BLS Report: Job openings rise to 7.5 million in March; hires and separations little changed

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JOLTS -- the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. It covers the activity from two months back. It comes out a few days after the monthly payroll employment report.

Job openings rise to 7.5 million in March; hires and separations little changed

Economic News Release USDL-19-0774

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Tuesday, May 7, 2019

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JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER – MARCH 2019

The number of job openings rose to 7.5 million on the last business day of March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires and separations were little changed at 5.7 million and 5.4 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was unchanged at 2.3 percent and the layoffs and discharges rate was little changed at 1.1 percent. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by four geographic regions.

Job Openings

On the last business day of March, the job openings level rose to 7.5 million (+346,000). The job openings rate was 4.7 percent. The number of job openings increased for total private (+363,000) and was little changed for government. Job openings increased in a number of industries, with the largest increases in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+87,000), construction (+73,000), and real estate and rental and leasing (+57,000). Job openings decreased in federal government (-15,000). The number of job openings was little changed in all four regions. (See table 1.)

Hires

The number of hires was little changed at 5.7 million in March. The hires rate was 3.8 percent. The hires level was little changed for total private and for government. The number of hires was little changed in all industries and in all four regions. (See table 2.)

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is referred to as turnover. Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations includes separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm.
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The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey results for April 2019 are scheduled to be released on Monday, June 10, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).

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