Virginia Job Openings Outnumbered Unemployed in December
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ December 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports steady conditions in Virginia unemployment and job openings.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of December 2024 job hires in Virginia increased by 8,000 over the month but were eight percent lower than a year earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (including retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in December, there were 253,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a decrease of 33,000 from November’s revised figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings decreased to 7.6 million (-556,000) on the last business day of December and was down by 1.3 million over the year. The number of job openings decreased in professional and business services (-225,000), health
are and social assistance (-180,000), and finance and insurance (-136,000). Job openings increased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+65,000). Large increases in the job openings level occurred in California (-117,000), Florida (-73,000), and Colorado (-39,000). In Virginia, the December job openings rate fell to 5.6 percent, a decrease from November’s revised rate. The job openings rate was 4.5 percent in December 2024, decreasing 0.8 percentage point from 5.3 percent a year earlier, in December 2023. Among major industries, job openings rates in December 2024 were 2.5 percent in construction and wholesale trade and 6.4 percent in professional and business services. Nationwide, the largest decreases in job openings rates occurred in Colorado (-1.2 percentage points) and Maryland (-0.8 point), as well as in Florida and Virginia (-0.7 point each).
The number of hires in Virginia rose to 152,000 in December, an increase of 8,000 over the month but down by 13,000 from December 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In December, the number of U.S. hires changed little at 5.5 million but was down by 325,000 over the year. Hires increased in finance and insurance (+48,000). Significant increases in the hires level occurred in Pennsylvania (+32,000) and in Utah (+16,000). In Virginia, the 3.6 hires rate edged up from November’s revised 3.4 percent rate. The U.S. hires rate remained unchanged at 3.4 percent over the month. Large increases in the hires rates occurred in Utah (+0.9 percentage point) and in Pennsylvania (+0.5 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was little changed at six hires for every ten job openings, lower than nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In December 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.9 unemployed per job opening nationwide. There were 7.6 million job openings in the United States in December 2024, a number not much different than the number of unemployed people, resulting in a ratio of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening. North Dakota and South Dakota each had 0.4 unemployed persons per job opening and Vermont and Virginia each had 0.5 unemployed persons per job opening. There were 1.3 unemployed persons per job opening in Michigan and Nevada, and 1.7 in California.
Total job separations in Virginia decreased by 3,000 to 139,000. The number of total separations nationwide in December was little changed at 5.3 million. The largest increases occurred in Texas (+127,000), New Jersey (+33,000), and South Carolina (+16,000). The decreases occurred in California (-131,000), Florida (-48,000), and Colorado (-22,000). The Virginia total separations rate was unchanged at 3.3 percent, remaining at levels seen in recent months. The U.S. total separations rate remained unchanged at 3.3 percent over the month. An estimated 91,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in December. The number of quits was little changed from November’s revised figure. This was six percent lower over-the-year and five percent lower than five years earlier. In December, the number of U.S.
quits was little changed at 3.2 million but declined by 242,000 over the year. Quits decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-42,000). Large increases occurred in Texas (+105,000) and New York (+28,000). The decreases occurred in Florida (-90,000) and Colorado (-25,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 2.1 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was unchanged at 2.0 percent. The December ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia inched up by 0.2 of a percentage point from November’s revised 6.7 percent figure. This equaled the U.S. churn rate, which was unchanged over the month. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 38,000 in December, a decrease of 2,000 from November’s revised estimate. This was down 12 percent over the year. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In December, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.8 million. Layoffs and discharges increased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+87,000), and in mining and logging (+6,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was unchanged at nearly one percent in December. The U.S. layoffs and discharges rate remained unchanged at 1.1 percent. For establishments with 5,000 or more employees, the layoffs and discharges rate and total separations rate increased. Large increases in layoffs and discharges rates occurred in Rhode Island (+2.1 percentage points) and New Jersey (+0.6 point).
On the last business day of December, JOLTS data in Virginia and nationwide indicated that job churn often slowed in 2024, with workers more reluctant to leave current positions. At the same time, layoffs remained low, providing a positive labor market signal.
Job Openings
Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires
Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations
Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the January 2025 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Monday March 24, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the January JOLTS data for states on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
### Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments.
For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS terms*
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ November 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports steady conditions in Virginia hires and quits.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of November 2024 job openings in Virginia increased by 19,000 over the month and were over a third higher than five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (including retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in November, there were 295,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 19,000 from October’s revised figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings showed little change at 8.1 million on the last business day of November but was down by 833,000 over the year. The number of U.S. job openings increased in professional and business services (+273,000), finance and insurance (+105,000), and private educational services (+38,000) but decreased in information (-89,000).
Large increases in the job openings level occurred in California (+98,000), Texas (+82,000), and North Carolina (+53,000). Notable decreases occurred in Colorado (-92,000) and Maine (-7,000). In Virginia, the November job openings rate rose to 6.5 percent, an increase from October’s revised rate. The U.S. job openings rate, at 4.8 percent, changed little over the month. Nationwide, significant increases in job openings rates occurred in North Carolina (+0.9 percentage point) and California (+0.5 point). The decreases occurred in Colorado (-2.7 points) and Maine (-1.0 point). The number of hires in Virginia rose to 145,000 in November, an increase of 8,000 over the month but down by 20,000 from November 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In November, the number of U.S. hires changed little at 5.3 million but was down by 300,000 over the year. Hires significantly decreased in private educational services (-24,000). The largest decreases in the hires level occurred in Texas (-128,000), Tennessee (-27,000), and Colorado (-24,000). In Virginia, the 3.4 hires rate edged up from October’s revised 3.2 percent rate. The U.S. hires rate was little changed at 3.3 percent. The largest decreases in the hires rates occurred in Idaho and Oklahoma (-1.1 percentage points each) and in Texas (-0.9 point). A significant increase occurred in Wyoming (+1.0 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was unchanged at five hires for every ten job openings, lower than nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In November 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.9 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 0.3 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total job separations in Virginia decreased by 4,000 to 143,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in November was little changed at 5.1 million but was down by 287,000 over the year. The largest decreases occurred in Arizona (-43,000), Colorado (-37,000), and Minnesota (-24,000). The Virginia total separations rate was little changed at 3.4 percent, at levels typical in recent months. The U.S. total separations rate changed little at 3.2 percent. Nationwide, significant decreases occurred in Arizona (-1.3 percentage points), Colorado (-1.2 points), and Minnesota (-0.8 point). An estimated 90,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in November. The number of quits was unchanged from October’s revised figure. This was six percent lower over-the-year but unchanged from five years earlier. In November, the number of U.S. quits decreased to 3.1 million (-218,000) and declined by 451,000 over the year. Quits decreased in accommodation and food services (-85,000) and in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-22,000). The largest decreases occurred in Arizona (-31,000) and New York (-29,000) as well as in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee (-19,000 each). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 2.1 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate decreased to 1.9 percent. The largest decreases occurred in Arizona (-1.0 percentage point) as well as in Oklahoma and Tennessee (-0.6 point each). The November ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia inched up by 0.1 of a percentage point from October’s revised 6.7 percent figure. The U.S. churn rate was little changed over the month. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 40,000 in November, a decrease of 8,000 from October’s 48,000 revised estimate. This was up 14 percent over the year. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In November, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.8 million but was up by 219,000 over the year. Layoffs and discharges increased in accommodation and food services (+102,000). Significant decreases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in Texas (-38,000), Colorado (-27,000), and Minnesota (-13,000). Notable increases occurred in California (+82,000), New York (+40,000), and Michigan (+23,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was nearly one percent in November. The U.S. layoffs and discharges rate remained unchanged at 1.1 percent. The layoffs and discharges rate for establishments with 1 to 9 employees decreased in November. The decreases occurred in Arizona (-1.3 percentage points), Colorado (-1.2 points), and Minnesota (-0.8 point). Notable decreases in layoffs and discharges rates occurred in Colorado (-0.9 percentage point), Minnesota (-0.4 point), and Texas (-0.3 point). Notable increases occurred in Michigan and New York (+0.5 point each) as well as in California (+0.4 point).
