JOLTS Report - April 2019 - Spec On The Job

April 9, 2019

The JOLTS report (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary) from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is a snapshot of job openings and hiring.

The latest JOLTS report was published on April 9, 2019 and covers February 2019.

Job Openings

Job openings fell to 7.1 million (4.5%) in February, down from a high of 7.3 million jobs in December 2018.

Job opening increases and decreases:

• Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities: -66,000
• Construction: -27,000
• Manufacturing: +19,000
• Retail trade: -41,000

Hires

The hires rate changed little in February 2019, reaching 5.7 million – or a rate of 3.8%.

Job opening increases and decreases:

• Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities: +40,000
• Construction: -73,000
• Manufacturing: -28,000
• Retail trade: +19,000

Separations (Turnover)

The number of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations changed little in February, reaching 5.6 million, or 3.7%.

Quits (voluntary separations, initiated by the employee)

The quits rate in February was 3.5 million – or a rate of 2.3%.

• Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities: +21,000
• Construction: +1,000
• Manufacturing: -3,000
• Retail trade: -11,000

Layoffs & Discharges (involuntary separations, initiated by the employer

The number of layoffs and discharges in February was 1.7 million, or a rate of 1.2%.

• Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities: +8,000
• Construction: -10,000
• Manufacturing: -9,000
• Retail trade: +6,000

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics

“Helping our clients get jobs done since 1998.”