The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program produces data on job openings, hires, and separations.

Announcements

  • Corrections to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey news release

    • Revisions to the JOLTS Data

  • The job openings, hires, and separations data in this release have been revised from January 2006 forward to incorporate annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) birth/death model and seasonal adjustment factors. Tables showing the impact of the revision to JOLTS data dating back to 2006 can be found using this link: http://www.bls.gov/jlt/revisiontables.htm
  • NEW JOLTS staff are conducting research on the development of data by size class, and have produced a research series of size class estimates stretching back to December of 2000, when the JOLTS series began. These experimental size class estimates are now available upon request. These data are based on size of establishment and cover only the total private sector. This experimental series will be updated periodically, as resources permit. To obtain these data, please contact us at joltsinfo@bls.gov or (202) 691-5870. For information regarding the methodology used to develop the size class data please view our size class methodology page.

Next Release: July 12, 2011

Job Openings and Labor Turnover data for May 2011 are scheduled to be released July 12, 2011, at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time.

On This Page

 

JOLTS News Releases

Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

June 07, 2011

There were 3.0 million job openings on the last business day of April, essentially unchanged from the March level. The job openings rate (2.2 percent), hires rate (3.0 percent) and separations rate (2.9 percent) were essentially unchanged in April. More...
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Current

Archived

For Annual Data, please open the January 2011 press release (PDF).

 

JOLTS Databases

Databases

Database Name Special
Notice		 Top
Picks		 One
Screen		 Multi-
Screen		 Tables Text Files
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
 Special Notice Top Picks One Screen Data Search Multi Screen Data Search   Text Files

 

 

JOLTS Publications

Forms

  • JOLTS Basic (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview) Form (PDF 24K)
  • JOLTS Temporary Help/Professional Employer Organization Industry (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview) Form (PDF 23K)
  • JOLTS Education Industry (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview) Form (PDF 23K)

JOLTS Frequently Asked Questions

People Are Asking...

  1. Are annual estimates available?
  2. Are seasonally adjusted JOLTS data available?
  3. What dates are the JOLTS data released?
  4. Does JOLTS have estimates by occupation, by state, or by metropolitan area?
  5. Can JOLTS help my job search?
  6. What is the cost of turnover?
  7. What is the average number of jobs a person holds over a lifetime?

Frequently Asked Questions

Information for JOLTS Survey Participants

  1. Frequently Asked Questions
  2. Example Cases for JOLTS Survey Participants

Information for JOLTS Data Users

  1. What is JOLTS?
  2. Availability
  3. Frame and Sample
  4. Data Definitions
  5. Data Collection
  6. Data Presentation

What JOLTS does not have:

  1. List of Individual Job Openings
  2. Cost of Turnover
  3. Tenure
  4. Number of Jobs the Average Person has over a lifetime
  5. Turnover Rates by Occupation

All JOLTS FAQs »

 

JOLTS Special Notices

  • With the release of January 2010 data on March 9, 2010, the job openings, hires, and separations data have been revised from December 2000 forward to incorporate annual updates to the Current Employment Statistics employment estimates and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) seasonal adjustment factors.

  • With the release of January 2009 data on March 10, 2009, BLS implemented improvements to the methodology used to generate estimates of hires, separations, and job openings from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) program. These changes were designed to improve the measurement of hires, separations, and openings and to more closely align the hires and separations estimates with monthly employment change as measured by the BLS Current Employment Statistics (establishment) survey. All JOLTS historical series were revised to incorporate the new methods. For general information about the improvements in our methodology, please see (www.bls.gov/jlt/methodologyimprovement.htm).

 

JOLTS Related Links

Other BLS Programs

  • Business Employment Dynamics—quarterly data series of job gains and job losses statistics, generated from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program.
  • Current Employment Statistics (National)— monthly national data by detailed industry on employment, hours, and earnings of workers on the payrolls of nonfarm establishments.
  • Current Population Survey— monthly data on the labor force, employment, unemployment and persons not in the labor force. It also provides monthly data on job losers and job leavers and biennial data on displaced workers.
  • Mass Layoff Statistics— reports on mass layoff actions that result in workers being separated from their jobs.

Other Useful Links

  • CareerOneStop— a source of helpful job search information.
  • America's Career InfoNet (ACINet)— helps people make more informed career decisions. America's Career InfoNet is ideal for job seekers, employers, human resource specialists and workforce development specialists.

 

Contact JOLTS

Contact Us

For additional information concerning the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), contact a JOLTS staff member at:

  • Email: Contact JOLTS staff by email
  • Telephone number: (202) 691-5870
  • Fax number: (202) 691-6645
  • Postal address:
    Bureau of Labor Statistics
    Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics
    Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Suite 4840
    2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
    Washington, DC 20212-0001

Survey participants who need assistance in completing their monthly report, call 1-800-341-4620.