On the last business day of November, JOLTS data showed little change in the movement from job to job yet showed signs of possible future tightening in Virginia’s labor market. Job openings rebounded significantly in November as nearly 20,000 job openings were added. December’s figures as well as November’s revised numbers should shed more light on the size of job openings at the end of the year.
Job Openings
Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires
Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations
Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the December 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday February 21, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the December JOLTS data for states on Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS terms*
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ October 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports decreases in Virginia hires, layoffs, and quits.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of October 2024 layoffs and discharges in Virginia decreased by 6,000 over the month but were equivalent to that of five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in October, there were 276,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 52,000 from September’s revised figure. Nationwide, the number of job openings was little changed at 7.7 million on the last business day of October but was down by 941,000 over the year. The number of job openings significantly increased in professional and business services (+209,000), accommodation and food services (+162,000), and information (+87,000) but decreased in federal government (-26,000). The largest increases in the job openings level occurred in Colorado (+134,000), Georgia (+81,000), and Texas (+77,000). The largest decreases occurred in New York (-98,000), Pennsylvania (-54,000), and Arkansas (-15,000). In Virginia, the October job openings rate rose to 6.1 percent, an increase from September’s revised rate. The U.S. job openings rate, at 4.6 percent, changed little over the month. Nationwide, the largest increases in job openings rates occurred in Colorado (+3.8 percentage points), Mississippi (+1.7 points), and Georgia (+1.5 points). The largest decreases occurred in New Hampshire (-1.3 points), Arkansas (-1.0 point), and New York (-0.9 point).
The number of hires in Virginia fell to 139,000 in October, a decrease of 26,000 over the month and down by 22,000 from October 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. In October, the number of U.S. hires changed little at 5.3 million but was down by 501,000 over the year. Hires significantly decreased in private educational services (-24,000). The largest decreases in the hires level occurred in Florida (-82,000), Michigan (-43,000), and New York (-37,000). The increases occurred in Colorado (+24,000) and Oklahoma (+15,000). In Virginia, the 3.3 hires rate decreased from September’s revised 3.9 percent rate. The U.S. hires rate was little changed at 3.3 percent. The U.S. hires rate for establishments with 1 to 9 employees decreased in October. Significant decreases in the hires rates occurred in Montana (-2.0 percentage points), Michigan (-1.0 point), and Florida (-0.8 point). Significant increases occurred in Oklahoma (+0.9 point) and Colorado (+0.7 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio fell in October to five hires for every ten job openings, lower than nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In October 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.9 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 0.3 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total job separations in Virginia decreased by 8,000 to 142,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in October was little changed at 5.3 million but was down by 369,000 over the year. The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in California (+83,000), Colorado (+73,000), and Arizona (+31,000). The decreases occurred in New York (-76,000), Florida (-69,000), and Pennsylvania (-31,000). The Virginia total separations rate edged down to 3.3 percent, little changed over the month and at levels typical in recent months. The U.S. total separations rate was 3.3 percent for the third month in a row. Nationwide, significant increases in total separations rates occurred in Colorado (+2.4 percentage points), Alaska (+1.5 points), and Wyoming (+1.3 points). The decreases occurred in New York (-0.8 point) and Florida (-0.7 point). An estimated 89,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in October. The
number of quits decreased by 3,000 from September’s revised figure. This was ten percent lower over-the-year and 18 percent lower than five years earlier. In October, the number of U.S. quits increased to 3.3 million (+228,000) but was down by 308,000 over the year. The largest increases occurred in California (+78,000), Colorado (+43,000), and Arizona (+26,000). Significant decreases occurred in Florida (-54,000) and Pennsylvania (-28,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 2.1 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate increased to 2.1 percent. Nationwide, the largest increases in quits rates occurred in Wyoming (+1.7 percentage points), Colorado (+1.4 points), and Alaska (+1.2 points). Significant decreases occurred in Florida and Pennsylvania (-0.5 point each). The October ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia slowed by 0.8 of a percentage point from September’s revised 7.4 percent figure. The U.S. churn rate was little changed over the month. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 44,000 in October, a decrease of 6,000 from September’s 50,000 revised estimate. This was down four percent over the year. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. Nationwide in October, the number and rate of layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.6 million and 1.0 percent, respectively. Layoffs and discharges increased in retail trade (+60,000) but decreased in durable goods manufacturing (-37,000) and in private educational services (-14,000). The largest decreases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in New York (-80,000), Ohio (-40,000), and Georgia (-16,000). The increase occurred in Colorado (+29,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was one percent in October. The U.S. layoffs and discharges rate was also one percent in October. The largest decreases in layoffs and discharges rates occurred in New York (-0.8 percentage point), Ohio (-0.7 point), and Missouri (-0.4 point). The increase occurred in Colorado (+1.0 point). Over the month, the national layoffs and discharges rate increased (+0.1 point).
On the last business day of October, JOLTS data showed slowing but resilience in Virginia’s labor market. Job openings rebounded in October and continued to illustrate available opportunites for job seekers. The challenge remains that it also shows the difficulty that many employers have had in hiring key occupations requiring in-demand skills. After rising in September, the estimate of job hires fell to their lowest level since May 2020. At the same time, total job separations also decreased, led by fewer layoffs and discharges. These resulted in a one-to-one hires-to-separations rate, with slower velocity of movement from job to job.
Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
*Excerpted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Concepts,” https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/concepts.htm.
Virginia Works plans to release the November 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Tuesday January 21, 2025. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the November JOLTS data for states on Friday, January 17, 2025.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm. Definitions of JOLTS terms*
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ September 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports an increase in Virginia total job separations.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of September 2024 layoffs and discharges in Virginia rose by 8,000 over the month but were 6,000 lower compared with five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in September, there were 244,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a decrease of 24,000 from August’s revised figure. The number of U.S. job openings was little changed at 7.4 million on the last business day of September. The number of job openings decreased in health care and social assistance (-178,000); state and local government, excluding education (-79,000); and federal government (-28,000) but increased in finance and insurance (+85,000).
