JOLTS Report – February 2019

A snapshot of the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The latest JOLTS report was published on February 12, 2019 and covers December 2018.

Job Openings

On the last business day of December, the job openings level reached a series high of 7.3 million – or a rate of 4.7%.

Job opening increases and decreases:

• Construction: +88,000
• Accommodation and food services: +84,000
• Health care and social assistance: +79,000
• Nondurable goods manufacturing: -37,000
• Federal government: -32,000
• Real estate and rental and leasing: -31,000

Hires

The hires rate changed little in December 2018, reaching 5.9 million – or a rate of 3.9%.

Job opening increases and decreases:

• Retail trade: +126,000
• Educational services: +19,000
• Mining and logging: +9,000
• Information: -22,000
• Federal government: -10,000

Separations (Turnover)

The number of quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations changed little in December.

Quits (voluntary separations, initiated by the employee)

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

• Professional and business services: +60,000
• Healthcare and social assistance: +49,000

Layoffs & Discharges (involuntary separations, initiated by the employer

The number of layoffs and discharges in December was 1.7 million, or a rate of 1.1%.

• Retail trade: +56,000
• Federal Government: +4,000

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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