Job Openings, Hires and Separations Steady In October

There were 4.834 million job openings on the last business day of October, little changed from 4.685 million in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Hires (5.055 million) and separations (4.824 million) were steady in October. Within separations, the quits rate (1.9 percent) was little changed and the layoffs and discharges rate (1.2 percent) was unchanged. 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. There were 4.84 million job openings on the last business day of October. The job openings rate was 3.3 percent. The number of job openings was little changed for total private and declined for government in October. The level of job openings decreased for state and local government. The job openings level was little changed in all four regions. The number of job openings (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in October for total nonfarm and total private, and was little changed for government. The job openings level increased over the year for many industries, including both professional and business services and accommodation and food services. The number of openings also increased over the year in all four regions. The hires level was essentially unchanged at 5.055 million in October, maintaining the prior month's increase. The hires rate in October was 3.6 percent. The number of hires was little changed for total private were little changed in all four regions. Over the 12 months ending in October, the number of hires (not seasonally adjusted) increased for total nonfarm and total private, and was little changed for government. The hires level increased over the year in many industries, including retail trade and professional and business services. The number of hires increased in the Midwest and South regions. Total separations include quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations are 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 include separations due to retirement, death, and disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm. There were 4.824 million total separations in October, little changed from September. The separations rate was 3.5 percent. The number of total separations was little changed for total private and government and in all four regions.
Recent History Of This Indicator: The Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for September was mixed but net moderately positive. Job openings were positive, hires rose, while the quits rate rose. A rising quits rate may reflect a stronger jobs market. There were 4.735 million job openings on the last business day of September, compared to 4.853 million in August. The hires level increased to 5.026 million in September, up from 4.742 million in August. This was the highest level of hires since December 2007. There were 4.788 million total separations in September, up from 4.531 million in August. The number of quits increased from 2.510 million in August to 2.753 million in September. This was the highest level of quits since April 2008 which may indicate increased job mobility. In September, there were 388,000 other separations for total nonfarm, little changed from August.