
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)..................... 4,397 4,741 4,396 4,395 4,615 4,681 4,534 3.9 4.2 3.9 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.0
Construction......................... 426 365 351 338 356 383 321 5.8 4.9 4.7 4.5 4.8 5.1 4.3
Manufacturing........................ 307 380 353 325 358 370 358 2.2 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities. 1,011 1,045 1,070 968 984 990 937 3.9 4.0 4.1 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.6
Professional and business services... 849 967 860 988 994 1,055 1,000 5.0 5.6 4.9 5.7 5.7 6.0 5.7
Education and health services........ 467 521 482 465 531 488 500 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.6 3.0 2.7 2.8
Leisure and hospitality.............. 853 850 794 827 886 918 948 6.6 6.5 6.1 6.3 6.7 6.9 7.2
Government............................ 293 338 409 380 353 355 348 1.3 1.5 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6
REGION (5)
Northeast............................ 698 841 738 718 731 717 810 2.8 3.3 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.8 3.2
South................................ 1,817 1,849 1,907 1,993 1,944 1,944 1,804 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.0 3.7
Midwest.............................. 1,038 1,123 1,008 997 1,096 1,047 1,051 3.3 3.6 3.2 3.1 3.5 3.3 3.3
West................................. 1,127 1,177 1,160 1,122 1,204 1,283 1,176 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.7 4.0 4.3 3.9
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.
Table 3. Total separations levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p
Total (4).............................. 4,359 4,479 4,386 4,380 4,524 4,699 4,521 3.2 3.3 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.5 3.3
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)..................... 4,067 4,168 4,083 4,050 4,246 4,400 4,235 3.6 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.9 3.7
Construction......................... 348 415 348 332 351 420 366 4.7 5.5 4.6 4.4 4.7 5.6 4.9
Manufacturing........................ 355 358 364 391 344 346 358 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.4 2.4 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities. 1,027 935 997 1,004 962 1,011 1,012 3.9 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.7 3.9 3.9
Professional and business services... 735 735 705 781 933 990 860 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.5 5.3 5.7 4.9
Education and health services........ 400 431 460 390 413 422 408 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.3
Leisure and hospitality.............. 843 818 801 711 762 804 824 6.5 6.3 6.1 5.4 5.8 6.1 6.2
Government............................ 270 306 304 322 278 296 268 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.2
REGION (5)
Northeast............................ 685 763 695 766 763 699 682 2.7 3.0 2.7 3.0 3.0 2.7 2.7
South................................ 1,759 1,687 1,703 1,659 1,599 1,936 1,714 3.7 3.5 3.5 3.4 3.3 4.0 3.5
Midwest.............................. 934 1,087 942 904 1,028 992 1,098 3.0 3.4 3.0 2.9 3.2 3.1 3.5
West................................. 997 979 1,070 1,031 1,101 1,053 1,029 3.4 3.3 3.6 3.4 3.7 3.5 3.4
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 rates (2) by industry and region, seasonally adjusted
Levels (3) (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Dec. July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006 2006p
Total (4).............................. 2,567 2,623 2,597 2,473 2,606 2,794 2,681 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.0
INDUSTRY
Total private (4)..................... 2,428 2,469 2,442 2,309 2,461 2,651 2,539 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.2
Construction......................... 189 157 143 131 135 142 142 2.6 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.9
Manufacturing........................ 184 189 194 182 195 216 221 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities. 634 586 604 594 571 653 621 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.4
Professional and business services... 365 412 388 401 425 495 442 2.1 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.8 2.5
Education and health services........ 254 277 300 262 278 279 270 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.5
Leisure and hospitality.............. 558 549 542 495 544 561 583 4.3 4.2 4.1 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.4