The largest decreases in the job openings level occurred in Texas (-134,000), Georgia (-74,000), and Florida (-52,000). The increase occurred in Arkansas (+23,000). In Virginia, the September job openings rate was 5.4 percent, little changed from August’s revised rate. Nationwide, the job openings rate, at 4.5 percent, changed little over the month. Nationwide, the largest decreases in job openings rates occurred in Georgia (-1.3 percentage points), Oklahoma (-1.1 points), and Texas (-0.9 point). A significant increase occurred in Arkansas (+1.5 points).
The number of hires in Virginia rose to 165,000 in September, an increase of 8,000 over the month but down by 9,000 from September 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of U.S. hires was 40 percent lower than the series high of 267,000 set in June 2020. In September, the number changed little at 5.6 million. Nationwide, the largest increases in the hires level occurred in Michigan (+41,000), Minnesota (+17,000), and Montana (+7,000). The decreases occurred in Massachusetts (-79,000) and Maine (-7,000). In Virginia, the 3.9 hires rate increased from August’s revised 3.7 percent rate. In September, the rate of U.S. hires changed little at 3.5 percent. Significant increases in the hires rate occurred in Montana (+1.2 percentage points), Michigan (+0.9 point), and Minnesota (+0.6 point). The decreases occurred in Massachusetts (-2.1 points) and Maine (-1.1 points).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio rose in September to seven hires for every ten job openings, similar to nationwide. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In September 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.9 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 0.3 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total job separations in Virginia increased by 11,000 to 147,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in September was unchanged at 5.2 million but was down by 326,000 over the year. The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in New York (+81,000), New Jersey (+35,000), and North Carolina (+33,000). The decrease occurred in Illinois (-57,000). The Virginia total separations rate increased to 3.5 percent, little changed over the month and at levels typical in recent months. The U.S. total separations changed little at 3.1 percent. Nationwide, significant increases in total separations rates occurred in New Hampshire (+1.0 percentage point), New Jersey (+0.8 point), and New York (+0.8 point). The decrease occurred in Illinois (-0.9 point).
An estimated 94,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in September. The number of quits increased 6,000 from August’s revised figure. This was eight percent lower over-the-year but three
An estimated 94,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in September. The number of quits increased 6,000 from August’s revised figure. This was eight percent lower over-the-year but three percent higher than five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. In September, the number of quits changed little at 3.1 million but was down by 525,000 over the year. Quits significantly decreased in professional and business services (-94,000) but increased in state and local government, excluding education (+22,000) and in real estate and rental and leasing (+18,000). Significant increases occurred in Indiana (+19,000), Maryland (+17,000), and Louisiana (+13,000). The decreases occurred in Illinois (-49,000) and Colorado (-17,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was 2.2 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate was little changed at 1.9 percent. Nationwide, significant increases in quits rates occurred in Louisiana (+0.7 percentage point) and Maryland (+0.6 point). A decrease occurred in Illinois (-0.8 point). The September ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia rose by 0.5 of a percentage point from August’s revised 6.9 percent figure. The U.S. churn rate was unchanged over the month. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 44,000 in September, an increase of 8,000 from August’s 36,000 revised estimate. This was up five percent over the year. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In September, the U.S. number of layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.8 million but increased by 238,000 over the year. Layoffs and Layoffs and discharges significantly increased in durable goods manufacturing (+46,000) but decreased in state and local government, excluding education (-20,000). The largest increases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in New York (+66,000), New Jersey (+45,000), and North Carolina (+24,000). The decrease occurred in Arkansas (-7,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was one percent in September. The U.S. layoffs and discharges rate increased to 1.2 percent in September. The largest increases occurred in New Jersey (+1.0 percentage point), New Hampshire (+0.7 point), and New York (+0.6 point). Over the month, the national layoffs and discharges rate increased (+0.2 point). In September, the layoffs and discharges rate increased in establishments with 1 to 9 employees.
On the last business day of September, Job openings fell over the month, but still remained a third below their July 2022 high when employers scrambled to find workers after massive layoffs and workers were quitting at high rates in search of better opportunities. Job openings remained twelve percent above pre-pandemic level in September 2019, eluding to the resilient health of the Commonwealth’s labor market.
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Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the October 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Tuesday December 24, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the October JOLTS data for states on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports a large increase in Virginia layoffs and discharges after many months of calm.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of July 2024 layoffs and discharges in Virginia rose by 30,000 over the month and compared with five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in July, there were 273,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, an increase of 28,000 from June’s revised figure. The number of U.S. job openings was little changed at 7.7 million and was down by 1.1 million over the year. The number of job openings decreased in health care and social assistance (-187,000); state and local government, excluding education (-101,000); and transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-88,000). Job openings increased in professional and business services (+178,000) and in federal government (+28,000). Significant decreases in the job openings level occurred in New York (-91,000), Minnesota (-41,000), and Massachusetts (-37,000). Significant increases occurred in Virginia (+28,000) and in Louisiana and Oklahoma (+14,000 each).
In Virginia, the July job openings rate was six percent, up nearly half of a percentage point from June’s rate. Nationwide, the job openings rate, at 4.6 percent, changed little in July. Significant decreases in job openings rates occurred in Minnesota (-1.3 percentage points) and in Massachusetts and New York (-0.9 point each). A large increase occurred in Oklahoma (+0.7 point).
The number of hires in Virginia rose to 152,000 in July, an increase of 12,000 over the month but down by 22,000 from July 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was 43 percent lower than the series high of 267,000 set in June 2020. In July, the U.S. number of hires changed little at 5.5 million. Hires increased in accommodation and food services (+156,000) but decreased in federal government (-8,000). Notable increases in the hires level occurred in California (+119,000), Pennsylvania (+38,000), and Michigan (+29,000). A significant decrease occurred in Arkansas (-19,000). In Virginia, the 3.6 hires rate increased from June’s revised 3.3 percent rate, which essentially equaled the U.S. rate, which changed little at 3.5 percent. Notable increases in the hires rate occurred in California and Michigan (+0.7 percentage points each), as well as in Minnesota and Pennsylvania (+0.6 point each). A significant decrease occurred in Arkansas (-1.3 points).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was unchanged in July at six hires for every ten job openings. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In July 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to 0.8 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 0.3 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total job separations in Virginia increased by 58,000 to 196,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in July increased to 5.4 million (+336,000). Total separations increased in health care and social assistance (+108,000). Notable increases in the total separations level occurred in Florida (+74,000), Virginia (+58,000), and Pennsylvania (+53,000). A large decrease occurred in Texas (-65,000). The Virginia total separations rate jumped to 4.6 percent, a significant increase over the month. The U.S. total separations rate was little changed at 3.4 percent. Notable increases in total separations rates occurred in North Dakota (+2.0 percentage points) and Virginia (+1.4 points), as well as in Colorado and New Mexico (+1.0 point each). A large decrease occurred in Texas (-0.5 point).
