US Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary for April

On Tuesday, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported the results of its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) for April. As of the last business day in April, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.4 million.

Job opening declines in accommodations and food services, state and local government, and education, were partially offset by job opening increases in arts, entertainment, and recreation, as well as in mining and logging.

Other highlights of the JOLTS report are as follows:

• The number and rate of hires was little changed at 5.6 million and 3.5%, respectively.
• The number and rate of total separations was little changed at 5.3 million. The total separations rate remained unchanged at 3.3%.
• The number and rate of quits were little changed at 3.2 million and 2.0%, respectively.
• The number and rate of layoffs and discharges were little changed at 1.8 million and 1.1%, respectively.
• The number of other separations was little changed at 308,000 in April.

Establishments with 1 to 9 employees and establishments with 5,000 or more employees showed little or no change in job openings, hires, and separations rates.

Monthly Revisions

Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.

The number of job openings for February was revised down by 88,000 to 7.5 million, the number of hires was revised down by 26,000 to 5.4 million, and the number of total separations was revised up by 55,000 to 5.3 million. Within separations, the number of quits was revised up by 55,000 to 3.3 million, and the number of layoffs and discharges was revised down by 10,000 to 1.8 million