Government............................ 139 156 153 159 143 143 141 .6 .7 .7 .7 .6 .6 .6
REGION (5)
Northeast............................ 390 378 404 383 366 411 378 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5
South................................ 1,069 1,081 1,095 1,029 1,047 1,141 1,134 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.3
Midwest.............................. 481 562 551 522 605 563 544 1.5 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.9 1.8 1.7
West................................. 618 598 553 544 579 632 611 2.1 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.0
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 3,444 3,928 3,888 2.5 2.8 2.8
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,042 3,486 3,441 2.6 3.0 2.9
Natural resources and mining.................. 9 14 13 1.4 2.0 1.9
Construction.................................. 122 83 81 1.6 1.1 1.1
Manufacturing................................. 265 305 339 1.8 2.1 2.3
Durable goods................................ 184 197 207 2.0 2.2 2.3
Nondurable goods............................. 82 108 131 1.5 2.0 2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 519 628 625 1.9 2.3 2.3
Wholesale trade.............................. 104 102 136 1.8 1.7 2.3
Retail trade................................. 315 407 356 1.9 2.5 2.2
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 100 118 133 2.0 2.3 2.6
Information................................... 95 153 134 3.0 4.8 4.2
Financial activities.......................... 291 227 207 3.4 2.6 2.4
Finance and insurance........................ 235 180 137 3.7 2.8 2.2
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 56 47 70 2.6 2.1 3.1
Professional and business services............ 673 743 756 3.8 4.1 4.1
Education and health services................. 580 671 689 3.2 3.6 3.7
Educational services......................... 63 64 67 2.1 2.0 2.1
Health care and social assistance............ 517 607 622 3.4 3.9 4.0
Leisure and hospitality....................... 407 522 452 3.1 3.9 3.4
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 34 68 43 1.9 3.7 2.4
Accommodations and food services............. 373 455 408 3.3 3.9 3.5
Other services................................ 80 139 146 1.5 2.5 2.6
Government..................................... 401 442 446 1.8 1.9 1.9
Federal....................................... 40 37 36 1.4 1.3 1.3
State and local............................... 362 405 410 1.8 2.0 2.0
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 588 786 754 2.3 3.0 2.8
South......................................... 1,405 1,437 1,505 2.8 2.8 3.0
Midwest....................................... 634 682 699 2.0 2.1 2.1
West.......................................... 816 1,022 929 2.7 3.3 3.0
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 3,479 4,584 3,606 2.6 3.3 2.6
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,285 4,303 3,382 2.9 3.8 3.0
Natural resources and mining.................. 14 14 17 2.2 2.0 2.5
Construction.................................. 259 295 194 3.6 3.9 2.6
Manufacturing................................. 211 300 245 1.5 2.1 1.7
Durable goods................................ 126 180 140 1.4 2.0 1.6
Nondurable goods............................. 84 121 106 1.6 2.3 2.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 834 1,180 764 3.1 4.4 2.8
Wholesale trade.............................. 93 100 98 1.6 1.7 1.7
Retail trade................................. 555 930 543 3.5 5.9 3.4
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 186 150 123 3.8 3.0 2.4
Information................................... 61 69 48 2.0 2.3 1.6
Financial activities.......................... 135 200 158 1.6 2.4 1.9
Finance and insurance........................ 97 121 101 1.6 2.0 1.6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 38 79 57 1.8 3.6 2.6
Professional and business services............ 660 939 776 3.9 5.3 4.4
Education and health services................. 340 411 365 1.9 2.3 2.0
Educational services......................... 43 36 33 1.5 1.2 1.1
Health care and social assistance............ 297 374 331 2.0 2.5 2.2
Leisure and hospitality....................... 636 767 712 5.1 5.9 5.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 72 124 102 4.1 6.9 5.7
Accommodations and food services............. 564 643 610 5.2 5.8 5.5
Other services................................ 134 126 103 2.5 2.3 1.9
Government..................................... 195 281 224 .9 1.2 1.0
Federal....................................... 34 41 49 1.3 1.5 1.8