An estimated 105,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in July. The number of quits increased 23,000 from June’s revised figure. This was lower by four percent over-the-year but seven
percent higher than five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Nationwide in July, the number of quits was essentially unchanged at 3.3 million but was down by 338,000 over the year. Quits significantly increased in information (+16,000). The largest increases in the quits level occurred in Florida (+63,000), Virginia (+23,000), and Pennsylvania (+22,000). The largest decreases occurred in Texas (-45,000), New York (-32,000), and Illinois (-29,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth rose to 2.5 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. quits rate changed little at 2.1 percent. The largest increases in quits rates occurred in Colorado (+0.7 percentage point) and in Florida and Virginia (+0.6 point each). The decreases occurred in Illinois (-0.4 point), as well as in New York and Texas (-0.3 point each). In July, the quits rate significantly decreased for establishments with 1 to 9 employees.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 73,000 in July, an increase of 30,000 from June’s 43,000 revised estimate. This was up 12 percent over the year and approached the highest level since 2020. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. Nationwide in July, the number of layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.8 million. Layoffs and discharges increased in accommodation and food services (+75,000) and in finance and insurance (+21,000). The largest increases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in Virginia (+30,000), Pennsylvania (+29,000), and Michigan (+16,000). A large decrease occurred in Oklahoma (-9,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate rose to 1.7 percent in July. The U.S. rate was little changed at 1.1 percent. The largest increases occurred in North Dakota (+1.6 percentage points), Virginia (+0.7 point), and South Dakota (+0.6 point). A large decrease occurred in Oklahoma (-0.5 point).
The July ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia rose by 1.7 percentage points from June’s revised 6.5 percent figure, the fastest pace in a year. The hires rate rose but the total job separations increase was the main driver of the acceleration in July’s churn rate. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
On the last business day of July, Virginia’s labor market conditions deviated from recent trends as the pace of movement from job to job quickened to the fastest pace in a year. Contributing to this was a spike in the numbers of layoffs and discharges in July. Layoffs, a relatively quiet component of the JOLTS survey since 2022, jumped by 70 percent over the month and compared to July 2019. State JOLTS measures can be volitile month-to-month and the JOLTS layoff figure might recede to its low recent trend but it could also reflect published business closure notices in recent months.
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Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the August 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Tuesday October 22, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the August JOLTS data for states on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports the churn rate, an indicator of worker movement from job to job, increased over the month.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of May 2024 hires in Virginia rose by 23,000 over the month and was up by 28 percent from five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in May, there were 257,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a 4,000 increase from April’s revised figure. The number of U.S. job openings the number of job openings changed little at 8.1 million. This measure was down by 1.2 million over the year. Job openings decreased in accommodation and food services (-147,000) and in private educational services (-34,000). The number of job openings increased in state and local government, excluding education (+117,000), durable goods manufacturing (+97,000), and federal government (+37,000). The largest increases in the job openings level occurred in California (+90,000) and New York (+45,000), as well as in New Jersey and Washington +38,000 each). The decreases occurred in Texas (-76,000), Tennessee (-22,000), and Arizona (-21,000).
In Virginia, the May job openings rate was 5.7 percent, little changed from April’s rate. The U.S. rate was little changed at 4.9 percent in May. The largest increases in job openings rates occurred in Washington (+1.0 percentage point) and in Indiana and New Jersey (+0.8 point each). A significant decrease occurred in Texas (-0.5 point).
The number of hires in Virginia rose to 189,000 in May, an increase of 23,000 over the month and up by 11,000 from May 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was 29 percent lower than the series high of 267,000 set in June 2020. In May, the number of hires was little changed at 5.8 million. Over the year, hires were down by 415,000. The largest increases in the hires level occurred in New York (+43,000), Michigan (+32,000), and North Dakota (+4,000). A significant decrease occurred in Louisiana (-15,000). In Virginia, the 4.5 hires rate was an increase from April’s revised 3.9 percent rate. The U.S. rate, at 3.6 percent, changed little in May. Large increases in the hires rate occurred in North Dakota (+0.8 percentage point), Michigan (+0.7 point), and New York (+0.4 point). The decrease occurred in Louisiana (-0.8 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio rose to 0.74, its highest level since December 2020. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In May 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to nationwide, with 0.8 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 3.3 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total separations in Virginia increased by 17,000 to 168,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in May changed little at 5.4 million. This measure was down by 424,000 over the year. Large increases in the total separations level occurred in Massachusetts (+30,000), as well as in Idaho and Montana (+9,000 each). A significant decrease occurred in Ohio (-32,000). The Virginia total separations rate rose to 4.0 percent, the highest rate in a year. The U.S. total separations rate changed little at 3.4 percent. Significant increases in total separations rates occurred in Montana (+1.6 percentage points), Idaho (+1.0 point), and Massachusetts (+0.8 point). A significant decrease occurred in Ohio (-0.5 point).
An estimated 111,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in May. The number of quits increased 15,000 from April’s revised figure. That was lower by 16 percent over-the-year but 19 percent higher than five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. In May, the number of quits nationwide was little changed at 3.5 million. Over the year, quits were down by 550,000.
Significant increases in the quits level occurred in California (+75,000) and Massachusetts (+19,000), as well as in Idaho and Mississippi (+7,000 each). Large decreases occurred in Florida (-71,000), Ohio (-25,000), and Colorado (-23,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth edged up to 2.6 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. The U.S. rate was 2.2 percent for the seventh month in a row in May. Significant increases in quits rates occurred in Idaho (+0.7 percentage point), Massachusetts (+0.5 point), and California (+0.4 point). Significant decreases occurred in Colorado (-0.8 point), Florida (-0.7 point), and Ohio (-0.4 point).
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was 49,000 in May. This was up by 20 percent over the year and up by a third from five years earlier. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In May, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.7 million. Significant increases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in Florida (+51,000), Texas (+34,000), as well as in Montana and Oklahoma (+9,000 each). Significant decreases occurred in Arizona (-12,000) and Connecticut (-7,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate edged up to 1.2 percent, while the U.S. rate was little changed at 1.0 percent but for establishments with 5,000 or more employees, the layoffs and discharges rate increased. The largest increases occurred in Montana (+1.7 percentage points), Florida (+0.6 point), and Oklahoma (+0.5 point). The decreases occurred in Connecticut (-0.5 point) and Arizona (-0.4 point).
The May ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia rose by a full percentage point from April’s revised 7.5 percent figure, the fastest pace in a year. This was a departure from nationwide as recent U.S. trends indicated a continued deceleration of movement of workers from job to job since the beginning of 2022. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
On the last business day in May 2024, hiring in Virginia remained more prevalent than before the pandemic as the number of hires and hires per job opening rose to their highest level in a year. At the same time, job separations also rose over the month, primarily driven by job quitting. This increased hiring and separation activity pushed a measure of job change velocity, the churn rate, upward, indicating a still-active labor market for job seekers in the Commonwealth heading into summer.
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Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the June 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Tuesday August 20, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the June JOLTS data for states on Friday, August 16, 2024.
Technical note: Effective with the release of May 2024 data on July 24, 2024, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) state estimates have been benchmarked and revised to include the annual benchmark revisions to JOLTS national estimates, the Current Employment Statistics (CES) employment estimates, and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) data. Seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted data from January 2019 forward are subject to revision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ April 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports the job openings rate up a full percentage point.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of April 2024 hires in Virginia rose by four thousand over the month and up by six percent from five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in April, there were 283,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a 46,000 increase from March’s revised figure. The number of U.S. job openings changed little at 8.1 million; this measure was down by 1.8 million over the year. Job openings decreased in health care and social assistance (-204,000) and in state and local government education (-59,000) but increased in private educational services (+50,000). The largest decreases in the job openings level occurred in California (-81,000), New York (-71,000), and Illinois (-65,000). The largest increases occurred in Virginia (+46,000), Arizona (+36,000), and Tennessee (+18,000).
In Virginia, the April job openings rate was 6.3 percent, up a full point from March. The U.S. rate was little changed at 4.8 percent in April. The largest decreases in job openings rates occurred in Illinois, Kansas, and Vermont (-0.9 percentage point each). Significant increases occurred in Arizona and Virginia (+1.0 point each) and in Idaho (+0.8 point).
The number of hires in Virginia rose to 172,000 in April, an increase of 4,000 over the month and up by a similar amount from April 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was 37 percent lower than the series high of 271,000 set in June 2020. In April, the number of U.S. hires was little changed at 5.6 million. Hires significantly increased in durable goods manufacturing (+52,000), but decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-45,000) and in federal government (-8,000). The largest increases in the hires level occurred in North Carolina (+30,000), Louisiana (+15,000), and Oklahoma (+13,000). Large decreases occurred in New Jersey (-36,000) and Massachusetts (-23,000). In Virginia, the 4.1 hires rate was little changed from March’s revised 4.0 percent rate. The U.S. rate, at 3.6 percent, changed little in April. The hires rate increased for establishments with 5,000 or more employees. The largest increases in the hires rate occurred in Idaho (+1.0 percentage point) and in Louisiana and Oklahoma (+0.7 point each). The decreases occurred in New Jersey (-0.8 point) and Massachusetts (-0.6 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio fell to 0.61. This was different from nationwide, where hires rose as a percentage of openings. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In April 2024, there were 0.5 unemployed per job opening in the Commonwealth, compared to nationwide, with 0.8 unemployed per job opening nationwide. In Virginia, the unemployed per job opening ratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession, while the number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 3.2 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts.
Total separations in Virginia increased by 2,000 to 156,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations changed little at 5.4 million. Over the month, the number of total separations significantly increased in durable goods manufacturing (+49,000). The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in Colorado (+48,000), Arizona (+32,000), and Louisiana (+18,000). The decreases occurred in Massachusetts (-19,000) and Idaho (-6,000). The Virginia total separations rate edged upward to 3.7 percent. The U.S. total separations rate changed little at 3.4 percent. Significant increases in total separations rates occurred in Colorado (+1.6 percentage points), Arizona (+1.0 point), and Louisiana (+0.9 point). The decreases occurred in Massachusetts (-0.6 point) and New York (-0.4 point).
An estimated 100,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in April. The number of quits was unchanged from March’s revised figure. That was little-changed over-the-year and little-changed from five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. In April, the number of quits nationwide was little changed at 3.5 million. The number of quits decreased in professional and business services (-131,000), but increased in other services (+67,000), durable goods manufacturing (+39,000), and state and local government education (+32,000). The largest increases in the quits level occurred in Colorado (+38,000), Ohio (+22,000), and Arizona (+18,000). A significant decrease occurred in Massachusetts (-14,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth was unchanged at 2.4 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. The U.S. rate was 2.2 percent for the sixth month in a row in April. The largest increases in quits rates occurred in Colorado (+1.3 percentage points) and in Louisiana and South Dakota (+0.7 point each). The decrease occurred in Massachusetts (-0.4 point).
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was unchanged at 44,000 in April. This was down by a quarter over the year, and down by twelve percent from five years earlier. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In April, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.5 million. The number of layoffs and discharges significantly decreased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-37,000). The largest decreases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in Florida (-27,000) and in Michigan and New York (-24,000 each). The increases occurred in California (+39,000), Connecticut (+10,000), and Maine (+3,000).
The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was little changed at one percent, while the U.S. rate was little changed at 1.0 percent. The largest decreases occurred in North Dakota (-0.7 percentage point) and Indiana (-0.6 point) as well as in Michigan and Oklahoma (-0.5 point each). The increases occurred in Connecticut (+0.6 point) and California (+0.2 point).
The April ‘churn’ rate (the sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia and nationwide edged down as recent trends indicated a continued deceleration of movement of workers from job to job since the beginning of 2022. The pace of churn nationwide has slowed to that of the Great Recession recovery year of 2014. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more active for over a year.
On the last business day in April 2024, job openings in Virginia remained more prevalent than before the pandemic as Virginia’s job openings rose to their highest level in nearly a year. This may be an indication that labor markets in Virginia remain tighter than is the case nationwide. High levels of U.S. job openings at the height of the pandemic recovery were, in part, propelled by faster churn, which has slowed. This pace of movment from job to job has remained more resilient in the Commonwealth than nationwide. At the same time, the ability of employers to staff has continued to improve as quitting has declined similarly in Virginia and nationwide.
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Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Virginia Works plans to release the May 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday, July 26, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the May JOLTS data for states on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
Technical note: April’s JOLTS analysis reflects revisions to U.S. figures that were made to the CES employment data in their annual benchmarking process. State revisions will be included in the May data release. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ February 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports job openings continue to remain at elevated levels.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of February 2024 job openings in Virginia was little changed over the month, but up by 28 percent from five years earlier. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in February, there were 267,000job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a 2,000 decrease from January’s revised figure. The number of U.S. job openings changed little at 8.8 million; this measure is down from a series high of 12.2 million in March 2022. U.S. job openings significantly increased in finance and insurance (+126,000); state and local government, excluding education (+91,000); and arts, entertainment, and recreation (+51,000). Job openings decreased in information (-85,000) and in federal government (-21,000). The largest decreases in the job openings level occurred in Oregon (-28,000), Ohio (-24,000), and Maryland (-18,000). The largest increases occurred in Arizona (+37,000), Indiana (+18,000), and Hawaii (+6,000).
In Virginia, the February job openings rate was 6.0 percent, unchanged from January. The U.S. job openings rate was unchanged at 5.3 percent for the third month in row. The largest decreases in job openings rates occurred in Oregon (-1.2 percentage points) and in the District of Columbia and West Virginia (-1.0 point each). The increases occurred in Arizona (+1.0 point) and in Hawaii and Rhode Island (+0.9 point each).
The number of hires in Virginia increased to 177,000 in February, an increase of 8,000 over the month and was unchanged from February 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was 35 percent lower than the series high of 271,000 set in June 2020. Nationwide in February, the number of hires was little changed at 5.8 million. Hires significantly decreased in durable goods manufacturing (-44,000). The largest increases in the hires level occurred in Florida (+56,000), Tennessee (+35,000), and Ohio (+32,000). The decreases occurred in New York (-34,000), Pennsylvania (-31,000), and South Carolina (-16,000). In Virginia, the 4.2 hires rate edged up from January’s revised 4.0 percent rate. The U.S. hires rate was little changed at 3.7 percent. Significant increases in the hires rate occurred in Tennessee (+1.0 percentage point) and Maine (+0.9 point), as well as in Florida, Missouri, and Ohio (+0.6 point each). The decreases occurred in South Carolina (-0.7 point) and Pennsylvania (-0.5 point).