State and local............................... 161 239 175 .8 1.2 .9
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 487 657 591 1.9 2.5 2.3
South......................................... 1,370 1,775 1,353 2.8 3.6 2.8
Midwest....................................... 723 940 728 2.3 2.9 2.3
West.......................................... 899 1,212 934 3.0 4.0 3.1
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 4,140 4,375 4,287 3.1 3.2 3.1
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 3,910 4,161 4,064 3.5 3.6 3.6
Natural resources and mining.................. 16 13 16 2.5 1.9 2.3
Construction.................................. 387 453 401 5.3 6.0 5.5
Manufacturing................................. 318 330 319 2.2 2.3 2.3
Durable goods................................ 195 195 186 2.2 2.2 2.1
Nondurable goods............................. 123 135 134 2.3 2.6 2.6
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 1,117 939 1,095 4.2 3.5 4.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 133 119 127 2.3 2.0 2.2
Retail trade................................. 745 679 836 4.7 4.3 5.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 239 141 133 4.8 2.8 2.6
Information................................... 62 70 68 2.0 2.3 2.2
Financial activities.......................... 164 195 201 2.0 2.3 2.4
Finance and insurance........................ 104 104 129 1.7 1.7 2.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 60 90 72 2.8 4.2 3.3
Professional and business services............ 700 893 822 4.1 5.1 4.7
Education and health services................. 346 346 348 2.0 1.9 1.9
Educational services......................... 45 37 42 1.5 1.2 1.4
Health care and social assistance............ 300 310 306 2.0 2.1 2.0
Leisure and hospitality....................... 691 790 680 5.5 6.1 5.3
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 99 135 57 5.7 7.6 3.2
Accommodations and food services............. 592 655 623 5.5 5.9 5.6
Other services................................ 109 131 113 2.0 2.4 2.1
Government..................................... 230 214 222 1.0 .9 1.0
Federal....................................... 43 31 34 1.6 1.1 1.3
State and local............................... 187 183 188 1.0 .9 1.0
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 694 653 681 2.7 2.5 2.6
South......................................... 1,607 1,710 1,564 3.3 3.5 3.2
Midwest....................................... 895 994 1,071 2.8 3.1 3.4
West.......................................... 944 1,017 970 3.2 3.3 3.2
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 2,111 2,405 2,201 1.6 1.8 1.6
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 2,004 2,296 2,093 1.8 2.0 1.8
Natural resources and mining.................. 6 7 7 .9 1.0 1.1
Construction.................................. 150 118 104 2.1 1.6 1.4
Manufacturing................................. 129 169 159 .9 1.2 1.1
Durable goods................................ 80 101 82 .9 1.1 .9
Nondurable goods............................. 49 67 77 .9 1.3 1.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 564 602 553 2.1 2.3 2.1
Wholesale trade.............................. 56 68 72 1.0 1.2 1.2
Retail trade................................. 423 458 417 2.7 2.9 2.6
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 85 76 65 1.7 1.5 1.3
Information................................... 37 43 40 1.2 1.4 1.3
Financial activities.......................... 91 117 109 1.1 1.4 1.3
Finance and insurance........................ 61 73 70 1.0 1.2 1.1
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 30 44 39 1.4 2.0 1.8
Professional and business services............ 301 434 365 1.8 2.5 2.1
Education and health services................. 222 234 233 1.3 1.3 1.3
Educational services......................... 21 19 19 .7 .6 .6
Health care and social assistance............ 201 215 214 1.4 1.4 1.4
Leisure and hospitality....................... 441 500 467 3.5 3.9 3.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 39 35 25 2.2 1.9 1.4
Accommodations and food services............. 402 465 441 3.7 4.2 4.0
Other services................................ 63 73 56 1.2 1.4 1.0
Government..................................... 108 109 108 .5 .5 .5
Federal....................................... 16 16 12 .6 .6 .5
State and local............................... 91 92 96 .5 .5 .5
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 315 358 304 1.2 1.4 1.2
South......................................... 873 982 926 1.8 2.0 1.9