The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was little changed at .66 percent. This was the same as nationwide, where it has hovered around two hires per three openings over the past year. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In February 2024, the Virginia ‘annual fill’ rate (the ratio of ‘this month’ hires to ’last month’ job openings, over the year) remained significantly above the historical, typical level of 1.0 at 1.25. The fill rate is a measure used to evaluate how labor markets differ in the pace that job openings are filled. An annual fill rate near or above 1.0 can indicate that employers are growing more efficient at filling job openings. On the other hand, an annual fill rate of less than 1.0 can indicate a tighter labor market, with employers having greater difficulty filling job openings compared to a year earlier. Going back to 2001, the highest annual fill rate occurred during June 2020 because, after the nationwide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers across the country sought to quickly hire for vacated positions. The lowest fill rate in Virginia occurred in June 2021. During that time, there were many factors that hindered the filling of vacant positions by employers, such as health concerns, employee skills, and childcare needs, but the biggest factor was the comparison against the historic re-hiring hike the year before.
Total separations in Virginia decreased by 3,000 to 152,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations changed little at 5.6 million. Over the month, the number of total separations nationwide significantly increased in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+64,000) but decreased in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-62,000). The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in Minnesota (+40,000), Tennessee (+27,000), and Ohio (+26,000). The decreases occurred in New Jersey (-25,000), Kansas (-9,000), and Nebraska (-8,000). The Virginia total separations rate decreased from 3.7 to 3.6 percent. The U.S. total separations rate was unchanged at 3.5 percent. The largest increases in total separations rates occurred in Minnesota (+1.3 percentage points), Maine (+1.0 point), and Alaska (+0.9 point). The decreases occurred in Nebraska (-0.8 point) and New Jersey (-0.6 point).
An estimated 92,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in February. The number of quits decreased by 10,000 from January’s revised figure of 102,000. That was a 16 percent decrease over-the-year and a four percent decrease from five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Nationwide, the number of quits was little changed at 3.5 million. The largest increases in the quits level occurred in Florida (+35,000), Missouri (+25,000), and Nevada (+10,000). The decreases occurred in Colorado (-13,000) and West Virginia (-4,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth edged down to 2.2 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. rate was little changed at 2.2 percent for the fourth consecutive month. The increases in quits rates occurred in Missouri (+0.8 percentage point), Nevada (+0.7 point), and Florida (+0.4 point). The decrease occurred in West Virginia (-0.6 point).
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia rose to 47,000 in February. This was up over 42 percent over the year, and 28 percent up from five years earlier. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In February, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.7 million. The number of layoffs and discharges significantly increased in accommodation and food services (+67,000) and in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+57,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate remained to one percent, while the U.S. rate was little changed at 1.1 percent.
The February ‘churn rate’ (sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) in Virginia and nationwide edged up, but recent trends indicated a continued deceleration of movement of workers from job to job since the beginning of 2022. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more resilient extending back to the pandemic year of 2020.
Information provided by the monthly JOLTS survey can show volitility from month to month, especially at the state level. And previous months’ data is revised. However, it often shows important trends in the labor market that can be difficult to obtain elsewhere. For example, the ratio of job quits to all job separations (a measure of job market and economic strength) fluctuates but it clearly shows that that percentage in Virginia and nationwide has trended downward since 2022. The good news in this case is that the monthly JOLTS survey also provides discrete measures of these indicators to compare current trends with previous, similar trends. While the Quits / Total Separations indicator trended downward in a manner like the 2007-09 ‘Great Recession,’ the current rate indicates that over six of every ten job separations has been a job quit, compared to a low of under four out of every ten during the Great Recession.
Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
*Excerpted from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Concepts, https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/concepts.htm.
Virginia Works plans to release the March 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the March JOLTS data for states on Friday, May 17, 2024.
Technical note: January’s JOLTS analysis reflects revisions to U.S. figures that were made to the CES employment data in their annual benchmarking process. State revisions will be included in the May data release. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— Virginia Works (the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January 2024 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports small increases in Virginia hires and quits.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of January 2024 quits in Virginia increased by 6,000, or 6.3%, over the month and over the year. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in January, there were 257,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a 6,000 decrease from December’s 2023’s revised 263,000 job openings. The number of U.S. job openings changed little at 8.9 million; this measure is down from a series high of 12.2 million in March 2022. U.S. job openings increased in nondurable goods manufacturing (+82,000) but decreased in private educational services (-41,000). The largest increases in the job openings level occurred in New York (+82,000), Maryland (+50,000), and Oregon (+41,000). The largest decreases occurred in Texas (-62,000), Colorado (-34,000), and Michigan (-24,000).
In Virginia, the January job openings rate was 5.8%, down 0.1 points from December. The U.S. job openings rate was unchanged at 5.3 percent in January 2024. The job openings rate decreased for establishments with 5,000 or more employees. In January, job openings increased in nondurable goods manufacturing (+82,000) but decreased in private educational services (-41,000). The largest increases in job openings rates occurred in Oregon (+1.9 percentage points), Maryland (+1.6 points), and Missouri (+1.2 points). The decrease occurred in Colorado (-1.0 point).
The number of hires in Virginia increased to 171,000 in January, an increase of 6,000 over the month but a decreased of 3,000 from January 2023. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was 37 percent lower than the series high of 271,000 set in June 2020. Nationwide in January, the number of hires was little changed at 5.7 million. Hires decreased in state and local government education (-37,000). The largest increases in the hires level occurred in Pennsylvania (+57,000), North Carolina (+28,000), and Oregon (+19,000). The decreases occurred in Florida (-94,000), Texas (-64,000), and Arkansas (-10,000). In Virginia, the 4.1 hires rate was little up from December’s revised 3.9 percent rate. In January, the U.S. rate was little changed at 3.6 percent. The increases in the hires rate occurred in Oregon (+1.0 percentage point), Pennsylvania (+0.9 point), and Iowa (+0.7 point). The decreases occurred in Florida (-0.9 point) and Texas (-0.5 point). The Virginia hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio edged up to .67 percent. Nationwide, it has hovered around two hires per three openings over the past year. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions.
In January 2024, the Virginia ‘annual fill’ rate (the ratio of ‘this month’ hires to ’last month’ job openings, over the year) remained significantly above the historical, typical level of 1.0 at 1.32. The fill rate is a measure used to evaluate how labor markets differ in the pace that job openings are filled. An annual fill rate near or above 1.0 can indicate that employers are growing more efficient at filling job openings. On the other hand, an annual fill rate of less than 1.0 can indicate a tighter labor market, with employers having greater difficulty filling job openings compared to a year earlier. Going back to 2001, the highest annual fill rate occurred during June 2020 because, after the nationwide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers across the country sought to quickly hire for vacated positions. The lowest fill rate in Virginia occurred in June 2021. During that time, there were many factors that hindered the filling of vacant positions by employers, such as health concerns, employee skills, and childcare needs, but the biggest factor was the comparison against the historic re-hiring hike the year before.