Midwest....................................... 402 505 453 1.3 1.6 1.4
West.......................................... 523 559 518 1.7 1.8 1.7
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 1,674 1,688 1,799 1.2 1.2 1.3
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 1,600 1,615 1,731 1.4 1.4 1.5
Natural resources and mining.................. 8 4 7 1.2 .6 1.0
Construction.................................. 226 305 279 3.1 4.0 3.8
Manufacturing................................. 147 141 137 1.0 1.0 1.0
Durable goods................................ 83 84 87 .9 .9 1.0
Nondurable goods............................. 64 57 50 1.2 1.1 1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 474 275 462 1.8 1.0 1.7
Wholesale trade.............................. 71 43 40 1.2 .7 .7
Retail trade................................. 274 176 368 1.7 1.1 2.3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 129 56 55 2.6 1.1 1.1
Information................................... 14 21 24 .4 .7 .8
Financial activities.......................... 53 69 67 .6 .8 .8
Finance and insurance........................ 25 24 39 .4 .4 .6
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 28 46 29 1.3 2.1 1.3
Professional and business services............ 352 394 420 2.1 2.2 2.4
Education and health services................. 92 82 90 .5 .5 .5
Educational services......................... 22 14 19 .8 .4 .6
Health care and social assistance............ 70 68 71 .5 .5 .5
Leisure and hospitality....................... 195 275 191 1.6 2.1 1.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 57 97 26 3.3 5.5 1.5
Accommodations and food services............. 138 178 165 1.3 1.6 1.5
Other services................................ 39 49 52 .7 .9 1.0
Government..................................... 75 73 69 .3 .3 .3
Federal....................................... 19 8 13 .7 .3 .5
State and local............................... 56 65 56 .3 .3 .3
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 331 230 331 1.3 .9 1.3
South......................................... 613 640 535 1.3 1.3 1.1
Midwest....................................... 407 425 555 1.3 1.3 1.7
West.......................................... 323 393 378 1.1 1.3 1.2
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 levels (1) and rates (2) by industry and region, not seasonally adjusted
Levels (in thousands) Rates
Industry and region Dec. Nov. Dec. Dec. Nov. Dec.
2005 2006 2006p 2005 2006 2006p
Total........................................... 355 282 286 0.3 0.2 0.2
INDUSTRY
Total private.................................. 307 249 241 .3 .2 .2
Natural resources and mining.................. 2 2 1 .3 .3 .2
Construction.................................. 11 31 18 .1 .4 .2
Manufacturing................................. 42 20 23 .3 .1 .2
Durable goods................................ 32 10 17 .4 .1 .2
Nondurable goods............................. 10 10 7 .2 .2 .1
Trade, transportation, and utilities.......... 79 62 81 .3 .2 .3
Wholesale trade.............................. 6 8 15 .1 .1 .3
Retail trade................................. 48 45 52 .3 .3 .3
Transportation, warehousing, and utilities... 25 9 13 .5 .2 .3
Information................................... 11 6 4 .4 .2 .1
Financial activities.......................... 20 9 25 .2 .1 .3
Finance and insurance........................ 19 8 21 .3 .1 .3
Real estate and rental and leasing........... 2 1 4 .1 .1 .2
Professional and business services............ 47 66 37 .3 .4 .2
Education and health services................. 32 30 25 .2 .2 .1
Educational services......................... 2 4 4 .1 .1 .1
Health care and social assistance............ 30 26 21 .2 .2 .1
Leisure and hospitality....................... 55 15 22 .4 .1 .2
Arts, entertainment, and recreation.......... 3 3 5 .2 .2 .3
Accommodations and food services............. 52 12 17 .5 .1 .1
Other services................................ 7 9 5 .1 .2 .1
Government..................................... 48 33 45 .2 .1 .2
Federal....................................... 9 7 9 .3 .3 .3
State and local............................... 39 26 37 .2 .1 .2
REGION (3)
Northeast..................................... 48 66 46 .2 .3 .2
South......................................... 121 88 103 .3 .2 .2
Midwest....................................... 87 64 63 .3 .2 .2
West.......................................... 99 65 74 .3 .2 .2
1 Other separations are the number of other separations during the entire month.
2 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.
p = preliminary.