Total separations in Virginia increased by 9,000 to 156,000. Nationwide, the number of total separations in January changed little at 5.3 million. Over the month, the number of total separations decreased in health care and social assistance (-86,000) and in federal government (-8,000). The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in Colorado (+23,000), Oregon (+19,000), and Iowa (+9,000). Significant decreases occurred in Tennessee (-25,000) and Alaska (-3,000). The Virginia total separations rate increased from 3.5 to 3.7 percent. The U.S. total separations rate was unchanged at 3.4 percent. The increases in total separations rates occurred in Oregon (+1.0 percentage point), Colorado (+0.8 point), and Iowa (+0.6 point). The decreases occurred in Alaska (-0.9 point) and Tennessee (-0.8 point).
An estimated 101,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in January. The number of quits increased by 6,000 from December’s revised figure of 95,000. That was a 6.3 percent increase over-the-year and a 28 percent increase from five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Nationwide, the number of quits changed little at 3.4 million. The number of quits increased in information (+23,000) but decreased in real estate and rental and leasing (-16,000). The largest decreases in the quits level occurred in Georgia (-23,000), Tennessee (-16,000), and Minnesota (-15,000). The increases occurred in Colorado (+19,000) and Oregon (+9,000). The quits rate in the Commonwealth edged up to 2.4 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. rate was little changed at 2.1 percent. The decreases in quits rates occurred in North Dakota (-0.7 percentage point) and in Georgia and Minnesota (-0.5 point each). The increases occurred in Colorado (+0.7 point) and Oregon (+0.5 point).
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia was unchanged at 43,000 in January. This was little changed over the year, but over a third lower than five years earlier. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In January, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.6 million, and the rate was 1.0 percent for the third month in a row. The number of layoffs and discharges decreased in state and local government education (-19,000) but increased in mining and logging (+7,000). Significant decreases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in Indiana and Ohio (-16,000 each) and in Alaska (-3,000). The increases occurred in Oregon (+8,000) and Delaware (+3,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate remained to one percent, while the U.S. rate was unchanged at one percent for the third month in a row. The decreases occurred in Alaska (-0.9 percentage point), Indiana (-0.5 point), and California (-0.2 point). The increase occurred in New Jersey (+0.3 point).
The January ‘churn rate’ (sum of the hires rate and total separations rate) nationwide indicated a continued deceleration of movement of workers from job to job since the beginning of 2022. While more volatile month-to-month, Virginia’s pace has been more resilient extending back to the pandemic year of 2020.
On the last business day of January 2024, Virginia’s labor market largely followed recent trends, with little dramatic change over the month. JOLTS data indicated its balance, with gradually increasing labor supply yet continued strong need among employers to fill open positions. Employers continued making headway toward staffing stability, with hires growing as a percentage of job openings. This has largely been driven by job openings trending downward yet remaining more elevated than before the pandemic. The rate of job separations due to layoffs remained comparable to pre-pandemic trends. Adding these things together shows that, at the beginning of the new year, Virginia’s labor market remained strong but not overheated.
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Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
The Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (DWDA) plans to release the February 2024 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Friday, April 19, 2024. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the January JOLTS data for states on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Technical note: January’s JOLTS analysis reflects revisions to U.S. figures that were made to the CES employment data in their annual benchmarking process. State revisions will be included in the May data release. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
RICHMOND— The Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (DWDA) announced today that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ October 2023 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports a decrease in hires in the Commonwealth.
According to the most recent BLS JOLTS survey data, the number of October 2023 job quits in Virginia fell by seventeen percent compared to October 2022. Though partially recovering from July’s drop, job openings also remained over twenty percent lower than October 2022. BLS JOLTS data provides information on all the pieces that go into the net change in the number of jobs. These components include job openings, hires, layoffs, voluntary quits, and other job separations (which includes retirements and worker deaths). Putting those components together reveals the overall change in payroll employment. JOLTS data is seasonally adjusted and describes conditions on the last business day of the month. Current month’s data are preliminary and the previous month’s data have been revised.
On the last business day in October, there were 254,000 job openings in Virginia, seasonally adjusted, a 6,000 decrease from September’s 2023’s revised 260,000 job openings. Nationwide, the number of job openings decreased to 8.7 million (-617,000). Over the month, U.S. job openings decreased in health care and social assistance (-236,000), finance and insurance (-168,000), and real estate and rental and leasing (-49,000). Job openings increased in information (+39,000). The largest decreases in the job openings level occurred in Tennessee (-84,000), California (-60,000), and Illinois (-49,000).
In Virginia, the October job openings rate was 5.7%, down 0.2 points from September. The U.S. job openings rate was 5.3 percent in October 2023, 0.3 percentage points lower than it was in the previous month. The rate was 2.1 percentage points lower than its peak of 7.4 percent in March 2022 and the lowest since the rate was 5.1 percent in February 2021. In October 2023, the job openings rates in professional and business services (7.1 percent) and leisure and hospitality (6.8 percent) were among the highest. In contrast, the job openings rates in state and local government (3.9 percent) and mining and logging (4.0 percent) were among the lowest. The largest decreases in job openings rates occurred in Tennessee (-2.2 percentage points), Louisiana (-1.2 points), and Wisconsin (-1.0 point). The number of hires in Virginia declined to 158,000 in October, a decrease of 15,000 over the month and by 3,000 from five years earlier in October 2018. JOLTS defines hires as all additions to the payroll during the month. The number of hires was up 77,000 from the series low of 81,000 in April 2020. Nationwide in October, the number of hires changed little at 5.9 million. The number of U.S. hires decreased in accommodation and food services (-110,000). The largest decreases in the hires level occurred in North Carolina (-29,000), Kentucky (-28,000), and Louisiana (-25,000). Large increases occurred in Texas (+86,000) and Iowa (+9,000). In Virginia, the hires rate decreased to 3.8 percent from September’s revised 4.2 percent rate. In October, the U.S. hires rate was 3.7 percent for the fourth month in a row. Among the major industries, rate changes were mixed over the year. The U.S. hires rate in Manufacturing decreased 0.5 percentage point from 3.4 percent in October 2022 to 2.9 percent in October 2023. The Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation, hires rate increased 0.7 percentage point over the year to 6.4 percent. The hires rate significantly decreased in Kentucky (-1.4 percentage points), Louisiana (-1.3 points), and Alabama (-0.7 point).
The hires-per-job-openings (HPJO) ratio was little changed in October at 62 percent and has been equivalent to the rate nationwide in recent months. This measure shows the rate of hiring compared to open jobs and is a proxy for time to fill positions. For the last two years, the rate has hovered between five and six hires for every ten job openings in the Commonwealth.
In October 2023, the Virginia ‘annual fill’ rate (the ratio of ‘this month’ hires to ’last month’ job openings, over the year) remained significantly above the historical, typical level of 1.0 to 1.27—the highest rate since early in 2021. The fill rate is a measure used to evaluate how labor markets differ in the pace that job openings are filled. An annual fill rate near or above 1.0 can indicate that employers are growing more efficient at filling job openings. On the other hand, an annual fill rate of less than 1.0 can indicate a tighter labor market, with employers having greater difficulty filling job openings compared to a year earlier. Going back to 2001, the highest annual fill rate occurred during May 2020 because, after the nationwide shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, employers across the country sought to quickly hire for vacated positions. The lowest fill rate in Virginia occurred in June 2021. During that time, there were many factors that hindered the filling of vacant positions by employers, such as health concerns, employee skills, and childcare needs, but the biggest factor was the comparison against the historic re-hiring hike the year before.
On the last business day of October, the number of total separations in Virginia increased by 11,000 to 158,000. This was eight percent higher over the month. The number total separations nationwide in October changed little at 5.6 million. Over the month, the number of total separations significantly increased in professional and business services (+121,000). The largest increases in the total separations level occurred in New Jersey (+52,000), Pennsylvania (+37,000), and Massachusetts (+24,000). The Virginia total separations rate increased from 3.5 to 3.8 percent.
The U.S. total separations rate was unchanged at 3.6 percent for the fifth consecutive month. The total separations rate significantly decreased for establishments with 5,000 or more employees. Significant increases in total separations rates occurred in New Jersey (+1.2 percentage points), as well as in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (+0.6 point each). Significant decreases occurred in Kansas and Minnesota (-0.9 point each). An estimated 102,000 workers quit jobs from Virginia employers in October. The number of quits increased by 1,000 from September’s revised figure of 101,000. That was a seventeen percent decrease over-the-year but a twenty-five percent increase from five years earlier. Quits, a component of total separations, are voluntary separations initiated by the employee. The number of quits significantly increased in professional and business services (+97,000). Slightly higher than nationwide, the quits rate in the Commonwealth fell was unchanged at 2.4 percent and remained at levels seen over the last two years. Over the month, the U.S. rate was 2.3 percent for the fourth consecutive month. The quits rate significantly decreased for establishments with 5,000 or more employees.
The number of layoffs and discharges in Virginia edged up to 44,000 in October. This was an increase of thirteen percent over the year, but still at low, pre-Pandemic levels. Layoffs and discharges are countercyclical, which means that layoffs typically increase during economic contractions and decrease during economic expansions. In October, the number of U.S. layoffs and discharges changed little at 1.6 million. The number of layoffs and discharges changed little in all industries. The largest increases in the layoffs and discharges level occurred in New Jersey (+51,000), Pennsylvania (+38,000), and Massachusetts (+23,000). The largest decreases occurred in Minnesota (-24,000), Missouri (-16,000), and Kansas (-9,000). The Virginia layoffs and discharges rate was little changed at 1.1 percent, while the rate of layoffs and discharges significantly increased in Maine and New Jersey (+1.1 percentage points each) and in Montana (+0.8 point). Significant decreases occurred in Minnesota (-0.8 point), as well as in Kansas and Missouri (-0.6 point each).
In October 2023, there was one unemployed worker for every two job openings in the Commonwealth, within the range that it has hovered around since 2021. This period marked the lowest rates since January 2001, when BLS began collecting the data. In Virginia, the unemployed per job openingratio (sometimes called the ‘job seekers ratio’) peaked at 4.4 unemployed per job opening in February 2010 during the Great Recession. The number of unemployed workers per job opening stood at 3.2 in April 2020 during the height of pandemic employment impacts. Across the U.S., there was a ratio of unemployed people to job openings of 0.7 in October, unchanged over the month. The ratio of unemployed people per job opening has been below 1.0 since July 2021. The number of unemployed people per job opening nationwide reached its highest level of 6.5 in July of 2009, at the height of the Great Recession.
The October 2023 churn rate (the sum of the hires rate and the total separations rate) slowed slightly to 7.6 from September’s revised 7.7 rate in Virginia yet indicating still-elevated velocity of rotation into and out of jobs. Nationwide’s churn rate was 7.3, which was little changed over the month but a 0.5-point deceleration over the year. An elevated churn rate indicates a labor market with a high hires rate, a high separations rate, or both. It can signify that workers are moving more frequently into and out of jobs in the labor market. Conversely, a low churn rate indicates a labor market with a low hires rate, a low separations rate, or both.
Virginia JOLTS data for October indicate that hiring and quitting were a little slower than was typical for 2023. However, job markets remained strong overall with elevated levels of job openings, though they too have trended downward in the Commonwealth and nationwide since their peak nearly two years ago. The U.S. job openings rate was 5.3 percent in October 2023, 0.3 percentage point lower than it was in the previous month and the lowest since the rate was 5.1 percent in February 2021. As has often been the case, job openings around the country, in part, reflected increased hires and quits. As this job churn has slowly declined, so have job openings. This effect has been more subtle in Virginia than nationwide in 2023. The ability of employers to fill positions compared to the previous year reached its most elevated level since early 2021.
Definitions of JOLTS terms*
Job Openings Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of the reference month. A job is open only if it meets the following three conditions: (1) A specific position exists and there is work available for that position; the position can be full time or part time, and it can be permanent, short term, or seasonal; (2) the job could start within 30 days, whether or not the employer can find a suitable candidate during that time; and (3) the employer is actively recruiting workers from outside the establishment to fill the position. Excluded are positions open only to internal transfers, promotions or demotions, or recalls from layoffs.
Hires Hires include all additions to the payroll during the entire reference month, including newly hired and rehired employees; full-time and part-time employees; permanent, short-term, and seasonal employees; employees who were recalled to a job at the location following a layoff (formal suspension from pay status) lasting more than 7 days; on-call or intermittent employees who returned to work after having been formally separated; workers who were hired and separated during the month; and transfers from other locations. Excluded are transfers or promotions within the reporting location, employees returning from a strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
Separations Separations include all separations from the payroll during the entire reference month and are reported by type of separation: quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Quits include employees who left voluntarily, except for retirements or transfers to other locations. Layoffs and discharges include involuntary separations initiated by the employer, including layoffs with no intent to rehire; layoffs (formal suspensions from pay status) lasting or expected to last more than 7 days; discharges resulting from mergers, downsizing, or closings; firings or other discharges for cause; terminations of permanent or short-term employees; and terminations of seasonal employees (whether or not they are expected to return the next season). Other separations include retirements, transfers to other locations, separations due to employee disability, and deaths. Excluded are transfers within the same location, employees on strike, and employees of temporary help agencies, employee leasing companies, outside contractors, or consultants.
The Department of Workforce Development and Advancement (DWDA) plans to release the November 2023 analysis of the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for Virginia on Monday, January 22, 2023. The data for all states and the U.S. will be available on the BLS website JOLTS page, at https://www.bls.gov/jlt/. BLS is scheduled to release the October JOLTS data for states on Thursday, January 18, 2023.
Technical note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) produces monthly data on U.S. and regional job openings, hires, quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations from a sample of approximately 21,000 establishments. As a supplement, BLS has begun publishing state estimates that provide monthly information that can be used to better understand the dynamic activity of businesses in state economies that leads to aggregate employment changes. For more information on the program’s concepts and methodology, see “Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Handbook of Methods” (Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 13, 2020), https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/jlt/home.htm. For more information on BLS’ state JOLTS estimates, see https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_statedata.htm.
